STRATFORD, Conn., July 26, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- At this year's NAFEM*01, Food Automation - Service Techniques, Inc. (FAST), a Stratford, Conn.-based controls supplier unveils for the first time its new enterprise application portal called MySCK. Using a standard Web browser, users of the company's Smart Commercial Kitchen(r) (SCK(r)) solution can, anytime and anywhere, access restaurant data from multiple store locations over the Internet. Designed to function like an online banking application through a secure login, MySCK users can monitor in-store activity and configure reports to manage quality control, food safety (or "HACCP") and labor efficiency.
"MySCK changes the traditional management paradigm that requires on-site regulation," said Mario Ceste, vice president of FAST. "Now small and large operators alike can enjoy real-time enterprise management tools that ensure that consistent best practice procedures are followed across their restaurants without the need to travel to and from locations.
"Generally speaking, limited 'above the store' information is available -- but only to the largest operators with complex IT infrastructures," Ceste said. "For the most part, restaurant management can only apply insight, knowledge and experience of best practices across many units through sometimes inconvenient on-site visits. MySCK will change that."
From MySCK, users access and manage a suite of application modules over the Internet. Standard modules of the system include: Quality and Production Management, Food Safety/HACCP Monitoring, and Asset Management.
The Quality module ensures that food products are available and of the freshest quality. By interfacing with the Point of Sale system, this module creates a build plan that determines production rates, balancing demands against prepared product, eliminating overproduction and waste. Production instructions are output to crew members, and reports generated for store managers and multi-unit executives ensuring fast speed of service and the freshest product available.
The Food Safety module ensures that all food is cooked and held according to safety specifications. This module is an automatic record keeping system for substantiating food safety compliance. It silently monitors critical cook and hold times and temperatures, ensures that correct process set points are used, and generates alerts when there is a potential HACCP violation. In addition, defective equipment can be locked out to prevent use. Standard reports are included in the module to illustrate, document and store real time critical control data as required by health inspectors.
The Asset Management module enables managers to monitor the operations of all networked equipment to prevent equipment degradation and disruptions to normal service operations. Asset Management includes Tracking of Equipment Assets and Service/Maintenance. Specific equipment can be identified by location for accounting purposes and warranty administration. In addition, equipment changes can be made directly to accommodate new menu items, react to product improvements and insure adherence to operational standards. Performance degradation can be detected based on a known performance standard, and preventative maintenance can be automatically alerted/scheduled before equipment failure. Equipment performance and repair history is tracked and maintenance diagnostics are displayed in a dashboard format. Generated reports include: Appliance Utilization, Appliance Inventory by Store, and Repair History
Each MySCK module improves the labor efficiency in the restaurant by automating many labor-intensive tasks or decreasing the time to perform these tasks, thereby increasing crew output. For example, the product projection features of the Quality module anticipate preparation at optimal times (i.e. when and how much to cook) and monitors work loads in the kitchen. Asset Management reduces indirect labor and crew frustration by scheduling preventative equipment maintenance and monitoring and controlling usage so equipment is operating at peak efficiency at all times.
At the FAST NAFEM*01 Booth #2535, visitors get a real feel for the use and application of online kitchen technologies.
FAST's SCK Debut in Arby's Kitchens
SCK solutions are currently being implemented at Sybra's 240 Arby's locations nationwide. John Bicks, co-chairman and chief executive of Sybra Inc., recently spoke with Nation's Restaurant News about the company's decision to implement oven and temperature-monitoring SCK technology in its Arby's franchises in order to increase operational efficiency, comply with HACCP regulations and keep costs down.
"At the store level, instead of having someone constantly checking the temperature of each loaf by looking in the oven, we can check them via the Internet," he told the publication. Additionally, SCK "frees up managers and crew to focus on maximizing sales and optimizing customer experience."
In the article, Bicks also discusses potential cost savings due the minimization of labor involved in food preparation and optimization of beef yield thanks to SCK.
"We should be able to realize a real cost savings because it helps us both cut down on the labor involved in food preparation and helps us maintain optimum beef yield," said Bicks.
About FAST and SCK:
SCK is a division of privately held FAST, the leading manufacturer of appliance controls and on-line kitchen networking products specially developed for use in the foodservice industry. FAST products, based on DigitalDNA(TM) technology from Motorola, can be found in major restaurants worldwide, including KFC, Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, Church's Chicken, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and others.
Based in Stratford, Conn., FAST is committed to open networking standards in the foodservice industry. Through partnerships with Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector and Multiservice Networks Division (MND), FAST delivers interoperable, end-to-end networking solutions that provide foodservice operators with an easy migration path to a smarter kitchen. For more info. on SCK visit www.fastsck.com. For more info. on FAST, visit www.fastinc.com.
Notices: (FAST.) is a registered trademark of Food Automation - Service Techniques, Inc. SCK, Smart Commercial Kitchen, and SCK Direct are trademarks or registered trademarks of Technology Licensing Corporation. DigitalDNA is a trademark of Motorola, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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