INTERACTIVE UNIX System Provides Engine for Restaurant Management Software

At the heart of oneSystem is SunSoft's INTERACTIVE UNIX® System, the leading 32-bit operating environment for Intel 386, 486, and Pentium-based computers. "When we started developing our software in 1984, we were running XENIX on a Tandy 6000," recalls Stan McCabe, president and founder of HDS. "We were automating our own business which was a home delivery service for local restaurants in Prince George, British Columbia. We realized we had a product that could benefit other restaurant chains as well. In 1986, we made a quantum leap, moving to the 386 platform and the INTERACTIVE UNIX System. Today our systems are based on 486/SX 25 MHz hardware."

According to Gerald Lindenbach, Vice President and Director of Software Development at HDS, the INTERACTIVE UNIX System provides a solid foundation for HDS software. "One of the biggest benefits for us has been compatibility. The operating system is based on the industry-standard UNIX System V Release 3. SunSoft has enhanced the operating system, but all the changes are seamlessly integrated. So we don't have to worry about integration issues, or learn strange commands that aren't used by other UNIX implementations. As a result, the INTERACTIVE UNIX System is compatible with many software packages on the market."

Lindenbach adds that this compatibility also makes it easy to port to other platforms. The staff develops its software on 486 microprocessor-based computers running the INTERACTIVE UNIX System. For some customers, HDS ports the software to other platforms - for example, to Hewlett Packard or Motorola hardware. "The INTERACTIVE UNIX System has always been one of the most standard UNIX implementations, so porting is relatively easy."

HDS' oneSystem is rapidly gaining acceptance among pizza chains such as Domino's Pizza in Edmonton, Alberta; Peter Piper, Inc. and Barro's Pizza in Arizona; and California-based Rusty's Pizza Parlors and Castle Pizza, one of the largest Round Table Pizza franchises. The product provides these chains with a comprehensive management system for a variety of business functions, such as front counter point-of-sale, dining room point-of-sale, telephone order entry, driver dispatch, inventory control, and central office polling. In addition, oneSystem can be used in conjunction with custom accounting packages to provide an expanded business solution.

oneSystem supports two major methods of restaurant operation: 'one-number' operation and 'single-unit system' operation. With one-number operation, all customers phone a single call center to place orders, rather than calling the individual restaurants in the chain. The restaurant computers are all linked to the call center computer via the telephone network. Each order is transmitted instantly from the call center to the restaurant closest to the ordering customer. The individual restaurant prepares the items and dispatches a driver to deliver the order.

In single-unit system operation, customers call the individual restaurants in the chain. The restaurant enters the order locally into its own computer, prepares the items, and dispatches a driver. At the end of the day, a computer at headquarters collects a variety of information, including order transactions, from each restaurant's computer. "The INTERACTIVE UNIX System really lends itself to this type of operation," says McCabe. "Each computer has a modem, and the central site performs unattended polling gathering transaction totals, banking activities, inventory information, and so forth."

"One advantage our product offers," McCabe continues, "is that everything is built into a single package, and we can tailor it for each customer. If customers want to change the way they do business, they can. A customer can easily switch from a single-unit system operation to one-number. It's just a matter of changing switches in the software."

According to McCabe, oneSystem helps chain operators and restaurant managers monitor and control labor and food costs. "For example, it tracks ingredient consumption based on recipes. When you're delivering a thousand pizzas on a Friday night, over-topping these pizzas can have a tremendous impact on your costs. And it affects quality as well, because the pizza may not cook properly if too much or too little of one ingredient is used."

The product also gives restaurant managers a better handle on operations. They can easily track 'kitchen time' - the amount of time it takes to prepare orders and send them out the door. "Managers can also tell where they need to focus extra resources, such as drivers, servers, and order takers," McCabe says. "It can even help with scheduling the staff."

According to Lindenbach, enhancements to the INTERACTIVE UNIX System are helping HDS to expand oneSystem capabilities and to provide better customer support. "The new kconfig module has made it easier for us to introduce drivers for new hardware peripherals. And the system administration interface is very simple to use, so it's easy to talk customers through administration tasks. As a result, we don't spend as much time on support calls."

The INTERACTIVE UNIX System offers HDS customers a high quality environment for running their business. "We've always found the INTERACTIVE UNIX System to be very stable," Lindenbach says. "We don't experience the typical problems found on other UNIX implementations - like having the system freeze up or reboot mysteriously."

HDS views SunSoft as a strong partner in its continuing development of oneSystem. "The INTERACTIVE UNIX System is reliable and very price competitive," McCabe concludes. "And the support we've received over the years has been outstanding. They've always been willing to go the extra mile for us."

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