MICROS Blog

Come on, you know you can…SMILE!

Posted in For Restaurants tags: Restaurant Management

by Andrew Stevens

I have seen a lot in the news lately about some establishments hiring policies that are not entirely fair for the majority of the population that do not fit the criteria.

Okay, so a company wants to have a certain image or even atmosphere and part of that is the kind of staff they hire. But does it really need to be the way a staff member looks. Surely the vibe can be generated by décor, music and food?

The best thing about entering an eating establishment is a friendly welcome. Customers immediately ...

The official launch of Space Hotel with OPERA

Posted in MICROS News tags: OPERA PMS

Last night’s ‘Ultimate Summer Rooftop Party’ marks the official launch of Space Hotel and the completion of its transformation from Vic Hall.

As part of the transformation, Space Hotel went live with OPERA PMS to run its 128 newly appointed rooms, exciting entertainment precincts, and state of the art facilities across eight levels.

“This is an exciting time for MICROS, as we see OPERA deployed in its first Australian backpacker style environment” comments Chris Adams, Managing Director, MICROS. “It shows that OPERA truly has the flexibility to streamline backpacker accommodation operations and enhance the overall experience for the ...

Using OPERA after an upgrade to Windows 7 OS

Posted in Product Tips tags: OPERA PMS

When updating workstations to Windows 7 Operating System (OS), some minor updates are required for the OPERA application to deploy and display correctly;

(Solution 70443 - OPERA/Forms do not correctly refresh when using Windows 7 workstation)

1. Close out of Internet Explorer and make sure the Java Console icon (the one that looks like a coffee cup) isn't in the system tray at the bottom right corner of the screen (see screenshot below).

2. Click on the 'Start' menu, then open 'Control Panel' and double click the 'JInitiator 1.3.X.X’ icon ...

GYG to launch new Loyalty Program

Posted in MICROS News tags: Franchise Customer Loyalty

Guzman Y Gomez the face of Mexican food (and the vibrant Latin culture) in Australia, will be launching a ‘GOMEX’ card at the end of March. The new loyalty program will reward customers not only with food and beverages but with Latin offerings including concert tickets, merchandise, and salsa dancing lessons.

“We have developed a loyalty program that rewards our customers for their loyalty as well as showcasing Latin culture here in Australia. Eventually you can use your GOMEX card to purchase tickets to Latin music festivals, salsa dancing lessons, Latin film festivals and the like. We want ...

Travelex connects to OPERA for an integrated credit & debit card payment gateway

Posted in Product Updates tags: Payment Gateway

by Tracy-Maree McGrath

One of our new partners; Travelex has developed an integration to OPERA that can process credit cards (pin and signature), debit/EFTPOS cards and offer Dynamic Currency Conversion for 26 currencies. The Travelex payment gateway is now successfully running at 9 hotels across Australia with OPERA PMS.

The Travelex Integration processes via a VeriFone V^X 810 PIN pad which is supplied by Travelex. And, Travelex can switch directly into your bank account (at no additional cost), so you won’t need to change banks prior to integration.

As the connection to Travelex ...

Difficult conversations; addressing employee hygiene

Posted in For Restaurants tags: Talent Development

by Aaron Cakiroglu

Nobody has the right to tell somebody how to tackle their daily routine of personal hygiene and grooming. It would be a take off of the “nanny state” telling people not to drink alcohol, smoke or eat sugar. As in the recent remark by Liberal MP Teresa Gambaro advising new migrants to wear deodorant in order to assimilate into Australian society; rude and offensive it may be and although wearing a deodorant is not confined to Australia and would not be defined as a specific cultural trait, you just can not tell people these kinds of ...

Breaking down your restaurant walls to service the masses

Posted in For Restaurants tags: Restaurant Management | Restaurant Customer Loyalty

by Matthew Clark

MICROS Food Stage at Mardi Gras Fair Day

Posted in MICROS News tags:

Fair Day is the annual event that kicks off the official Mardi Gras season.

New to Fair Day in 2012 is a MICROS Food Stage, where former Masterchef contestants Cleo Kerameas and Peter Vickery will fight it out in a chef’s challenge, hosted by Martin Boetz of Longrain Restaurant.

Make sure you head to the MICROS Food Stage on Fair Day to get some hot tips and see these Masterchef favourites whip up a storm!

Fair Day is a fun and relaxed day out in the park attended by up to 70 000 visitors who browse ...

Speed of Service

Posted in For Franchises tags: Franchise Operations | Kitchen Displays

by Andrew Fyfe

Logically, one of the key factors for success in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) market is the ‘quick’ component. Yes, speed of service is essential when catering for your time poor customer.

The reason that Quick Service Restaurant dining is so often appealing is that you can be in and out in only a few minutes. So with this in mind, I am going to explore how to both speed up service and how to measure and manage speed of service.

1. How to speed up service

• Develop concise menus: with ...

What to do about employee and customer theft

Posted in For Hotels tags: Hotel Management

by Friedhelm Tringas

Theft should not be considered a ‘taboo’ topic; yet often it is. Hotel staff are so focused and trained to look after hotel guests that they find it hard to view their customers or colleagues as possible criminals.  From minor theft of hotel items (e.g. towels) to systematic fraud; theft can cause very high losses and can also have an impact on customer service:

How does theft affect customer service? 

• Higher rates – due to increased business operating costs
• Feeling of insecurity – passed on from employees to guests

Minimising the impact of ...