Would You Like Fries With That?
Have you been focusing on building supply, auto aftermarket, and other big ticket markets? Ever think of branching out into the fast food market?
No, we haven't lost our marbles. Two companies are moving technology in this direction, UniComp and CrossCheck, Inc. A line of new "Universal" products from UniComp (a division of Smoky Mountain Technologies, see issue 97:05:01) may make the fast food market a profitable venue for ISOs desiring to sell a high-end total payment solution. At the same time that UniComp is building high-end touch screen type equipment, CrossCheck, Inc., has launched a system called "No Que" designed for high-speed, low-ticket environments that requires no special wires or in-store system.
The products
introduced by UniComp are the Universal line: BackRoom Software,
BackRoom Software for Windows®, and Register Software. The
software manages multiple stores from a single location so a
franchise owner can gather sales and inventory data from all of his
locations, generate reports, and transmit them to corporate
headquarters.
The Universal Register contains a touch-screen POS system and supports credit, debit, and frequent shopper programs. According to Stephen A. Hafer, President and CEO of UniComp, the new products ".provide a basis for significantly increasing our revenue per store, since a complete POS system may sell for $5,000 while our traditional POS credit/debit/check software for that same environment sells for less than $300 per license."
The year 2000 issue makes it easier to place the equipment too, Hafer continued ". within the SUBWAY® system alone, there are over 11,000 stores that must buy a new touch screen POS system before the year 2001 to comply with recently announced corporate guidelines."
CrossCheck, on the other hand, is focused on very low cost solutions for the fast food industry and other high-speed retail segments. David Mierkey, Manager of CrossCheck's Partner Program notes, "We have had a very successful pilot with a Taco Bellr group that has averaged 12 checks per day, per store, all processed within a forty-minute lunch rush. The low cost `No Que' solution can make check acceptance at the Point-of-Sale economically feasible for this type of business."
For more information on UniComp's "Universal" products, visit their Web site at http://www.unicomp.com. For more information on CrossCheck's "No Que" product visit http://www.cross-check.com.
