Help with Point of Sale (P.O.S.) systems

Robin,

Feel free to move this post if it does not belong here

I am hoping to get some insight from restaurant owners/operators about their experience with Aloha point of sale systems.I am considering setting up Aloha systems in my store, but I want to play around with it before making a decision. I've seen the Aloha dealer's presentation, but I'd like to observe it in action in the real world. I'd really appreciate if anyone who has the system would let me come by and see how it works.

Aloha is God's gift to every restaurant. The system allows for every contingency. It is the most user friendly option out there (for both staff and management).

When I started in this indusrty, carbon checks were a luxury. Believe me... Aloha is the real deal.

[Robin Garr]

Robin,

Feel free to move this post if it does not belong here

I am hoping to get some insight from restaurant owners/operators about their experience with Aloha point of sale systems.I am considering setting up Aloha systems in my store, but I want to play around with it before making a decision. I've seen the Aloha dealer's presentation, but I'd like to observe it in action in the real world. I'd really appreciate if anyone who has the system would let me come by and see how it works.

It's fine, Nira. Absolutely restaurant-related.

If I recall correctly, forumite Jackie R may have some expertise in this field ...

Robin,

Feel free to move this post if it does not belong here

I am hoping to get some insight from restaurant owners/operators about their experience with Aloha point of sale systems.I am considering setting up Aloha systems in my store, but I want to play around with it before making a decision. I've seen the Aloha dealer's presentation, but I'd like to observe it in action in the real world. I'd really appreciate if anyone who has the system would let me come by and see how it works.

It's fine, Nira. Absolutely restaurant-related.

If I recall correctly, forumite Jackie R may have some expertise in this field ...

Jackie R., being an Aloha rep., may have a conflict of interest. I will bet she has worked on every major pos in her storied career.

Hi Nira,
You are welcome to come in anytime at C.Q., we have 16 POS Aloha systems on the property.
We had ours synced with our QSR system in the kitchen 3 years ago to help with the flow of orders walking back there and it has been nothing but positive for us once we all became trained on it. Also talk to the C.Q. staff about it, they are the ones using the POS most of the time

I have become very familiar with the " back office " of Aloha working with it for the past 9 years also, I would be more than happy to show you what programs, reports, item maintenance...etc.,. that you will probaly use the most.

David R. Pierce="Jackie R., being an Aloha rep.,

Well I had no idea ?

Thank you so much, Alan, for the positive endorsement and offer to showcase our system. It's true, I am an Aloha POS service technician for Kline Business Solutions (cat's out of the bag now!).

Depending on your needs, Nira, we have several hundred clients spanning all venues from quick (counter) service to fine or casual dining to bars and clubs, etc. Several of them have offered to demo our systems and I'd be happy to give you more information if you like.

From a service standpoint, it's very comforting to hear such positive remarks from Alan and Gary, so thanks again guys.

Do keep in mind, however, that Aloha is a BIG system. And by that I mean it is comprehensive and deep. It can be as involved as you want it to be. Which is great for tracking sales, generating PMIX's, charting sales by hour, etc. However, it isn't always the best fit for every restaurant.

We tried Aloha several years ago and quickly discovered it was overkill for our concept. We have 15 menu items. They all fit on the main screen, so many, many of the great features of Aloha's multi-layered menu set up goes unused. Plus, we only have one person running a register at a time, so a lot of the back of house management doesn't apply either. So while I absolutely LOVE Aloha and all of the absolutely incredible things it offers, I can say from experience that it is not the best fit for every restaurant.

That said, if you can put all of the tools Aloha has to good use, it is hands down the best POS currently on the market. It is intuitive, smart, and simple to learn and use, very much the opposite of MICROS circa 1997.