After the successful trial, the solution will be rolled out to the entire 100 plus EAT estate over the coming months.

“Online ordering and deliveries is a fast growing market in our sector. Demand has been led by our customers, who want the convenience of ordering online and having food and drink delivered to their door, whether it is for meetings, special occasions or the sheer comfort of eating in,” said EAT head of IT, Rene Batsford. “Working closely with IBS, we believe we have created a service that is second to none.”

“Customers only have to register themselves and their payment details once via our secure web interface. Whenever they next order online, payment screen prompts ask for three random password letters prior to swiftly processing the transaction.”

The online ordering menu features a selection of sandwich and baguette platters as well as other popular EAT products. They can be delivered on the same day if they are ordered before 10.00am.

“EAT has worked hard to build an enviable reputation for excellent in-store service. It is essential our delivery service matches these exemplary standards, not just in terms of delivering orders but also how they are processed. IBS has proven an invaluable partner and shown once again a deep understanding of the fast food market and the prowess to develop secure, reliable and easy-to-use systems.”

“Throughout, IBS’s flexibility to take our specific requirements and customise its ordering platform accordingly sets them apart from the vast majority of businesses involved in the EPOS industry,” said Rene.

“Our online customer ordering solution, one of several plug-in modules based around a POSLink touchscreen technology and StockLink.net internet platform, has enabled EAT to expand its sales channels with an added value, same-day delivery service for customers,” said Gareth Powell, managing director of Intelligent Business Systems.

“Increasingly the top end of the EPOS market is about adding value to the core solution and giving clients visible bottom line benefits. From EAT’s perspective, this makes selling to customers so much easier, widens the scope of its market and encourages brand loyalty. From our point of view, it shows how good transparent partnerships with like minded professionals produce the best results,” said Gareth.

GRA has upgraded its EPOS solution to improve the guest experience and enhance  business efficiencies at its race meetings held in Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and Wimbledon.

In addition, GRA sees its EPOS solution as a key business tool to help develop its conference and banqueting business.

The five race venues in the chain will be upgraded over the coming months to help operate 100 catering point-of-sale outlets, which range from restaurants and bars to executive boxes and trackside food-to-go.

“With POSLink pre-booked tables and deposits are recorded on the StockLink head office system within seconds, giving the GRA management team real time information and business intelligence,” said IBS project manager, Justin Atkinson. “Equally, POSLink’s loyalty and promotions modules power a huge range of offers, promotions and incentives.”

GRA is using IBS’ StockLink head-office system to give the management team, led by GRA financial director Mike Stapley, the necessary real-time business intelligence to drive decision making at individual venues and as a business as a whole.

“The combination of POSLink and StockLink gives us the tools to drive sales and footfall while controlling costs to a far greater degree than ever before,” said Mike Stapley.

New additions to the existing POSLink functionality include pre-booking and holding tables identified by customer name, setting spend limits on tables and joining tables together on a table plan for ease of managing customers in the same group but at different locations within the serving area.

In addition, operators have the ability to use table course recognition and food waiting time features.

POSLink also has the capability to be networked to kitchen video systems, handheld terminals and handheld pads or tablets.

Additional reporting facilities are now available too, ranging from email reporting direct from the terminal where there is an internet connection to chip’n'pin reporting. Wastage can also be entered directly on to the terminals.

“POSLink is all about improving the guest experience and making it easier for operators to manage their businesses. These enhanced table functionality features highlight our drive to constantly improve our client offerings,” said Gareth Powell, IBS’s managing director.

Using a Windows 7 platform, the multi-touch CL900 Tablet PC links into all the component parts of an EPOS solution via WiFi.

It has been carefully selected and road tested by IBS to ensure all aspects of its performance meet the exacting standards of busy hospitality and retail environments, where robustness has to be compatible with aesthetic appeal and speed.

The durable, lightweight tablet runs Mobile POSLink touchscreen technology at three times the size of a 3″ screen of a PDA-style device and is available from IBS with a docking station, leather case and optional thermal belt printer so bills can be printed at the point of sale.

“The launch of the iPad has revolutionised what hospitality professionals want from a mobile device as selling from a 10″ screen is so much easier than a 3″ – and really looks impressive. However, iPads are really not designed for commercial use in hospitality environments – where as the CL900 is rugged, robust and features a fast Windows 7 platform and delivers crisp, colourful HD videos and graphics,” said Gareth Powell, IBS’s managing director.

High performance features of the CL900 include up to eight hours battery life, resilient Corning Gorilla Glass known for its lightweight strength and durability and built-in wireless connectivity (such as mobile broadband with GPS, Bluetooth, WLAN).

They work very hard behind the scenes to make sure we meet all the considerable challenges that often face us – so we can exceed client expectations.

Without question, it is a key factor that influences our ability to win contracts in the museum and visitor attraction sector.

The ability to install new EPOS solutions within very tight overnight timeframes without disrupting trading takes a lot of experience, expertise and confidence in your products and your team.

For instance, the contract for the Science Museum had a 13 hour window to remove the old EPOS solution at 6.00pm and then install and network our own solutions at six different locations before 7.00am the next morning!!

Mark Bagnall, Senior Project Manager: responsible for sales, project management, installation of hardware & software, system training, system trouble-shooting, system support. His specialist area is leading the development of POSLink touchscreen technology.

Justin Atkinson writes: the good news is you can have POSLink wherever you want thanks to the brilliance of broadband. My colleague Mark recently did a remote install for a client at Dubai airport, who wanted to use POSLink. We helped them find an appropriate hardware supplier in the Middle East, who could supply terminals etc and then we configured and uploaded POSLink from our head office in Brackley – so the answer to your question is yes. The bad news is an installation team doesn’t get to fly out to Dubai!! Seriously, we do literally cover the globe – and POSLink does have unlimited currencies and currency conversions.