» David

Quality of Food

David — Mon, 02 May 2011 07:27:52 +0000

One of the concerns that all enterprises have is the consistency of quality. How many times have you heard stories when people visit a restaurant regularly only to say on a particular evening ‘that meal was not as good as last time’.

On each of these occasions that particular restaurant runs the risk of losing that customer due to the poor quality of a single meal.

In most of those situations the poor quality of that particular meal was due to the fact that it was the Chef’s night off.

This is quite normal, after all the Chef, whether he be the owner or an employee cannot possibly work seven days a week for 52 weeks a year. We all need time off for holidays, sickness, or just to relax.

It is at those times, when the Chef is absent, that many businesses are vulnerable.

But that should not be the case.

If one creates a standard of recipes then this should protect a business against such eventualities.

KitMan makes this very simple. Each recipe details the amount of ingredients required and then lists the cooking methods and how the meal should be presented.

This can be reinforced by incorporating a photograph of how the dish should be served e.g. how the vegetables are served in side dishes, how food should be set on the customer’s plate.

In this way there is no reason why the quality of food should deteriorate when the Chef is away.

Menu Design

David — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:27:11 +0000

We have explored previously the purchase price of ingredients and how the cost of each item is merely a minor element of the true cost of each meal.
A more important factor is controlling the amount of waste for any food service. For what is the point of having the cheapest prices of products only to experience poor delivery or quality. More importantly during your normal activities you produce 3 or 4 meals that are no longer required at the end of the service and are wasted.
Regrettably it is inevitable that certain amounts of food will be produced only to find that insufficient number of customers do not attend. The wastage represents the whole cost of all of the ingredients (far in excess of the savings you have achieved for a single item.
Use of the KitMan System can help to keep your food wastage to a minimum; regrettably it is not possible to eradicate this completely.
Within the Menu design module you can produce different menus either A La Carte, Table d’hote, daily menu cycles etc. When these are initially established you can forecast the number of covers you expect to sell. At the end of the service you can record your actual sales of each dish. This will give you a good indication of production requirements for the next sitting based on the number of people expected.
This is valuable information that can mean the difference between profit and loss for each individual food service.

Purchasing

David — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:25:54 +0000

In an earlier message we have discussed the need to compare prices from different suppliers and to satisfy yourself that you are purchasing at competitive rates. Equally we have identified that price is not ‘the be all and end all’ of everything and is just one of many factors to consider within your food costs.
In many situations price is a minor consideration.
Within KitMan we can assist in many areas. If you have any concerns with any of your suppliers then we can help.
We do not wish to interfere with your present arrangements, however if you are having difficulties with any supplier then we can assist, as we have a network of suppliers throughout the UK.
This network covers all types of supply and consists of a number of local and regional suppliers that covers each geographical area. Each supplier offers preferential rates to users of KitMan and complies with all health & Safety aspects including traceability of product..
As an added feature for you, we work very closely with all of these suppliers and will ensure that all of their amended prices are updated within your system automatically; of course you have the opportunity to reject these. This ensures that you are working with up to date prices for all situations and that you are not caught unawares by any unexpected events.
This facility is worth your consideration as it could save valuable administration time.

Stocktaking

David — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:25:38 +0000

Whether a business takes stock or not is always a contentious subject. Accountants are always advising that you should take stock on a regular basis, how else can you calculate your profits.
We take a different view, firstly consider what the value of your stock holding is. In most case this is a nominal amount as most fresh produce is used as it is received. Equally how easy is it to monitor any stock movement particularly when you buy items in bulk and then break it down into smaller quantities.
Here, within KitMan, we take a different viewpoint. Certainly it is important to monitor the movement of stock to protect your business. However, most companies old a small amount of stock relative to their sales value which remains fairly static, apart from major functions.
We believe it is more effective to monitor the movement of the top 50 items. In this way you are controlling the movement of your major expenditure easily without expending a great deal of energy.
If you have any concerns with pilferage this will be quickly identified as the reports will highlight any shortages, and after all these are the same items that will be vulnerable.
Comparisons of the gross profit report on a daily basis will have already highlighted you to any concerns, which in turn points in the areas to examine.

Special Promotion for Website Launch

David — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:02:07 +0000

Olympus Associates are pleased to offer these special editions of the KitMan System.
This is the first time we have been able to offer an inexpensive version that is suitable for all types of organisations be it a small cafe, pub, restaurant, hotel or nursing home. With three different packages and optional extras, each customer can choose what they need for their particular operation, without having to pay for facilities they will not require.
As the system develops we will be introducing new modules and features. Any new features you will receive automatically within your monthly licence fee.
Two new modules will be:

Chefs Office, a series of tools and documents that are used every day by large organisations. This has been created in conjunction with a number of Group Executive Chefs.
Health & Safety Manual. This is a comprehensive manual covering all aspects of Food Service such as HACCP, COSHH, Temperature monitoring, cleaning schedules.

There will normally be an additional cost for these modules, which may be a one off payment or a monthly payment. However, anyone who signs up during the next six months i.e. before 30th September 2011 will receive these free of charge. After the six months period you will continue to receive these free of charge for as long as you are using KitMan.

To download a trial version of KitMan

KitMan for Education

David — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:11:39 +0000

KitMan has proven itself many times in achieving cost savings for its Educational clients operating busy Hospitality academic departments.
Whilst we cannot guarantee cost savings (we do not know how efficient you currently operate) however our findings are that KitMan will produce cost savings averaging some 10% – 15% of a colleges annual food expenditure.
Recent comments from colleges include:
“For a number of years the college operated with a food deficit of 20K to 30K, which was quite good considering our activities. Last year with the use of KitMan we were able to eradicate the deficit. Like most colleges Castle College is struggling financially following the changes in funding and this year my department suffered a substantial reduction in its budget. KitMan has helped everyone to control costs and I am pleased to say that not only are we meeting those targets but we are exceeding them. KitMan is a major tool in our armoury and I think it is essential for all colleges – the cost savings alone are far in excess of the annual licence fees, which means that all of the other benefits it gives staff and students is a bonus”
John Janiszewski
Curriculum Team Leader
Castle College Sheffield
“In our first year of utilising KitMan we estimate our cost savings as being some 50,000 Euros. Obviously we are very pleased with these savings, which has far exceeded our investment costs. Now that everyone has become familiar with using KitMan we are now advancing to the next stage of using KitMan as a teaching tool with our students.”
Anna O’Donovan
Senior Technical officer
Cork Institute of Technology
“Manchester Metropolitan University who use KitMan extensively throughout the University have extended their agreement to continue to train graduates in Hospitality and Management.
“KitMan is an excellent tool for the students in both reference material and project work. We can simulate live operational environments and allow students the ability to understand the financial and safety implications of running a food operation. KitMan is used by all of our students at various levels and we are pleased to have made a long term commitment with Olympus Associates.”
Chris Mitchell
MSc. BSc. PGCE
From the above testimonials you will see that KitMan can provide your department with a system that will not only provide you with a system that will enable you to control costs and provide management information but will also furnish you with substantial cost savings. As an added bonus it is then a system that you can utilise for teaching. To this extent we are working closely with both Westminster Kingsway College and Henley College to provide a system that will meet the current teaching requirements and that will continue to expand as your requirements change.
For more information on KitMan for Education

Next Week KitMan will be demonstrating at the annual PACE conference in Blackpool along with our EPOS partner Haven Systems

Supplier Price Updating

David — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:11:20 +0000

If any system is to be successful it is imperative that the information provided is accurate. In the catering industry this poses difficulties other industries do not experience, as food prices change frequently.
The accuracy of any reporting is conditional on accurate prices being installed in the KitMan System.
Most systems operate with customers updating prices from suppliers invoices. This means that prices are retrospective and therefore any information is as a guidance only.
Olympus Associates have always provided a service whereby we will update suppliers prices for each customer and install that into their version of KitMan as soon as those prices are known. This means that Olympus work in cooperation with your suppliers to obtain prices in advance of them becoming effective.
This feature means that prices are incorporated before the event and ensures the accuracy of reports and also assists departments when placing requisitions as prices are installed into the system PRIOR to them becoming operational.
This unique system ensures that everyone is operating with accurate prices and they are able to make decisions based on accurate information.
For more information on the Automatic Supplier Price Updates

KitMan Financial Reports

David — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:10:53 +0000

KitMan provides a number of standard reports for the use of customers irrespective of which market sector they operate in be it Hospitality, Education or Health Care.
KitMan provides customers with an ongoing – real time – comparison of actual results compared to a financial budget and comparisons against a previous year.
Managed reports from Olympus Associates provides customers with a series of bespoke reports of whatever they may require.
Our standard reports will provide customers with a cost for each centre. In a commercial operation this may be costs associated to each food cost centre enabling customers to monitor the results from each event or each days takings from a restaurant service. In an educational environment this will provide a cost for each class.
The comprehensive reporting from KitMan will provide customers with the information, on a daily basis, they require to manage their business. This clearly puts them into a situation whereby they can take corrective action immediately as opposed to waiting to be advised by financial departments.

KitMan Online

David — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:10:27 +0000

This version has been developed to supplement the main KitMan System, which is installed on a customer’s main computer server.

KitMan is the main controlling system enabling customers to set up and maintain their menu banks and monitor costs and profit margins. This also includes financial modules enabling operations to monitor financial results against forecasts and budgets. This enables operations to monitor on a real time basis their profitability and if linked to the Olympus unique method of incorporating suppliers prices. forewarns them of price increases with their menus. This uniqueness enables customers to amend menus or prices so that they are not caught out by these sudden price increases.

KitMan Online has been introduced for customers who have multiple areas where they are serving their own customers e.g. Bistro, Restaurant, Bars, Conferences, Functions, Weddings, Outside activities. In hospitals this may be separate wards or in education different classes or courses. Effectively this may be where a customer wishes to monitor each outlet separately.

Whilst each individual centre may order independently KitMan enables these orders to be consolidated at the click of a button providing customers with a consolidation of their daily requirements and providing them with valuable information on which to negotiate better prices from suppliers.

In summary KitMan Online is a system enabling customers to order and monitor for each individual centre/event and then to easily consolidate item requirements for purchasing.

If you feel that this is an area of interest for yourselves then please click here which will enable you to test this free of charge for 30 days.

For more information on KitMan Online web based internal requisition system.