Recipe Tip Series
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TOPICS WORTH READING ABOUT | ||
 Recipe Tip SeriesRecipes are the gateway to optimizing the power of FOOD-TRAK’s inventory control, forecasting and menu management benefits. In an effort to get more of this information to our clients, we created a series of recipe tips designed to take your FOOD-TRAK operations to the next level. Read more... |
 Fundamentals & Advanced TrainingFOOD-TRAK University offers virtual training with live instructors and complete training guides for over 20 courses, lasting 1-2 hours each. We also offer multi-day comprehensive virtual classes for FOOD-TRAK Fundamentals and Advanced Recipe & POS. Mark your calendar for our upcoming dates! Click here... |
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 Development NewsExplore the latest FOOD-TRAK version with the FOOD-TRAK Test Drive. See all the features or simply use it to train your staff using the built-in demo database. Just Released: An update to the FOOD-TRAK Mobile Partner NG which displays Bin Numbers on appropriate screens! Read more... |
 NEW Database Cleanup Package!Sneak Peak! We’ve put together a package of services to help clients get rid of all those unwanted items and old forms that haven’t been used for years. For details on the new Database Cleanup Package click here... |
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Client Spotlight - Eastern Washington University
Automating Procurement, Inventory and Introducing Mobility
Eastern Washington University (EWU) has a long, rich history since it was founded in 1882. Located in Cheney, Washington with other campus locations around the state, the school offers over 100 different fields of study to its students. Focused on personal attention, faculty excellence and community collaboration, it is the mission of EWU to prepare well-rounded students to hit the ground running in their chosen career fields. EWU offers nine various dining options for students on campus, resulting in a significant amount of food and beverage, yet they had no software system to help them manage it. Practically every task related to F&B was done on pen and paper. There were no systems in place, no formal process for ordering or inventory, and end of month was extremely labor-intensive as a result. Therefore, in 2007, EWU decided it was time to implement a system that offered inventory management, purchasing, integration with their vendors and robust reporting of data that would support their finance system. Ken Ripley, Procurement and Supply Specialist for EWU, took on the role of Project Manager and spearheaded efforts to implement the FOOD-TRAK® Food & Beverage Management System throughout their campus dining program. EWU wanted a hosted solution with a single database, multi-Profit Center software configuration that included both mobility and integration with their prime vendors. In order to get the highest return on investment, it was imperative that they focus on labor savings immediately. Ripley attended his first FOOD-TRAK training seminar to acquire the skills needed in order to train the rest of his team back on campus. Using this train-the-trainer approach, Ken was able to personally train each member of his staff and introduce new processes to streamline inventory, ordering, transfers and requisitions between all dining outlets and their central warehouse. The deployment was a team effort at EWU, and everyone from the warehouse to the outlets and procurement department, got involved with FOOD-TRAK. Using the system for requisitions by the outlets, transfers between the warehouse and purchasing department and waste tracking throughout campus, the reporting at the end of the month is smooth, and the team is able to convert the data and balance it against their financial system. Using the FOOD-TRAK Mobile Partner (FMP) scanners, EWU automated their inventory process which according to Ripley, “would take all day when it was on paper. When we went mobile, the warehouse went from two days down to six hours. An outlet like our Panda Express went from two hours down to between twenty and thirty minutes.” The labor savings were immediate, and the accuracy and efficiency dramatically The labor savings continued to increase as EWU found more ways to utilize mobility throughout their dining operation. According to Ripley, "We've seen about 85% in labor savings when you consider the entire procurement process from ordering to receiving and then invoice processing!” FOOD-TRAK’s Automatic Purchase Order Creation utility in combination with an interface to their prime vendors allowed EWU to "Receiving alone has been huge from an accuracy standpoint," Ripley states. With the FMP scanner, staff processing orders at the receiving dock can immediately check in the goods and complete the invoice electronically. “Catching the discrepancies at the dock is happening right away rather than after the fact. Way more accurate and easier for the invoice processer,” claims Ripley. “It used to take four to six hours to manually input a 25-page invoice from one of our prime vendors, United Retail Merchants. Not to mention that we get deliveries from them two-three times per week. With the Vendor Interface, everything is handled electronically, and we can literally reconcile and process the invoice in just 45-90 minutes.” "Our experience with SCI and the FOOD-TRAK product have been great!" states Ripley. "As the administrator of this system, I've developed a trust with your Technical Support department which I really appreciate.” Having a strong relationship is also the key component to EWU’s plan to expand their use of FOOD-TRAK moving forward. Ripley and his team are looking to build recipes and products as well as integrate with their POS system to get Ideal Usage reporting. EWU is also exploring the possibility of a few more Vendor Interfaces with smaller distributors since they have proven significant labor savings with electronic ordering. With 85% labor savings in the procurement process alone, the team at EWU
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Welcoming our new client: |