Armagh Testimonials

Long Time Italian Restaurant Embraces Digital Dining POS Features One of Hamilton Ontario’s oldest and most beloved Italian restaurant knew it could count on Armagh to deliver the perfect POS system when it decided to expand into a fast-growing East Mountain area last year. “I am thankful we opened that store with Armagh and Digital Dining.” says Paul Spadafora, son of founding partner Tony Spadafora. Tony and brother Silvio are still active in the business, but it’s Paul along with cousin Anthony who today oversee the day-to-day operations of the company’s original restaurant in Westdale as well as its newest on Paramount Drive on the Stoney Creek Mountain. “If we were using our old system when we opened our new restaurant, it would have been impossible to keep up with the busyness over there. Armagh made it so easy – we gave them our menu and they even programmed the whole system.” That experience convinced Paul to introduce Digital Dining at their Westdale location as well, home to the first Valentino’s Restaurant which opened 36 years ago. Both restaurants also employ Moneris integrated pay-at-table technology, a move that Paul says has eliminated human error while making it easier for customers to settle up at the end of their meals. “Before pay-at-table, it was easy for an employee to come up to a table and punch in the wrong amount for the bill. With this system, they just enter their server ID and the tables come up on the screen. As soon as the customer pays and it is approved, it closes it out in the system. It’s very organized, very fast and there is no room for error.” Paul also appreciates the back-office support he gets from Digital Dining, which simplifies the task of managing sales and inventory. “With Digital Dining, the reports are there. How much pepperoni we are going through, how many entrees we are selling. It makes managing the restaurant far easier.” When it comes to POS decisions, Paul says his family has counted on Armagh for more than 30 years. “We trust their expertise. They haven’t disappointed us. The service that they give is top-notch – if I call or send an email I get a response right away. “When we need to make a change in the system, they have a process called dialing in. They dial in from their office, and I can watch them making the changes while I’m on the phone with them. What could be easier!” Click here for the printable pdf version of this Digital Dining Testimonial.

DD Mobile POS drives service and sales at popular diner If you visit Bobby’s Hideaway for breakfast on a weekend you’d better be prepared to line-up. They serve up 650 to 750 breakfast plates each Saturday and Sunday morning out of the 100-seat diner located on Queen Street in the heart of Streetsville. And thanks to iPad Minis running Digital Dining Mobile POS, the wait is never long, says Bob Ciprovski, owner of the popular Mississauga restaurant that is always packed on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well as most weekdays. Business hasn’t always been this brisk, adds Bob. “When I bought this place 19 years ago we weren’t very busy, and I was always looking for ways to increase business. I added seats and did some other things. Finally, I thought maybe a better POS system would help. We chose Digital Dining because of its hand-held mobile POS capabilities.” Working with the team from Armagh POS, Bob discovered the best solution for DD mobile POS hand-helds was the iPad Mini. After a brief transition to get staff used to entering orders on the hand-held devices, the results came quickly and in dramatic fashion. “The introduction of this technology increased daily breakfast sales by at least $500,” notes Bob. “There is no wasted time because our servers are entering orders directly at the tables, and then sending them to the kitchen instead of writing them once on order pads and then entering them again at a POS station.” Customers love the system because food gets to the table faster than ever before. “Our customers are fascinated by it. They are surprised that a little independent has this kind of technology, but they don’t see it in in any of the bigger chains. “The biggest advantage though is speed. Our customers know that once they sit down, they’ll have their food within five to 10 minutes even when the place is packed.” Armagh’s expertise and responsive service team made the transition to the new system as painless as possible, Bob adds. “I’d definitely recommend Armagh and Digital Dining Mobile POS to any restaurant operator.” Click here for a copy of this testimonial in PDF.

Long Time Owner Of Digital Dining POS Explains Why He Sticks With Armagh Mike Coles, co-owner of Joe Dog’s Gas Bar Grill opened the first restaurant 15 years ago in the picturesque downtown Burlington, Ontario, and a second location in Grimsby 5 years ago. One of the largest independent bar operations for beer sales, it’s safe to say that Joe Dog’s is a high volume site, offering a large bar, full service dining, patio and a nightclub. They currently use 12 Digital Dining POS terminals to run the operation, including wireless Apple iPad POS terminals. After reviewing several POS options 8 years ago, Joe Dog’s switched to Digital Dining as the best option for their large operation. Several reasons included Digital Dining’s handheld and iPad POS capability, and frequent dining with customer loyalty points for in-house promotion. Mike also made mention of the local service and support he’s receiving from Armagh POS Solutions, stating that after 23 years in the restaurant industry, “Armagh support and service is by far the best I’ve come across.” See what he has to say in his own words in the video below. Joe Dog’s Gas Bar Grill, Burlington, Ontario – 12 Digital Dining POS Terminals

Armagh and its Catapult POS system have been key ingredients in the evolution of Oakville’s Monastery Bakery & Delicatessen, which took a giant leap forward earlier this year with an 8,000-square-foot expansion. Monastery Bakery & Delicatessen was opened in 1990 by Angie and Gennaro Stalteri along with son, Leo, as a tiny bakery and deli, today’s operation offers its customers a wide range of products and services including prepared meals to go, fresh produce and meats, specialty grocery items, frozen foods, gift baskets and more. Angie says the family knew its existing POS system would not meet the demands of the expanded Monastery Bakery retail operation. “My son Leo, who runs day-to-day operations, looked at different providers and systems before recommending that we go with Armagh and the Catapult system,” says Angie, adding they first saw Catapult in operation at Hamilton-based Goodness Me natural foods stores, and were immediately impressed. Angie says she likes several aspects about the Catapult system, including the ability to update product pricing information on the fly. “We can put something on sale, or launch a special promotion, and the cashiers don’t even have to know about it. When the customer comes to the cash, the system already knows.” Catapult has also allowed the family Monastery Bakery to implement new customer loyalty programs, like its 10 percent off Seniors Day every Thursday. “Each customer applies for a Seniors Card which enables them to get the discount,” says Angie. “But it also allows us to learn more about our customers purchasing patterns. It even provides an opportunity to offer rewards as a special thank you.” Angie says the program has been very popular, drawing in new customers who hear about the seniors’ discounts from friends and family. The powerful reporting capabilities of the system, including hourly sales reports, are becoming increasingly important to managing the growing business. Monastery takes its current name from its location on Monastery Drive in the Glen Abbey area of Oakville. Click here for a copy of the Monastery Bakery & Deli Catapult POS Testimonial in PDF document format.

A Three-Year Search For The “Ultimate POS System”! Toronto restauranteur, Tim Broughton’s search for the ‘ultimate’ point-of-sale system, one that could be integrated into every aspect of his restaurant, had been going on for nearly three years before Armagh arrived on the scene. During that time he and his partner dissected every major POS system on the market. “There were at least eight systems that we looked at very seriously,” recalls Tim, co-owner of C’est What?, a 300-seat ‘neighbourhood pub’ situated on Front Street in Toronto just down the street from the bustling St. Lawrence Market. “None of them had everything we wanted. But we were prepared to take our time to get it right because these days a POS system that is fully integrated into every aspect of your restaurant is mission critical stuff.” When Armagh introduced Digital Dining, Tim felt he had a winner. “Digital Dining covers more of the waterfront than any of the systems we looked at,” Tim says. “We saw systems that were very good at specific things, but not so good at others. For instance, we saw some that were good at point of sale but not so good at inventory control or table management. ” Tim had a clear idea of his needs – first and foremost the system had to be a solid performer upfront, helping servers deliver great customer service. But it also had to integrate well into the back end. “Digital Dining’s financial integration into our accounting system is really quite slick – I am very much a fan of that. The integrated credit card system has also had a huge positive impact on our business. We also fully utilize the inventory control systems in the package, and it has had a major impact on our cost of goods.” Since implementation of a detailed inventory system which has been enhanced with Digital Dining, Tim notes, the restaurant’s food costs have dropped dramatically. “We have been running a full-fledged inventory system for quite a while, and have realized significant cost savings. Digital Dining has made running inventory easier, and those savings go straight to the bottom line.” Service from the Armagh team has been exceptional, he adds. “In comparison to other providers we have seen, Armagh is excellent. They respond when I call, and ultimately they come up with answers. They don’t just brush off problems with the standard answer to reboot the system. They find out what’s going on, and fix it.” C’est What?, which opened its doors in 1988, bills itself as a Canadian pub featuring Ontario microbrewery beers, VQA wines and an ‘ethno-clectic menu’ that caters to its culturally diverse neighbourhood. Its two bars, and varied dining rooms, are serviced from six POS terminals with plans to add at least two more including a hostess terminal. From its non-descript entrance on Front Street, diners descend a set of slate stairs into what was once a canning factory on Toronto’s waterfront. C’est What? regularly features live entertainment, and has hosted a number who have gone onto fame. Tim figures he has discovered a new talent in Digital Dining. “I am quite pleased with the Digital Dining system, and I can tell you we push it very hard.” To download the pdf version of this onsite report click here.

Armagh helps independent grocer solve its POS ‘nightmare’ Brant Food cashiers help customers check out quickly and efficiently these days thanks to installation of Armagh’s fully integrated Catapult System. The operators of Brant Food called on Armagh, an old friend of the business, seven years ago when the frustrations of dealing with its first-ever POS system were boiling over. “We had nothing but problems with the system we were using at the time,” recalls Anthony DiPietro, who owns and operates the Brantford grocery store with his father, Stelio. “It was always crashing and wouldn’t reset itself. There were so many bugs in the system it was creating havoc. It was a nightmare, I was getting calls late at night and early in the morning.” The system was also impacting customers, a factor the DiPietros couldn’t afford with stiff competition in the Brantford market from major grocers and discounters. “One of the things that we take pride in is delivering great customer service. Our customers like that they can come in here and get out quickly, so it’s important to have everything working properly.” Stelio, who had dealt with Armagh back in the 1970s when he operated four independent grocery outlets in Hamilton and Burlington, suggested Anthony give the company a call to see if they could provide the answer. Armagh recommended the installation of a fully integrated Catupult grocery scanning system that pulled everything together for managing the fast-growing business. The system enabled Brant Food Centre to automatically update specials and all pricing store-wide, from the scales at their full-service deli and meat counters to the grocery POS check-out lanes. “This system has been virtually problem free from the day Armagh did the installation,” says Anthony. “We have comfort in knowing that specials pricing is always current in the system. I also like that Armagh keeps upgrading the system. That’s so important, they are really working with us as a partner to make our business better.” Updates have included a new pin & chip system for debit and credit transactions, as well as implementation of a gift card program, and Catapult Plum IP – a scale management system integrating price changes from Catapult POS with their scales. “They are working with us now to help develop and implement a loyalty points program.” Anthony says that will help the business contend with fierce competition, especially from discounters like Food Basics and Freshco. Updates have included a new pin & chip system for debit and credit transactions, as well as implementation of a gift card program, and Catapult Plum IP – a scale management system integrating price changes from Catapult POS with their scales. “They are working with us now to help develop and implement a loyalty points program.” Anthony says that will help the business contend with fierce competition, especially from discounters like Food Basics and Freshco. The DiPietro history in the grocery business goes back to 1969 when Stelio opened his first outlet on Concession Street in Hamilton. “I’ve still got one of the original Armagh cash registers sitting in a storage area upstairs – it’s a tank,” says Anthony. Click here to download a PDF copy of this testimonial.