LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2015) - A new era in automated staff training and quality control is being unveiled at the VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executives) Conference today in Las Vegas. Uptown Network announced the general availability of Digital Recipe Books (DRB) combined with automated staff training and testing. This new capability is offered as SaaS (Software as a Service) via the cloud.
"Shula's is constantly looking for ways to improve guest service across our franchise system," said Christian Dammert, Director of Operations for Shula's Steakhouses and Shula Burger. "Having an automated, mobile solution for training will save us countless hours and significantly reduce operational costs. It's a win, win, win."
Recipes are uploaded into the cloud and automatically broadcast to iPads at one or thousands of locations in real-time. Recipes can include ingredients, methods, pouring instructions, plating instructions and more. Every 'touch' on the iPads is tracked to give system wide dashboards as to activity levels and success rates. Timers can be set to measure which recipes are being well executed and which recipes need process improvements across a brand.
"Previously I worked as a corporate trainer for Applebee's as well as facilitating new store openings for P.F. Chang's," said Danielle LaBelle, Digital Training Solutions Manager at Uptown Network. "I recently joined Uptown Network to manage this product as the compelling nature of it is so apparent."
Today, many large brands produce large amounts of paper that is shipped to hundreds or even thousands of locations. This process is time intensive, costly and error prone. Additionally, paper recipe books provide no visibility into usage or accuracy. Digital recipe books help the environment, are real-time and provide immediate feedback of usage and success. Additionally, digital recipe books are less expensive than paper recipe books.
Uptown Network is the first approved Apple Business Solution Provider (NASDAQ: AAPL). Through this relationship, the iPads for DRBs can be leased with no upfront costs and attractive monthly payments.
In addition to Digital Recipe Books, Uptown Network also provides digital menus and wine lists to hospitality's most prestigious brands such as Darden / The Capital Grille, The Waldorf Astoria, Norman's at The Ritz Carlton, Shula's Steakhouses, Hershey Park, Hilton Hotels, Hard Rock Casinos and more.
One of the big questions in hospitality today is whether mobile devices will replace waiters and waitresses or empower them. Several startups are claiming that mobile tablets can reduce or replace them. Uptown Network believes that service team members should be empowered, not replaced by mobile devices. Apple has proven how successful this approach is in their retail stores. Training is a key element.
A recent MasterCard survey reports that 80% of all restaurant complaints are related to poor execution. Education, training and testing are the root cause of the majority of these complaints. According to the National Restaurant Association, there are 13,100,000 employees in the United States restaurant industry that need regular training.
Uptown Network is unveiling the industry's first mobile Digital Recipe Book solution at their booth at The VIBE Conference.
About Uptown Network
Executives from the technology and restaurant industries founded Uptown Network in 2011. The company is the leading provider of cloud and mobile solutions for hospitality. Every 'touch' on Uptown Network is tracked for analysis. Every day, billions of dollars are spent in the hospitality industry based on Internet and social technologies. However, the explosion of mobile and the Apple App store is changing the landscape and spending habits of consumers. There have been over 30 million interactions on Uptown Network in the last six months. Uptown Network can be downloaded for free from iTunes.