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March 2011 |
| TAX TIP |
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Employee Meals are Deductible
Is your restaurant properly treating the value of meals furnished to employees before, during, and after work hours? Generally meals provided during working hours, for the convenience of the employer, are not considered taxable gross income to the employee and are 100 percent deductible by the employer.
To read more tax tips, click here. | |
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| SOCIAL MEDIA |
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Restaurants Rely on Marketing with Facebook
A recent survey of 8500 small business owners in the US shows that social media has become the go-to marketing tool for many businesses, including restaurants. Results indicate that Facebook is the most widely used marketing tool among the respondents, surpassing Google advertising and listings.
To read the full article, click here.
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SOCIALGRUB |
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New Social Media Tool:
SocialGrub
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 SocialGrub allows restaurants to create coupons, instant offers, discounts, and other promotions once and then automatically distribute them through their own branded Facebook and MySpace applications, as well as on Twitter and other micro-blogging sites and through widgets.
By harnessing the power of the Internet and utilizing social networking resources such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and widgets, restaurants and retailers will be able to more effectively market and promote their businesses online through a broad range of social media marketing channels.
SocialGrub supports the targeting, scheduling, syndication and tracking of all offers created on the system.
To learn more about SocialGrub, check out their website at www.socialgrub.com
Contact us to learn more ways to build a marketing initiative that works! |
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| WHAT INTERESTS YOU? |
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Like Our Ideas or Want to Share Some?
The Z Report is looking for comments, ideas and suggestions about how we can help YOU, our customer, better utilize your technology.
Please contact us as often as you would like at:
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Greetings!
The economy is showing signs of recovery, and restaurant sales are starting to rebound. We all know how this winter's weather was a factor, and it certainly may be too early to celebrate. Regardless, there is strong evidence that the hospitality industry is on an upswing.
We recognize that our role is to help our clients manage their operation, regardless of our current economic cycle. Our job is to help you to increase profitability by increasing revenue and reducing costs, all while improve your market share. Technology is a great tool, but it must be used effectively.
We want to make your job easier. In order to understand your problems and any potential for improvement, we must spend time listening to you. We promise to make that time well spent. There are many new ways to improve your business, drive new sales, and keep your customers coming back. We want to insure you know what's available today, as well as tomorrow.
That is why we added Justin Wells to our staff almost a year ago!
Our intent was to create better results for your business...all it takes to get started is a meeting to uncover the opportunities. Justin will take the time, share our ideas, and listen to yours.
Please consider calling Justin today to schedule a meeting.
With his hospitality experience, and a staff of POS experts at his disposal, how can you go wrong?
Sincerely,
Steve
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Restaurant Performance Index Remains Strong Despite Challenging Winter Weather
|  The NRA Restaurant Performance Index for January, 2011 remained high, although it was down slightly from the prior month, due to the extreme weather in various parts of the country. Even though the index (at 100.2) represented a small decrease, the level still signifies an expansion of key industry indicators.
"Overall, the economic fundamentals of the restaurant industry remain positive, which will likely lead to stronger sales and traffic levels in the months ahead," according to Hudson Riehl, Senior Vice President of the NRA.
According to the most recent survey, 47% of restaurants expect same-store sales to increase in the next six months, while only 14% expect a decline. The Expectations Index also remained over 100 for Sales, Employee levels, Capital expenditures and Business conditions--although down slightly from the December results.
Watch the video which describes the entire report. |
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Starbucks Rolls Out MICROS Technology
POS Software Enables Cashless Transactions from Your Phone
 Starbucks has completed installation of MICROS Simphony, the newest MICROS POS solution, in 6700 sites in the US, and will follow with stores in Canada and the UK. The new solution gives stores the internal controls, while giving management the tools they need, to help both maximize their revenues and reduce their costs.
The Starbucks customized solution also includes Starbucks loyalty and cashless options, which provide Starbucks customers a unique smartphone app that can be used in lieu of cash. By merely "flashing" a unique bar code on their phones, Starbucks customers can pay for coffee and food, while also earning rewards.
In an effort to assure the continued successful deployment of the Simphony solution throughout North America, MICROS currently must review customer submissions of interest before proposals can be approved.
However, our staff can discuss and help you implement current and available solutions that can increase customer frequency, as well as create a cashless environment. Contact us to learn more.
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What is your digital strategy?
 The future is here. Social media and mobile technology are the new word-of-mouth. And the internet is a relatively low-cost marketing outlet, compared to other types of mainstream media advertising, like radio, TV and print. The digital world now levels the playing field for small restaurants and large chains. Both can and do find success in cyberspace.
A digital strategy is an essential part of every restaurant's marketing plan. Your digital plan should be integrated in your year-round marketing campaigns, and a key part of any and all communications. Your brand should be represented in every major platform, especially Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Yelp...and you might even consider Quoria and FourSquare. Keep a finger on the fast changes in technology, so you can jump on new platforms as they gain popularity. Mobile positioning is as important as your overall digital plan, since consumers are now actively relying on their mobile devices for locations, reviews, menus and ordering. If you have not already implemented a mobile marketing plan, it's time to get started. Best of all, measuring the success of a digital strategy is easy to do with the help of your POS system. Coupons, specials offers and repeat customers can be tracked through various POS reports.
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Contact us to find out how to effectively track and measure your efforts!
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Click to contact DCRS Solutions.
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Cybercriminals Targeting Point-of-Sale Devices
 How secure is your Payment System? Most security breaches of sensitive payment card data involve POS systems having integrated Payment Systems, as they are easy targets for cybercriminals. Often times, these criminals target the Payment System because of lax security controls, especially among small businesses.
Just as restaurateurs work to keep their own sensitive data safe, they should also have a system to protect the credit card numbers of their patrons. Sophisticated thieves know that many POS systems swipe the full magnetic strip on a credit card, and they have ways to steal that information easily, even if it is encrypted.
Make sure you are aware of any weaknesses in your system security and take appropriate measures to fix them. To read the article click here.
There is a lot of buzz on this topic, so for another article about cybercrime and small business, click here. | |
If you have concerns about your system security, contact us:
Matt Kramer
Matt Patterson
Justin Wells
314-739-6666
...or Click here to email us your questions or concerns.
For added details on your responsibilities, review the information below. |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING
YOUR CREDIT CARD DATA SECURITY! Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard If your POS system includes a Payment System, you are contractually responsible to your Credit Card Acquirer/Processor to fully comply with the terms of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Learn more here: Payment Card Industry Security Standard Merchants compromised and found not to be fully compliant with PCI-DSS may incur significant fines and penalties from the cardholder industry. If you think it cannot happen to you, see how this would impact your business...watch the video Are You at Risk? PCI-DSS compliance includes 12 major requirements that encompass 200+ security items. Merchants with Payment Systems must full comply with all these requirements, only one of which includes using a Validated Payment Application. PCI publishes a list: PA-DSS Validated Payment Applications
MICROS publishes a list of all their PA-DSS Validated products:
MICROS Payment Application Validation Schedule
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However, we have compiled the most important PCI information and created an exclusive list of only DCRS-supported PA-DSS Validated products, in easier to read format, on our website: |
DCRS PCI Validation Information
Please note:
Using a PA-DSS Validated Payment Application DOES NOT make a Merchant fully PCI-DSS COMPLIANT, nor guarantee that a Merchant cannot be breached. It is very important that any Merchant fully complies with all of the terms of PCI-DSS and takes these responsibilities seriously.
To learn more about the other responsibilities, please contact us
dcrsnews@dcrs.com | |
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