Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/261562
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 2 1 M o n d a y, A u g u s t 1 9 , 2 0 1 3 QUICKCUE HELPS WITH BETTER GUEST ENGAGEMENT Engagement is defined as an emotion- al involvement or commitment. Guest engagement means establishing and maintaining strong emotional connec- tions between restaurant and guests. How is this possible, given that restau- rant staffs are made up of dozens of different team members, and have hun- dreds, maybe thousands of guests per month? The team at Quickcue believes, at its core, guest engagement is no different that the engagement between two people. When a hospitality team, as a whole, lis- tens to guest needs, preferences and feed- back, remembers and recalls this infor- mation, and responds in ways that sur- prise and delight real engagement occurs, transforming guests into loyal ambassa- dors and advocates. Today, more than ever, people dine out for reasons much deeper than just eat- ing; they desire an experience. Since each guest has different needs, desires, and preferences forming the foundation of their anticipated experience, teaching a team to listen or "read a table" well is essential to making sure guests have the experience they desire. Asking the right questions, at the right time, and in the right way can pro- vide valuable information needed to deliver a great dining experience. Unfortunately, doing this consistently presents some challenges: 1. Efficiently collecting and properly utilize guest information, preferences and opinions. 2. A tremendous amount of informa- tion needs to be stored about each guest to be effective for future use. 3. Transferring guest specific infor- mation to team members effectively is difficult at best and impossible in reality. 4. Guests may remember a server who provided a good experience during their last visit, but unlikely. 5. If a guest does remember, the con- nection is with the server not necessarily the restaurant. Quickcue's suite of products will help make a delightful, exceptional and surprising dining experience possible every time. The company's guest experi- ence platform will gather information about guests' needs and preferences and put it at the fingertips of your team mem- bers at the precise moment it is needed to delight the guest. Your entire team will have access to valuable guest insights developed over the course of the guest's visits to your restaurant, allowing everyone to deliver tailored and exceptional experi- ences. These quality experiences create a meaningful and sustainable relation- ship between the guest and your restau- rant resulting in true guest engagement, which leads to greater advocacy, loyal- ty, and visit frequency. However, tech- nology can only advance the relation- ship so far. The real experience and the real con- nection happens when we start believing that the primary path to success is through listening to guests and consis- tently see the dining experience from their point of view. Quickcue is creating tools to make these connections and their resulting ben- efits easier, but there is no substitute for looking people in the eye, offering a gen- uine smile, and providing thoughtful empathy. Quickcue simply enables and inspires exceptional hospitality. For more information or to schedule a demo of Quickcue's guest experience platform, visit the Quickcue team at www.quickcue.com. TEMP MINDER: PROTECTING YOUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET It's 2 a.m. on a Sunday: do you know the temperature of your refrigerated invento- ry? With ICC's Temp Minder™ line of products, you know exactly what's going on in your refrigeration 24/7. Temp Minder differs from the com- petition in a number of ways: probe installation is completely wireless; status and reports can be viewed from any- where, at any time; a PC is not required on site; there are no costly software charges or updates and each system is PCI compliant. The most economical system on the market, Temp Minder's only reoc- curring cost you'll have is a nominal annual monitoring fee which allows for reports and alerts. Alerts can be sent via text or email and can be arranged in an escalating scale. Each system is able to support numerous sensors within a facili- ty with repeaters enabling an extended range. Probe batteries last for two years and the system will alert you when it is time to change the batteries. Don't just stop at cold temps. With Temp Minder you can monitor hot temps as well, perfect for sensitive hot holding situations. Unique to Temp Minder, is the Food Product Probes that allow for continuous monitoring of products like soups and stews. These hand probes almost make the cook and chill process foolproof and fully docu- mented so you can meet with local health inspection guidelines. Temp Minder users say the product has saved them tens of thousands dollars in food, labor and revenue. Remember, when you calculate labor costs, it is not just the individual who is charged with making those rounds to hand write tem- peratures in a log book on a timely basis but also all of the labor that goes into the preparation of food product. Imagine a breathtaking dessert for 300 prepared the night before and stored safely in a special freezer that lost power in the middle of the night; or a locker filled with specially aged beef wiped out by refrigeration fail- ure; or a special menu prepared the night before for a presentation to the CEO the next morning where a plug was acciden- tally kicked out by the cleaning crew. These are examples of awful situations that are all too real and were averted with Temp Minder in the kitchen. Unique to Temp Minder is CCP Minder, a portable device that automates the logging of Critical Control Points completely wirelessly to support your HACCP program. All these features make Temp Minder the only solution you'll ever need to control your most valuable asset. Available in a configura- tion to suit your needs, Temp Minder can be ordered with NIST Certification that can be updated annually. If transportation is an issue, be sure to check out Truck Minder mobile real time temperature monitoring solution for transport. GPS tracking shows you real time vehicle location. Truck Minder is the perfect solution for food transport monitoring. New for 2013 is Mobil Minder, the ideal solution for hospitals and kiosks, see temperature and location data within a facility. Sleep comfortably when you put Temp Minder to work for you. For more information on Integrated Control Corp., visit www.goicc.com. ALTO-SHAAM PRESSES FORWARD WITH INNOVATIVE HALO HEAT TECHNOLOGY Alto-Shaam, a foodservice equipment manufacturer known for its revolutionary Halo Heat technology, continues to tout its products as the most innovative on the market. And the National Restaurant Association agrees. Alto-Shaam's CT Express Combitherm is the recipient of the 2013 Kitchen Innovations Award, and for good reason. On display at booth 4831 and the interactive Kitchen Innovations Pavilion, the newly re-launched CT Express Combitherm with an integrated catalytic converter, broiler feature, and smoking ability proves that Alto-Shaam has what it takes to change the way your kitchen runs. These unique additions provide cus- tomers with more options than compara- ble products currently on the market. With the integration of a catalytic con- verter that "scrubs" the airstream of nor- mal grease-laden byproducts, the CT Express has the versatility to be placed in areas without a hood. Going beyond the usual Combitherm technology, Alto-Shaam's CT Express can be used as a finishing oven, quickly and efficiently toasting sandwiches, breads and desserts with the new broiler feature. Place the oven away from nor- mal production space to cut down on clutter and streamline your kitchen. The best part of all is that a fully functioning Combi oven with an integrated catalytic converter will take up less than a 2-foot width of counter space, creating an effi- cient and clutter-free workspace. The CT Express has something else for those wanting to set themselves apart from the rest―a fully functioning smok- ing feature. Experiment with unique fla- vors you can only get from smoking your favorite meats. Or, step outside the box and try cold smoking cheeses, fish and scallops in a way never before possible. Alto-Shaam was chosen in part because of its ability to address today's leading commercial kitchen equipment challenges with advancements in energy efficiency and sustainability, as well as versatility to conform to diverse restau- rant layouts. Innovations like the inte- grated catalytic converter from Alto- Shaam will have a substantial impact on the efficiency and success of restaurant kitchens, as well as the profitability of the restaurant itself. For more information, visit www .alto-shaam.com.