ÿþ<html> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4> <body bgcolor=333366> <center> <A HREF="http://foodman123.com"><img src="fmtake.jpg" ></a><br><br> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=3> July 22nd, 2010<br> </center> <pre> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4> <hr size=4> <a name="para0"></a> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4> What does the typical Server do all day? Well. they do the same four basic things over and over again all day long, these are: 1. Start new guest checks. 2. Add on to a check as the meal progresses. 3. Print the Guest check when the customer asks for it. 4. Pay the check recording method of payment, tip, etc. We decided to download the demos from the competition to see whether we could easily perform the four basic actions listed above. We wanted to know if we could perform the four basic actions listed above <i>without</i> assistance. We recorded each significant screenshot as we evaluated these systems. What you see is what we got. Just click on the logos to read the reviews. <A href="#para1"> <img src="yposl.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para2"> <img src="ydtllog.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para3"> <img src="yabacl.gif" border = 3></a> <A href="#para4"> <img src="yrpxl.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para5"> <img src="yexectl.gif" border = 3></a> <A href="#para7"> <img src="yvpl.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para6"> <IMG SRC="yamigol.gif" border=3 ></a> <a href="#para8"> <img src="yrplusl.jpg" border = 3></a><A href="#para9"> <img src="yprisml.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para10"><img src="yciaol.jpg" border = 3></a> <A href="#para12"><img src="ydwf.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para13"><img src="yezlog.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para11"><img src="yprol.gif" border=3></a> <A href="#para14"><img src="yezplog.gif" border=3></a> <A href="#para15"><img src="ysxlog.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para16"><img src="yezba.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para17"><img src="yrmlog.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para18"><img src="ybpalog.jpg" border=3></a> <A href="#para19"><img src="ypqlog.jpg" border=3></a> <hr size=4> <hr size=4> <A NAME="para1"></a> <img src="yposl.jpg" border = 3> Point of Success (PoS) - download 47.8mb. Two basic prices - $299.00 and $599.00 "Support Charges First 30 Days after purchase - Telephone technical support is provided at no charge Per Incident - $49 per incident Six month Software Maintenance Plan with unlimited telephone support, free updates by download and substantial discounts on future version upgrade purchases - $249 ($199 if purchased before the expiration of a current free or six month plan)" When you run PoS, the following screen appears:<br><br> <img src="ydt1.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> When you click on New Order, this screen appears; This is the order-entry screen. There is a Pay button, but we do not see the other three basic actions. When you click on Done after entering items, it returns to the first screen above, <i>Note that the check-number does not appear on this screen.</i> <img src="ypntsucc.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> When you click on View Tickets, the following spreadsheet appears: Here we can see the buttons to Print the receipt, Edit (add-on or change), and Pay the check. We had clicked on 'Pay' before taking the screenshot. We find it a bit primitive having to click on an order on a scrollable spreadsheet in order to do something to it. <img src="ypos2.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We clicked on the Manager button on the first screen to see the following: We were hoping that we would be able to figure out how to change the menu or add someone to the personnel file. No such luck, however. <img src="ypos3.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> The PoS website has a link to a Menu Training Booklet (PDF) which tells you what you can do with the menu but not HOW to do it. If you want to learn how to setup your menu you can buy the $49.00 training CD! This is what they say: "A well-designed and properly set up menu improves efficiency dramatically! This CD plays on your computer, showing Point of Success' menu builder screens with instructor narration. Includes detailed setup steps for over 25 example menu items, more than a dozen tips and shortcuts, and over three hours of video to explain all aspects of menu design in Point of Success. $49. Works with Point of Success Standard and Point of Success Premium." They boast that there is THREE HOURS of video! Absurd! PoS also has an online training page. There are about 36, yes 36, different VIDEOS dealing with the menu. We strongly recommend that you watch some of them. You can watch them all at <a href="http://www.pointofsuccess.com/videotrainingmenu.htm"> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>PoS Training Page.</a> That page contains the following: "If you have two computers you should use them! View the training content on one computer while designing your menu on the other. An extra laptop computer works perfectly for this." This sounds like a good idea but we think you would have a hard time keeping up with the video and would have to keep stopping and starting the video. Who needs all this aggravation? Just to give you an idea of these videos, there is one to set up an Item button for breadsticks. It is six minutes and 38 seconds! Are they serious? If you like having headaches, download PoS and try setting up your menu. They also have a Forum, we will make no comment on the posts, see for yourself at <a href="http://www.posroundtable.com/wowbb/"><FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>PoS Forum </a> There is no question that Foodman wins this comparison. <HR size=4> <A NAME="para2"></a> <br><br> <img src="ydtllog.jpg" border = 3> DirecTouch (DT) - download 117mb. Installed size 285mb $495.00 per station. Software only support is $599.00 year with no incident charges. If you buy hardware (expensive) the support is different. These screenshots were taken on a 24" monitor and even at that resolution the fonts on the buttons are ridiculously small. At lower resolutions, they become unreadable. This screen lets you do the four basic actions plus a lot of other things which we didn't get. The first screen to appear after logging in is this one: <img src="ydtc.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> This is the basic order-entry screen. You can choose different formats. <img src="ydtouch.jpg" border=3><br> We then chose the 'Bar' format, as below. unfortunately, the screen is messed-up. Furthermore, after choosing this format, we couldn't figure out how to get back to the one above. <img src="ydtbug.jpg" border=3><br> We found the Manager's Menu (containing 22 buttons, each one producing a new screen). <img src="ydtl.jpg" border=3><br> From the above, we found the the Menu Manager's screen, as follows: As you can see, there are 12 buttons, each one producing a different screen! <img src="ydth.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We chose the Menu Item screen. Looks complicated. <img src="ydtmen.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> When you consider that there are 12 different screens to maintain your Menu, we can only conclude that the learning-curve is STEEP. It would take some considerable time to master this beast. It would be highly advisable to buy the support contract because we don't see how you could use this system without considerable training and help. Our guess is that DT customers pay to have their menus created and that they pay for training too. We thought we would download their manual to see if that might help. Unfortunately, it did not work producing the following: <img src="ydtf.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> DT has a page with screen shots showing the steps involved in doing dozens of different things. Be prepared to be mind-boggled before going to <a href="http://www.directouchpos.com/demos/"><FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>DT Demos </a> There are about 60, yes 60, sets of multiple screen shots with video. Click on a few of the things listed to get a taste of what is involved and to convince yourself that you don't want it. Yes, you can do the four basic actions, but, overall, we get the impression that it is somewhat klutzy and would take considerable time for servers to become acceptably proficient. We think that DT spent an inordinate amount of time making glitzy buttons but not enough time making it simple and efficient and READABLE. Finally, when DT installs itself, it changes your MSCONFIG so that DT will automatically start when you turn on your PC. This is OK in a production environment, but in a demo, it is positively insulting! You'll have to run MSCONFIG to stop it from doing that. <img src="ydtcon.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> If this were a bling contest, this one would probably win, but it isn't and it doesn't. Foodman wins again... <HR size=4> <A NAME="para3"></a> <img src="yabacl.gif" border = 3> Abacre - 3.3mb download<br><br> Their Slogan: "We will free your brain by making our smart software." Lite license for 1 workstation. $149.99 Standard license for 1 workstation. $299.99 Professional license for 1 workstation. $449.99 "Phone support: currently we don't provide phone-based support. We found that customers often asks the same questions (in this case we give direct links to FAQ pages) or sometimes we need to request some test files from the customers. So we found that support via email is much more effective than phone-based support. We usually reply on emails during the same business day. Customers may also use web based forums to help each other." When you run Abacre the following screen appears. We find it daunting that we might get the errors they mention and the thought of downloading what they require offputting. <img src="yaba.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> This is the main order-entry screen. We consider the use of icons and photographs on buttons on an order-entry screen as nothing but a useless gimmick, more trouble than they are worth. <img src="yabacre.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We put in an order and told it to print, this happened: <img src="yabb.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> So, we said OK, and this appeared: <img src="yabc.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> A this point we gave up on the order-entry routines, and looked for something dealing with the Menu. We found this, a spreadsheet, how crude: <img src="yabd.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> There is a downloadable, printable manual. Amazingly, it does not have page numbers! It is about 38 pages long. Foodman wins again. <HR size=4> <A NAME="para4"></a> <img src="yrpxl.jpg" border = 3> Restaurant Pro Express (RPX).. There are no prices for software or support on the website. So, we called up and an unfriendly woman refused to quote prices unless we filled out a request. We said "Goodbye" and hung up. We went to the website and filled out the form. The next day a pleasant young man called and told us it is $499.00 for a single-user with the first 90 days support free. After the 90 days are up, it is $250 a year. The most annoying thing about RPX is that EVERY time you enter an order, it returns you to the log in screen where you have to enter your ID and Password. It says you can swipe your card but that would be a pain in the neck on every action. To have passwords in a demo is, in our opinion, ridiculous and annoying. In the real world, this type of obsessive security is not justifiable. The second most annoying thing is that you have to enter the guest number for every item on the order. It even prompts you to enter the guest number when there is only one guest! Guest numbers/names should be optional, like in Foodman. Here is the order-entry screen. <img src="yrpx.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We had set the tax rate before entering orders to 8.5%. Tax on screen and receipt is incorrect. Clicking on Default Tax Rate caused nothing to happen. <img src="yrpxf.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We printed a check with the incorrect tax. We have no idea what an "Item Count" is since there are six items on the check but the Item Count is 2. We also wonder what "INV#2" and "On Hold ID 12" are. We would hope that you could print separate checks for each guest (since you have to enter the guest number) but we didn't try doing that. We provide a Foodman guest check for comparison. <img src="yrpxe.jpg" border=3>&nbsp&nbsp <img src="yrpxg.jpg" border=3> We then turned our attention to the Menu. Here are the two main screens which are used for maintaining the Menu. They both look pretty complex to us. To be fair, we assume that RPX uses the same screens for their Retail POS system (Foodstampable) so there are things which would be irrelevant for a restaurant. They should come up with a screen just for restaurants without the other stuff. We didn't really try them out because it seemed to be too complicated and time-consuming for the purpose of our evaluation. <img src="yrpxb.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> <img src="yrpxc.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> There is a 93-page "Getting Started" PDF file. (Pages 67-85 are devoted to the Menu.) We think you will spend a lot of time reading the manual and calling for support. (Foodman does not have, nor does it require a Manual because it is entirely SELF-EXPLANATORY.) Yes, we could do the four basic actions with no problems other than the annoyances mentioned above. But the Menu maintenance and other aspects of maintenance are too daunting. There is room only for 28 food items on the screen. Foodman has 54. We're sorry RPX, but Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para5"></a> <img src="yexectl.gif" border = 3> ExecuTouch Installed size 25mb. One workstation $1995.00 This is their order-entry screen. This is another system with ridiculously tiny fonts. Since you can't read them on the screenshot, these are the available buttons: Total, Done/New, Cash, Send, Modify, Quantity, Delete and PageOne. There are no buttons which might let us get to the Menu maintenance function, etc. This is another system which prompts you to enter an ID EVERY time you do something. Very Annoying. <img src="yxta.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> After entering the above order, we tried printing the check and got the following error: <img src="yxtb.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We couldn't figure out how to maintain the menu or other similar activities. We did, however, download some of their PDF manuals. The following shot is of a page pertaining to menu setup. <img src="yxtc.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> If you like to read manuals, you'll <i>LOVE</i> ExecuTouch, here is a list of the manuals which come with the system. The User Guide is 88 pages. Remember, there is NO manual with Foodman. What's New Execu/Touch User Guide Execu/Touch Getting Started Guide Execu/Touch Installation Guide Execu/Touch Shift Procedures Dining Reservations and Table Management Execu/Touch Editing Modifier Comments Direct Bill/ Accounts Receivable User Guide How to credit an item in Execu/Touch POS Payment Codes Setup POS Menu Screen Configuration Execu/Touch Shift4 Credit Card Procedures User Guide Execu/Touch Printer Setup Guide Inventory User Guide Bar Code Inventory Guide The price of $1995.00 is way too much, especially when you consider the inferior nature of the software. You can get a one-station Foodman system for less than $1000.00. See our home page. So another system bites the dust. Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <img src="yplexl.gif" border = 3> Plexis - Download size is 23mb. Single station is $299.00 Network is $499.00 (Internet orders). Otherwise it is 399.99 and 599.99. Their support policies are quite onerous, see for yourself. Note that there is NO support on weekends. See that they charge more for support for their prior version (to be discontinued 12/31/10). We suppose that this is intended to <i>force</i> customers to keep up-to-date. Their support policies alone are enough to knock this one out. Note that they mention "Heavy load times" which suggests that they get a lot of calls. Also note that their hours are noon to 7:00pm EST. The prices shown are for 20 minute calls. What happens if you spend more than 20 minutes? $2.00 a minute! Remember that support is Free with Foodman. <img src="yplx6.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> Note that these POS systems were tested on a 24" monitor. This resulted in the screens being full-width with 'filler' inserted. In the cas of Plexis, the screens are very readable on a normal monitor. This is the first screen we found when testing this system. Amazingly, there are no captions for the food items. Some of the pictures are menu items and some of them are modifiers. <img src="yplxa.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We ran Plexis many times during our evaluation. It goes through a validation process each time. Occasionally, it would freeze during the evaluation and we had to kill it using the Task Manager. Not good. <img src="yplx1.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We then tried a Dine-In order. We're glad to see this screen having captions instead of the silly pictures. The demo uses the name of Ashley's Vegitarian (sic) Cafe. Ashley would not like the appearance of Filet Mignon on the menu :) <img src="yplx3.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> The only screen we could find pertaining to the menu is shown here. We wonder why the 'On-Hand' is 100,000 in each case? This is basically another spreadsheet. <img src="yplx2.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We downloaded their 168-page manual. Astonishingly, there is NO table of contents. We counted about 150 screen shots in the manual, 150! Remember that Foodman does not have nor require a manual. We think you would spend a lot of money on support calls. Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para6"></a> <IMG SRC="yamigol.gif" border=3 > Amigo - Download 88mb They seem to have just one price, presumably per terminal, which is $495.00. The only type of support we could find is a "Technical Support Request" via email. Having to depend on email support for a system as complicated as this is bad news. Surely, there must be some other type of support? After entering the order shown below, we clicked on Submit and that ended the order and returns to begin another. We don't know whether the demo prints or not, but it did not print the check for us. Note that they only have 24 buttons for food items, Foodman has 54. <img src="yamig1.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> This system can accomplish our four basic actions OK. We then investigated the Menu setup and found the following. It seems all the maintenance screens for the Menu etc., are in the form of a spreadsheet. If you notice the size of the horizontal scroll bar, you can see that the spreadsheet is VERY wide. Having to maintain the menu in this fashion is crude, to say the least. <img src="yamig2.jpg" border=3><br><br><br> We downloaded the 435-page manual. Yes, we said 435. There are 49 pages in the manual pertaining to Menu maintenance. Remember that Foodman has no manual at all. Restaurant POS systems are relatively straightforward and they all do the same basic things. A POS system which requires a 435-page manual just couldn't be any good. As you can probably guess, Foodman wins again. (BTW, we came across an error log for Amigo which contained the following. We have no idea whether it means anything, but we found it. ActiveX component can't create object ActiveX component can't create object Object variable or With block variable not set ActiveX component can't create object Object variable or With block variable not set ActiveX component can't create object Object variable or With block variable not set <hr size=4> <A NAME="para7"></a> <img src="yvpl.jpg" border = 3> ValuePOS (VP) Value-Lite is $295.00. A single-station hardware/software combo is $3995.00! We found this on their website: "It will keep track of dishonest employees." We were quite confused when trying to find out about support. The following screen suggests that their Forum is the place to go for support. So, we went to the Forum and found a telephone number (305-278-2543) so we called them. The first six months support are free, but it will cost you hundreds per annum thereafter depending on how many computers you have and whether you have hardware support or only software. We recommend that you visit their Forum at <a href="http://valuepos.freeforums.org/index.php"> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=3><FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>ValuePOS Forum </a> <img src="yvp6.jpg" border=3> We got an email after downloading and it said to use ID 5 to log-in. When we did it said that that user 5 did not exist so we used 1 instead and that seemed to work. When you log-in, you get this screen. If you say No, you can't log-in. So, you are apparently forced to clock-in. Note that it says "Do that now at" but no time is displayed, just the date. What do you do if you want to log in now at a later time, what if you forgot to log-in? How do you know that the System time is correct? <img src="yvp13.jpg" border=3> When you log in as user 1 you get the following screen. If you log in as user 2 you get the same background screen but do not get the room selection screen. <img src="yvp15.jpg" border=3> When you select a table you get to the Order-Entry screen. Strangely, the demo menu seems to having nothing but beverages. You'd think that after entering things, you would click on Send. Nothing seems to happen when you do that and you can continue to add items and Send again. Furthermore, if you click on Settle, you can enter an amount but the window closes before you can see what you did. After settling, one would think that you would go back to select another table, but you don't. The same order is still there and you can add more stuff and send and settle over and over again. You have to click Return to get back to the tables. We clicked on Receipt but nothing happened. <img src="yvp9.jpg" border=3> After Sending, if you click on Modify, you get the following. There HAS to be some way to change an item after Sending but we couldn't do it. <img src="yvp2.jpg" border=3> This shows the modifier screen which appears when you order some items. You first have to click on Drink Modifiers before the Modifier Choices appear. Why they aren't there right away is beyond us. Furthermore, to enter a modifier you have to click on it and then click on enter so two clicks are required to enter one modifier. Then you have to click on Close. <img src="yvp3.jpg" border=3> When you click on Settle the following screen appears. If you click on a Credit Card, a window flashes showing the amount paid and the change (zero), this window is closed and you return to the table selection screen. If you click on Enter Amount, a numeric keypad appears which unfortunately obscures the amount of the check so you'd better make a note of it first. <img src="yvp10.jpg" border=3> We tried clicking on the Time Clock button on the order entry screen. We said we were user 1 and got the following amazing screen. It implies that one server has to punch in another? The bad spelling is inexcusable. If you want to see what a real Time Clock should look like, <a href="yfmtc.jpg" > <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>Click Here. </a> <img src="yvp1.jpg" border=3> We managed to find the Main System Menu as on the following screen. Clicking on the items listed on the left, of the screen produced absolutely nothing. You might want to compare this System Menu to the Foodman one at the top of the page. We wanted to see if we could find out how to change the Menu but could not. There is something on the website about downloading a Manual, but all it says is that they are "Working on it", so we gave up. <img src="yvp8.jpg" border=3> After we got tired of it all, we clicked on "Shut Down Software" on the Log-in Screen and got the following two screens: <img src="yvp4.jpg" border=3>&nbsp<img src="yvpq.jpg" border=3> So we had to use the Task Manager to kill the thing. Guess who wins! <hr size-4> <A NAME="para8"></a> <img src="yrplusl.jpg" border = 3> Restaurant Plus - Download 134mb Regular Price is $499.00 but it is on sale thru August, 2010 for $199.00. When we downloaded RP we got the following during installation. It is a minor thing but we wonder why RP doesn't fix silly things like this. After all this is their demo which will hopefully impress prospects. <img src="yrp1.jpg" border=3> When we exited RP, we got this. <img src="yrp3.jpg" border=3> Thereafter, when we ran RP, we got the normal first screen. Unfortunately, the NEXT button does not work, so we were unable to continue with our evaluation. <img src="yrp6.jpg" border=3> The Setup and Time Clock buttons worked and we were told to use ID 5 to test the system, but: <img src="yrp7.jpg" border=3> So, we decided to uninstall RP and download it again. Unfortunately we got the following; Note that these screens were produced when UN-installing RP via the Control Panel. <img src="yrp8.jpg" border=3> <img src="yrp9.jpg" border=3> We tried downloading RP again, but it was apparent that it never got UN-installed. We got dozens of error messages which prove that it did not get Un-installed. The second download did not work and did not produce icons on the desktop. So, we could not continue with our evaluation. <img src="yrp10.jpg" border=3> We did run RP just after we installed it. Here's the order-entry screen. Note that the resolution must be 800x600. We tried using the Quantity button several times but it did not seem to work. Another strange thing is that AFTER you Send the order it prompts you for a Guest Count! <img src="yrp2.jpg" border=3> We printed a check for the first order we entered. Unfortunately, we could never print another check. We looked in the printer in the Control Panel and all the checks we tried to print were listed. Strangely, the next day when we turned on the PC, all of the checks which didn't print the day before all printed - here is a sample with Foodman check for comparison. <img src="yrp5.jpg" border=3> <img src="yrpxg.jpg" border=3> We looked into Support and found this: "Free 30-day software support by email is provided in English". We couldn't find anything else about support and wonder what happens when the 30 days are up. RP is another system for the person who likes to read manuals. These are the ones available. Remember Foodman has no manual. Table Service user manual 83 pages Software setup manual 76 pages Backoffice user manual 88 pages We couldn't complete our evaluation because of the problems we encountered. Maybe you will have better luck.... So, Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para9"></a> <img src="yprisml.jpg" border = 3> Prism This is the first screen you see when you run Prism. Note that there is nothing there which would allow you to change the Menu, etc. This is the equivalent of the Foodman System Menu but not as comprehensive. <img src="ypma.jpg" border=3> When you click on Ordering, you get this. There are only 15 Categories on this screen. Foodman has 54. Allocating about half of the screen to the order is a waste of space and totally unnecessary (See Major Design Considerations, above). If they got rid of that they could have several more buttons. <img src="ypme.jpg" border=3> We're a bit confused as to how we got the Hamburger screen, below, when Burgers are not listed on the screen above. Also note that there are about 31 buttons on this screen, Foodman has 54. <img src="ypmf.jpg" border=3> We tried making a Pizza on this screen. As you can see, there is no Send button. So we had to click on Home, which sent us back to the Category Screen, we assume the order got sent. Also note that none of these screens have a Print button, so we have no idea about the Guest Check. Some Actions require that you enter the six-digit check number. Note that the Check Number does not appear on this screen so we assume that you can find it out somehow. Why isn't it there? <img src="ypmg.jpg" border=3> We couldnt find anyplace to change the Menu so we went to the website and found the following screenshots. Looks complicated. On their website one of the services offered is "Menu Programming - Menu maintenance handled by us!" In addition, they say "Prism can train our customers on tools to handle this task internally, or provide services that will address this requirement." In other words, it is probably so complicated that you have to pay them to do it for you or pay them to teach you how and then pay them for the support which you will need thereafter. We would mention that having all those pictures and glitzy buttons adds considerably to the amount of work involved in maintaining the Menu. Since they are pure Eye-Candy and nothing more and add nothing to the usability of the system, who needs them? We acknowledge that these screens are attractive but this is not a beauty contest. <img src="ypmc.jpg" border=3> We ran a Daily Paperwork which contains about 81 different totals of things. This is very nice, but where do things like Bottle Deposit, Vehicle Fuel, Food Waste, Express Mail, and all those other things come from. If they are there it means someone put them in - how? and would you want to go to all that trouble? <img src="ypmd.jpg" border=3> Finally, we went to the Time Clock and were amazed that we could just type in values for Bonus, Amt. Collected and Claimed Tips. How can this be? If you want to see what a real Time Clock should look like, <a href="yfmtc.jpg" > <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>Click Here. </a> <img src="ypmh.jpg" border = 3> Foodman wins again. <HR SIZE=4> <A NAME="para10"></a> <img src="yciaol.jpg" border = 3> Ciao - Download 38mb We found this on their website: "Our engineers have built a unique system that lets you keep processing orders and credit card transactions even if your main computer or internet connection goes down. We call it our Automatic Hot Standby feature.". We'd call it Magic. When you first run Ciao, this appears, it is an abstract slide-show, which, if we may be facetious, will prepare you for your experience. <img src="ycif.jpg" border=3> After Logging in and Clocking in, we get to an order-entry screen. Nowhere do we see anything about tables. Remember that this evaluation was done on a 24" monitor so there is a lot of blank space on the Ciao screens which would not be there on an ordinary 15" monitor. <img src="ycip.jpg" border=3> So we were in the mood for a burger and started to make one. Why is Black N Blue, in black, where it is? We could not order rare. This is yet another system which uses multiple screens to enter a single item - so unnecessary. This sort of silly gimmickry with the thermometer needs to go, especially when it doesn't work. <img src="yci.jpg" border=3> Next we thought a Deli Sandwich might be nice and we were thrilled to see that we can get a Cheeseburger as the Deli Meat. Yum, Yum. We cannot imagine that this was setup deliberately, so, perhaps it is a bug which presents the wrong modifiers for the Deli Sandwich? We couldn't see how to Send the order, the only thing we could do was click on the Payments button which let you pay the order. The absence of tables and the fact that you can only end the order via Payments suggests that this is a Fast Food system, we don't know. We couldn't figure out how to add on to an existing check. Note that there is no button which would print the check, perhaps it gets printed when you pay it, who knows? They mention Table-Service on their website, but we don't see it. <img src="ycie.jpg" border=3> Next, we turned our attention to Setup. The only reason we can think of to have a field for Last Month of Year is to reflect a fiscal year rather than a calendar year. There are lots of things on here which require explanation, lots. <img src="ycig.jpg" border=3> So if you thought you could get an explanation by clicking on the Help button you would be disappointed to see the following: <img src="ycir.jpg" border=3> Now we went to see what we could learn about doing the Menu. Looks complicated. We don't think you are going to learn this without help of some kind which you will probably have to pay for. <img src="ycil.jpg" border=3> We then clicked on employees. We were not prompted for any kind of password which is OK in a demo, but it had better have limited access in the real world. Take a look. If you click on Help on this screen, nothing happens. <img src="ycin.jpg" border=3> We thought the Commander button had potential, but it just brings up a blank screen with the title of 'Net Commander' with the following buttons. <img src="ycis.jpg" border=3> We'll give you one guess as to who the winner is. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para11"></a> <img src="yprol.gif" border=3> PROCHEF NO LOGIN. $595.00 This is the first screen you see when you run the software. <img src="ypro0.jpg" border=3> We selected Point of Sale. <img src="ypro1.jpg" border=3> Before you can do anything, you have to log in. Unfortunately, the email they send when you download the software does not have a log-in code. We noticed that they had a link to YouTube on their website and ran the video and could see that they used 5555 as a log-in so we used that. We would guess that most people would give up when they didn't know the code. Why the code is not in the email is anyone's guess. (BTW, the sound on the video did not work.) We selected Dine-In and got this screen. Our first complaint is that there are only 21 buttons for food, Foodman has 54. They also have only 8 buttons for categories, Foodman has 54. And, of course, space is wasted by having the order on the right. We entered a quantity in the Quantity field, but it did not work. We tried to enter a quantity on the three items we entered. <img src="ypro20.jpg" border=3> After clicking on Kobe Beef, we get this screen. Since there is no explanation as to how this screen works, we clicked on Medium which brought up a Password Keyboard. We typed 5555 to discover that we had changed Medium to 5555. In order to select a modifier you have to click on the unlabeled box next to the description. Being able to change something in the Menu file via the Order-Entry screen is absurd. It is also appalling that there are only 8 buttons on this modifier screen. <img src="ypro6.jpg" border=3> We tried to close the check. Here is the screen. Clicking on Cash did not work. We would have expected a numeric keypad to appear, but nothing happened. <img src="ypro8.jpg" border=3> We clicked on Credit C and this appeared. We do not have x-charge on our PC, so we don't get this. At this point, we gave up and looked at other stuff. <img src="ypro22.jpg" border=3> We came across this useless Help screen. The text describes a Recipe system, not a Point-of-Sale system. The other four categories are empty. We wonder if Mr. Kweyama knows about this? <img src="ypro12.jpg" border=3> As you know, Menu maintenance is a hot topic in this evaluation. We found this screen confusing and did not attempt to do anything. We know you will require assistance with this for which you will pay. <img src="ypro16.jpg" border=3> After we had had enough, we tried to exit but got stuck at this screen and, not knowing what to do, resorted to the good old Task Manager to put it out of our misery. <img src="ypro18.jpg" border=3> <hr size=4> <A NAME="para12"></a> <img src="ydwf.jpg" border =3> Dinerware - 13mb download. After running DW, we got the following screen - Note the error in red. <img src="ydwa.jpg" border=3> We clicked OK above and got the following screen. <img src="ydwb.jpg" border=3> We guessed that it didn't get installed properly so we went to delete it via the Control Panel. This is the message we got. <img src="ydwc.jpg" border=3> Having not much choice we clicked on Yes above to get this. <img src="ydwd.jpg" border=3> We assumed that DW had been UNinstalled but noticed that the icons for DW were still on the desktop. We wondered what would happen if we clicked on the DW Icon and were ASTONISHED to get a "Blue Screen of DEATH (BSoD)" which said "Windows subsystem process terminated unexpectedly - The System has been shut down". Thereafter, after rebooting, after a few seconds after the desktop appeared we got another BSoD again. Time after time, after rebooting, we got the BSoD. So, far all practical purposes, our PC was kaput! Noticing that the BSoD did not appear until a few seconds after the desktop was on the screen, we surmised that DW had put something into our MSCONFIG, and that the BSoD appeared when that item was executed. Since we couldn't run MSCONFIG before the BSoD appeared. We were stuck. So, we rebooted in Safe Mode and looked at MSCONFIG. Sure enough there was an entry there which we did not recognize. The name of the intrusive program is DUMPREP. We deleted it and the problem went away. Unfortunately, as is often the case the nasty thing reinstalled itself in MSCONFIG. So, we searched the PC and deleted all copies of the file we could find. And then our PC was back to normal. It is reasonable to conclude that DW caused this problem. So, that is what we conclude. Dinerware says on their website that DW is written using .NET and SQL. We have a very low opinion of Microsoft Windows and an even lower opinion of .NET and SQL. We don't think that POS systems should be written using those products. Their website says that 40GB of disk space is required for installation - That is forty thousand million bytes (40,000,000,000). The reason for this ludicrously gargantuan requirement is because of .NET and SQL. By comparison Foodman requires 5MB, megabytes not gigabytes. Note that during the download, it says somewhere that it may take up to 60 minutes for DW to download. Foodman downloads and installs in less than THIRTY SECONDS. You can draw your own conclusions about the foregoing and your experience may be fine, but we are not going to download Dinerware again. <img src="ydwcon.jpg" border=3> <hr size=4> <A name="para13"></a> <img src="yezlog.jpg" border=3> Datatrak We don't know anything about support or prices for this one. This system seems to have an identity crisis, is it DataTrak or EZTouchPOS? After logging-in, we got this screen and chose Table Service. Note that there is nothing here which would allow us to change the menu, etc. <img src="yezb.jpg" border=3> Which then presents you with a choice of rooms. Here is the one we chose. <img src="yeztab.jpg" border=3> After choosing a table, we get this. There are only 28 buttons for food items, Foodman has 54. There are nine category buttons at a time, Foodman has 54. The Up and Down buttons move up and down about five lines at a time. We had to use the keyboard or the mouse to focus on a specific item although you might be able to use a pencil or something. Note that this system also uses multiple screens to enter a single item when modifiers are needed. <img src="yezj.jpg" border=3> We couldn't see a Quantity button on the above screen, so we clicked on Function to see what that was. Noticing the Quantity button here, we clicked on it and entered a quantity. Nothing happened and it returned to the Order-Entry screen where we clicked on Boneless Wings to be amazed by seeing the item listed nine times instead of once with a Quantity of 9. We tried it again, but this time we added a modifier to the item and it looks like if you enter a modifier after a Quantity, it loses the Quantity. See the second screen, below. <img src="yezf.jpg" border=3> Here you can see the results of the quantity 9, We think their programmer needs a good talking-to about this. <img src="yezkk.jpg" border=3> We clicked on settle and then clicked on the $100.00 button. It swallowed the $100 but did not show us the change and the pay screen vanished. Worse, however is that when you click on Enter Amount, the keypad which appears obscures the amount to be paid. Time for another talking-to for the programmer. <img src="yezpay.jpg" border=3> This happened once when we clicked on the Duplicate button. It only happened once and it may be a bug because we had not selected an item to Duplicate. But, a bug is a bug and it crashed the system. <img src="yeza.jpg" border=3> When you exit, you get this annoying floating screen-saver thing. Why is it annoying, you ask, well, because you can't get out of it without resorting to the Task Manager to kill it, that's why. This is a demo which is supposed to impress, not annoy, prospects. <img src="yezexit.jpg" border=3> After the TM kills it, there is one last gasp from the system: <img src="yezx.jpg" border=3> We couldn't find anything pertaining to Menu maintenance but given the multiplicity of screens we predict that it won't be easy getting your menu setup. If you like Chiclets, you'll like to look at this system, you might not like doing your menu, and you might not like using it every day in spite of its Eye-Appeal. Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para14"></a> <img src="yezplog.gif" border=3> Denver Research EzPower - Single-User $199.00 8-Station version $499.00. Free Support by Phone, eMail and AIM for 6 months, but we don't know what happens after that. "Update To Current Version ($79.99) New versions are not always backward compatible. Products, Customers and Vendors can be exported. But all the settings will have to be redone. And all the old sales information will remain in the old version." From a professional point of view, we find the fact that the system does not provide backward compatibility <b>utterly pathetic!</b> When downloading, we told it to create a desktop icon, but it didn't so we had to go looking for it and make our own. What a non-technical person would do is probably give up. The first screen lets you make various settings. This is good, but not as good as the equivalent Foodman System Setup. <img src="yezpa.jpg" border=3> First, there are only 24 buttons for food and 26 for Categories. Foodman has 54. The buttons are BIG but the fonts are TINY. We know it is hard to read but when we ordered a Dinner Combo it always included a 5-Topping pizza for an extra $19.99. Surely this is a bug of some kind. We couldn't believe it so we tried it three times... Of Course, this one also uses multiple screens to order items with modifiers. And, it also has the silly and useless graphics. <img src="yezpe.jpg" border=3> When you click on Finish, you get a pay screen and it prints a receipt. It is amazing to us that Denver Research has such a ridiculous guest check. "No returns after 30 days" in a restaurant? The Foodman guest check is shown for comparison. <img src="yezpck.jpg" border=3> <img src="yrpxg.jpg" border=3> We clicked on Find Product and were amazed to see this following screen. We were amazed again to find that the items listed in the Find Product window are not in alphabetic order! Having to scroll to find an item is ridiculous in a Touch Screen system. The Amazon button brings up an 'Amazon Search" window! We tried that but it didn't work and why would we want it to work in a Restaurant POS system? <img src="yezpg.jpg" border=3> After finishing, you get this screen. This is a typical room graphic, but Denver Research apparently forgot to put any tables on it so all you can do is use No Table. You can also choose Pick-up, Delivery, Take-Out and Drive-thru but we didn't try those. <img src="yezpd.jpg" border=3> We tried the Time Clock and got this screen. We could not figure out how to clock-in. And, no, we did not clock-out Kyle, Deb and Ron. If you want to see what a real Time Clock should look like, <a href="yfmtc.jpg" > <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>Click Here. </a> <img src="yezpf.jpg" border=3> Ever in search of a place to Maintain the Menu, we found this. The numbers are nonsensical and since we had put in several orders, we wonder whey are they not reflected under Daily Sales?. <img src="yezpman.jpg" border=3> And this... <img src="yezprec.jpg" border=3> So we gave up. We find it amazing that Denver Research would release a demo with so many obvious flaws. You know who wins.... <hr size=4> <A NAME="para15"></a> <img src="ysxlog.jpg" border=3> SELLmatix 260.00 Euros per year for one station. "We provide direct support to end users at the rate of $US100.00 per hour, based on tenths of an hour, or in other words six minute intervals. You can purchase support in multiples of 30 minutes. Support fees are payable in advance and if you purchase 30 minutes of support, but use 2/10th of an hour, the balance stays on account and can be used later. Phone charges are additional." Here is another one with <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=6>BIG <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4>buttons and <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=1> TINY <FONT face=arial color=FFFFFF size=4> Fonts. Who approved this? We clicked on Table until the mouse practically gave-up and then we realized that you have to click on a number and THEN click on Table. Obviously, this eliminates the ability to have alpha-numeric table codes. Not Good. By the same token, you click on a number and then click on Quantity. Having that big keypad on the screen at all times is a silly waste of space. (Hint to author: Click on Table, THEN present keypad.) It looks like we have room for 16 categories and nothing to suggest that you could see more, as is typical. The sad thing is that they only have 24 food buttons. Foodman has 54. <img src="ysxb.jpg" border=3> If you have changed your basic colors, you can get black on blue screens in Foodman. Our monitor is set to use Windows standard and we don't get black on blue. We conclude that the black on blue below is deliberate! <img src="ysxc.jpg" border=3> Since you can hardly read the buttons on the screen above, here they are a bit bigger. They still aren't that readable. Note that these buttons are on the screen ALL the time. They need not be if the system was properly designed. We tried all of these, some work, some don't, or, we couldn't figure out how to make them work. <img src="ysxd.jpg" border=3> It turns out that you have to download Sellmatix Control which lets you do the Menu. We did and found the following screen. We don't like the use of a spreadsheet to maintain your Menu thinking it crude. We tried doing a few things with these screens but didn't make much progress. <img src="ysxmen.jpg" border=3> We think this one is not wonderful, so, Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para16"></a> <img src="yezba.jpg" border=3> eZeeBurrP - no prices or support info. This is the first screen. We clicked on Dine-In and got the second screen. <img src="yezbc.jpg" border=3> This is the second screen. <img src="yezbd.jpg" border=3> Nothing worked on this screen! Nothing! We had noticed that they had a live chat option on their webpage so we clicked on that and were greeted by Dhiraj. He told us that the demo had to be setup before you can run it. One has to put in tables, menu, personnel, etc., he said. We downloaded the separate Back-Office program and we got a screen with this at the top. It turns out that was not the one that was supposed to be there. Dhiraj sent us a screen shot of what we should be seeing, but we weren't. We spent ages in the live chat and the complete dialogue can be seen below. Since we couldn't get anywhere, even with Dhiraj's help we just gave up. <img src="yezbg.jpg" border=3> We think it is madness to have a demo which has to be setup. This demo will turn a lot of people off. When you download this, they send you an email offering to give you training and demo over the phone. They say that "Expected time for training & Demo will be 1-2 Hours". 1-2 HOURS! Based on our experience with Dhiraj, we would guess that it would take MORE than 1-2 hours. On their website they have some screen shots which we never saw. As you can can see, they are typical of the genre. <img src="yezbe.jpg" border=3> We would guess that setting this thing up would be pretty tough. We understand that in some cultures it is considered complimentary to burp after a good meal to convey your appreciation. Perhaps, that is the inspiration for the name. Don't even THINK about this one. Good old Foodman wins again. <hr size-4> This is the dialogue which took place on Sunday, August 8th, 2010 Call accepted by operator eZee Support. Currently in room: eZee Support, tone. eZee Support: Hi! This is Dhiraj at eZee. Your ticket number is 08081098. eZee Support: how may I assist you? tone: i get a funny notebook thing when i run it eZee Support: May I know your Property Name & location please tone: testing demo tone: how much is single user? eZee Support: May I know your Location & Name please tone: hellooooooo eZee Support: & could you please elaborate your Query a bit tone: i am testing the download tone: when i run ezb i get a screen which has a sort of spiral notebook on the right. clicking on things makes nothing happen. eZee Support: are you getting any Message in that? tone: no eZee Support: Can I get the access of the machine so that I can check it tone: sorry no tone: i can check tell me what to do eZee Support: But I am not getting exactly whats the Problem you are facing tone: can i email you a screen shot? eZee Support: Ok eZee Support: Thats fine tone: what is email? eZee Support: you can give it here tone: how? tone: No, I want to send YOU a screen shot tone: what is email? eZee Support: Thers is a File transfer option tone: how do I use it? eZee Support: you can find it on the Top eZee Support: click on that eZee Support: it will ask you to Browse the Location where you have kept the file eZee Support: Select the file & send it tone has sent a file. Click yezbd.jpg (128 KB) to receive the file. eZee Support: OK eZee Support: This is eZee Burrp Application & you are in the Dine In mode tone: but nothing works eZee Support: For Using eZee Burrp! you need to configure the things First eZee Support: Like eZee Support: Menu items eZee Support: Tables eZee Support: Waiter tone: like how? eZee Support: Close this eZee Support: & Open eZee POS Backoffice eZee Support: are you there? tone: yes i did that got it now what? eZee Support: have a created the Outle eZee Support: Outlet* eZee Support: ? tone: how? eZee Support: Can you see the Outlet just beside the Help Tab eZee Support: ? tone: which tab should i be on? tone: hellooooo eZee Support: Yes please can you find the Outlet eZee Support: ? eZee Support: just beside the Help Tab eZee Support: ? eZee Support: are you getting that tone: i did that and put something in eZee Support: ? tone: now what? eZee Support: There you will find the Options Servers , Table Operation , Table Lay out , Menu Items eZee Support: like such options you will get eZee Support: are you getting that eZee Support: ? tone: which tab are the on? eZee Support: Where are you exactly? eZee Support: can you Please send the screen shot of that tone: on config tab tone: it has tabs config tools maintenance etc tone: hellooooooo eZee Support: wait please tone: ok eZee Support has sent a file. Click POS BURRP.png (48.4 KB) to receive the file. tone is now off-line and may not reply. Currently in room: eZee Support. tone is now on-line. Currently in room: eZee Support, tone. tone: mine is nothing like that eZee Support: Can I get the access please tone: hold on while i make a screen shot tone has sent a file. Click yezbg.jpg (147 KB) to receive the file. eZee Support: OK eZee Support: I got it eZee Support: So you are in Configuration eZee Support: Right? tone: you tell me eZee Support: Go to Outlet Operation eZee Support: & tell me what have you created ther? tone: i just put aasdfsadfd in the name field eZee Support: Outlet is where from you can sell your items. its the COST CENTER eZee Support: Like say Name it as Restaurant eZee Support: & Save it tone: ok so it say asdsdsa eZee Support: OK tone: save is not an option eZee Support: Means? tone: i have the pos outlets screen so I close eZee Support: Yes eZee Support: close it tone: i did and i am back on the config tab eZee Support: Wait please tone: ok eZee Support: Now as you said you have created a Outlet named asdsdsa tone: don't you think it would make SENSE to have a DEMO that was already setup. tone: yes i have asdasadads or whatever eZee Support: Let me give you the DEMO Data base tone: ok tone: btw how much is single station software? eZee Support: Please go to the Application Path of the Software C:\Program Files\eZee\eZee FrontDesk NextGen tone: did that tone: one more time - how much is single-station software? eZee Support: For Pricing please fill up the Form our Sales Team will quote you for your requirement eZee Support: http://www.ezeefrontdesk.com/hotel-software/pricing.htm tone: ok i give up goodbye eZee Support: Now so you are on the application path <hr size=4> <A NAME="para17"></a> <img src="yrmlog.jpg" border=3> Restaurant Maid. $99.00 (Presumably per user). They say they have free support via email. There is a PDF manual, but it only deals with installation problems. They suggest that you watch their 27 videos to learn how to use it. This is the first screen which appears. We clicked on Floor Table View. (Black on grey with a tiny font does not make the topline Menu very readable.) <img src="yrmc.jpg" border=3> And got this - we wonder if Restaurant Maid knows about this and whether they plan on fixing it. To have something like this in a demo which is supposed to impress people is pathetic. <img src="yrme.jpg" border=3> We noticed 'Help' on the virtually unreadable menu at the top of the screen. So, we clicked on it and got: <img src="yrma.jpg" border=3> So, we said OK, and got this one. This is a FAQ. Unfortunately, it does not work! When you click on an item they quickly scroll so that you get a glimpse of them, and, then, they disappear before you can read them. We managed to get one line ("Can't see full program screen") on the screen shot before it vanished. We wonder if Restaurant Maid knows about this? <img src="yrmb.jpg" border=3> Next we clicked on Order Menu Buttons on the Setup Menu and got this. When this screen first appears, all the buttons are labeled Button1, Button2, etc. When you click on the button it changes to Order Button but we couldn't figure out how to put our own text on the buttons. So, we gave up. <img src="yrmd.jpg" border=3> Then we went to Order-Entry. Whilst fiddling with it, we had managed to put 'milk' in the system somewhere (See below). So, that's where the milk comes from. Unfortunately, you get milk no matter which button you click on. Why this system doesn't come with a representative menu is TOTALLY beyond us. <img src="yrmj.jpg" border=3> When we clicked on Print and Place Order. It printed this in a really tiny font. This is the only system we ever saw that printed a Waiter's Copy. Surely, they mean Kitchen Copy, no? Also, since we have 14 milks on the order, why do only four print? (Why do programmers insist on putting seconds on the time?) <img src="yrmck.jpg" border=3> And then you get this screen. Why only four milk you ask when there are 14 on the order? <img src="yrml.jpg" border=3> We managed to find this screen but don't ask us how. We think we right-clicked on a Menu Button but we cannot duplicate that action. Anyway, this is where you put stuff in. And, we put in the Milk. Notice the invalid value in the supply price field. <img src="yrmh.jpg" border=3> We cannot imagine how RM can distribute a demo without a comprehensive menu already setup. From our perspective this is just another dud. Foodman wins. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para18"></a> <img src="ybpalog.jpg" border=3> Download is 55MB Single-user is $70.00. Buy their hardware and software is free - single-station hardware combo $2295.00. They also feature the Asus Atom all-in-one PC for $1995.00. You can get the same with Foodman for less than $1000.00. "Speak to a Technician for support on any of our software products or Hardware setup/configuration. Free support is provided for our customers who are current on there (sic) monthly support/licensing fee's (sic), For all other callers a $3.00 per minute, $30.00 minimum will be billed for the call." But we don't know what those "Fee's" are. "In case of emergencies requiring support outside of our standard support hours of, (sic) you may call our Emergency After-Hours Support Line. Please have your credit card ready. Emergency Technical Support is $4.00 per minute, $40.00 minimum, and is not included under the monthly support contract." We do not know what their "standard support hours" are. They have a slide show for training purposes and they have a Forum. We recommend that you visit the Forum to see the kinds of problems BPA users have. <a href=" http://www.businessoftware.com/forum/"> <FONT face=arial color=FFFF00 size=4>Click here to visit the Forum </a> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFff size=4>This is the first screen you see. Another system with big buttons and tiny text. There are only 35 food buttons on the screen - Foodman has 54. The space taken by the order on the right of the screen is unusually useless since it does not show the modifiers. This one requires multiple screens to enter modified items. <img src="ybpaa.jpg" border=3> If you want to see the items in detail, you must click on the Review Order button which gives you this: Why this window is not the full depth of the screen, we don't know. Since the one taking up the space above is virtually useless, why not eliminate it and use the Review Button instead. This would be more like Foodman where the server only sees the order when they NEED to or WANT to. The comparable Foodman screen is shown. <img src="ybpak.jpg" border=3> <img src="ychk4.jpg" border=3><br><br> When you click on Table, you get this Open Tables window. Naturally, the first time you do this there are no open tables, so you click on New Table and get the next screen. <img src="ybpah.jpg" border=3> Click on this one to select the new table. <img src="ybpag.jpg" border=3> It must just be the way they set up the menu because it seems that most items, when clicked on, bring up this screen. We clicked on Hot Dog Sandwich but got egg modifiers? <img src="ybpaw.jpg" border=3> So, we clicked on Item Custom Sides to get this screen. Note that there are only 20 buttons for modifiers - Foodman has 54. <img src="ybpal.jpg" border=3> We printed a check. Here it is. The Foodman check is provided for comparison. One would think they would have put a tax rate in the demo, but they apparently did not. <img src="ybpack.jpg" border=3> <img src="yrpxg.jpg" border=3> We noticed that you can also order items from a spreadsheet. We would hope that one would not have to resort to using this too often. <img src="ybpan.jpg" border=3> We found the Manager Menu and learned that you have to define Products before you can define Menu Items. Since we don't know the difference between a Product and a Menu Item, we tried Define Menu Items first, because it was first on the list. Seems Define Products should be first on the list. Anyway... <img src="ybpaq.jpg" border=3> Here are the two screens. We didn't try doing anything with these two. Looks pretty time-consuming and difficult to set up the menu and you'll probably pay to have it set up. <img src="ybpav.jpg" border=3> <img src="ybpas.jpg" border=3> There are lots of Views of various things. Here are a couple of samples. The first one has 67 columns! Looking at this on the screen is not a happy experience. <img src="ybpat.jpg" border=3> <img src="ybpax.jpg" border=3> Well, that's it for BPA. Foodman wins again. <hr size=4> <A NAME="para19"></a> <img src="ypqlog.jpg" border=3> "POSqx A Powerful Point of Sale (POS) system for the Small and Mid size Quick service and Casual restaurants. The first POS software solution offered as a service. (SaaS) No Up front fees! and no hidden cost!" "Get your POSQX complete software package today! First 30 days FREE, $69.00 per month, No Setup Fees, No Application Fees, FREE menu setup, Limited Offer, Act FAST! " We requested a demo and received an email giving us a link to an installation video. The video is <i>14 minutes and 49 seconds</i> long. It deals with checking via the Control Panel whether you have the right versions of .NET and SQL server installed and if you don't you have to get them. It shows you how to download numerous other things which the software requires. It goes on and on and on and is quite bewildering and too fast to follow in case you thought you might do what it was telling you to do while you watched it. Remember, this video only tells you how to <i>install</i> POSqx. The system uses the awful .NET and SQL and is Cloud based. Remember, it is 14 minutes and 49 seconds. We couldn't even begin to download the actual POSqx software because of the insane installation video. So, we gave up. We think that if POSqx has any sense, they will remove access to this absurd video and come-up with a self- contained installation without all of the nonsense shown in the video. BTW, Foodman downloads and installs in less than 30 seconds. (Other systems in this review also use .NET and SQL but they have a simple (but lengthy) download and installation.) If you want to watch the video while it is still there, <a href="http://www.posqx.com/webdemos/POSQX%20installation/POSQX%20installation.html"> <FONT face=arial color=FFFF00 size=4>Click Here</a> <FONT face=arial color=FFFFff size=4> (This is probably the most absurd video I have ever seen.) <hr size=4> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.satellitetvfamily.com/"><img src="http://imageexplore.com/counter.php?id=169535&t=13" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial; font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.satellitetvfamily.com/">Dish TV</a></span></div>