A software package that few people understand: truth and fiction

Today, more than 24,000 users from Russia and countries near and far abroad work with the restaurant automation system R-Keeper v6 and v7. Its interface and functionality are well known to many of those who work in the restaurant business at all levels - waiters, cashiers, accountants, managers and executives. In fact, R-Keeper has already become the standard for Russian catering establishments, and newly opened establishments do not experiment with new systems in order to take advantage of the experience accumulated by other restaurateurs and not to retrain staff.

Alive as life

But restaurant and cafe managers choose R-Keeper not only out of habit and for reasons of “I want it like theirs.” Since the early 90s, when the first versions of the program were created and implemented, UCS, the system developer, has been listening to the direct users of RKeeper in everything. The program is supplemented with functions and modified as business owners require. The Rosinter corporation played a very important role in the “discovery” of the system, using it to automate restaurants more than 10 years ago. As a result, R-Keeper has grown along with its users, who have stepped on all the necessary mistakes of Russian business and legislation, and is now “tailored” to the needs of Russian catering enterprises of various formats - from a corporate canteen and a small cafe to a multiplex restaurant and fast food.

And now any R-Keeper user just needs to formulate a clear requirement and set a task for the developers to get some new function they need - quickly and for free. But to find such a task, you need to try hard, since the current functionality of the system is more than enough for comprehensive restaurant accounting.

What it is

When it comes to automation of an establishment, it is more correct to talk not about a program, but about a system or hardware and software complex. It is easier and more profitable for establishment owners to buy not software, but a set of software and equipment assembled taking into account their needs - computer hardware and special trading equipment. They are installed and adjusted in one step, so that the enterprise is automated on a turnkey basis. After implementation, it can be opened and operated at full capacity.

Consultations on the selection of the necessary software and equipment are carried out by our specialists at the beginning of the project. A certain configuration is drawn up, and then we supply everything necessary and subsequently service and repair the equipment.

Self-assembled tablecloth

One of the most attractive features of R-Keeper for a restaurant or cafe owner is the ease of implementation and modification. As automation engineers, we can say that we don’t like projects that require lightning-fast deployment of a system the night before the opening of a restaurant or bar. But they happen, and it is possible to implement them.

In a few hours we are able to install, assemble and adjust the system, so that tomorrow the cash stations will be working, and accounting will proceed as usual. But such emergency cases are rare, but contacting us 3-4 days before the opening is almost the rule. Unlike other systems also used on the market, R-Keeper does not require many days of debugging, configuration and testing. The restaurant will work, and the system will be perfected when you already receive money.

The system can also be quickly and easily modified and supplemented with new equipment and software functions when you need to open a summer area or organize the accounting of bottled drinks. The terminal is successfully used to automate such points

And if you plan everything a little in advance, a couple of months in advance, and don’t forget about automation for painting chairs and selecting floor lamps, then you can not only have time to buy the R-Keeper system, do everything “from start to finish” for the opening, but also train staff .

One in four persons

The software part of the R-Keeper system through the eyes of users is several separate programs designed for the main characters of a typical catering enterprise. The “Waiter”, “Bartender”, “Cashier” and “Manager” modules are designed for certain powers and require the performance of regulated operations: placing an order, entering a menu, depositing money into the cash register, viewing reports, etc. Registration and “identification” of an employee occurs in system using personal magnetic cards. Every action requires authorization.

Waiter

The “Waiter” module is installed on the waiter terminal (or a PDA that replaces a paper notepad). It allows you to create an order and send it to the kitchen, print a preliminary invoice for the client, cancel dishes and drinks (if the manager gives him the authority to do this), make an additional order, etc. The sequence of actions of the waiter is built into the system in such a way as to prevent fraud with the bill, tables and refusals of dishes. The waiter has the right to open a table only in his own name, which eliminates the possibility of accidental errors.

Cashier

The cashier checks in bartenders and waiters at the start of the day and pays their bills. He receives money from the waiter, which the client gives him, and punches the fiscal receipt. The cashier selects a payment method for the order (cash, credit cards or other payment) or combines several types in one payment at once. Until the check is cleared, the order will “hang” in the system, and the working day cannot be closed. At the time of completion of the operation, the amount of products that was spent on preparing dishes according to the costing cards is automatically written off from the warehouses.

Bartender

The bartender serving people at the counter combines the functions of a waiter and a cashier. He operates the order terminal and cash drawer and has the right to close the account. The bartender differs from the cashier in that he can only work with his own accounts - their complete table is not available to the bartender.

Manager

Depending on the level of authority, there may be several managers: hall manager, office manager and administrator. They use the same module, but have access to a different number of functions. The administrator has the widest opportunities, whose role is usually performed by the owner or manager of the restaurant. He controls the entire operation of the restaurant, can change any parameters of the system and transfer part of his responsibility to “junior” managers.

Their responsibilities include filling out and changing all working dictionaries of the restaurant (menu, staff list, etc.), fulfilling refusals, closing the cash register day and taking reports.

A detailed description of the capabilities of the R-Keeper system manager is contained in the 500-page “Manager's Guide,” a textbook that explains in detail, clearly and clearly how to work with the complex in order to make the most of its functionality.

Beware, thieves!

No matter how useful an automation system is for streamlining accounting and speeding up service in a restaurant, its main task is to combat theft and abuse of staff. This is the main problem of business owners. In principle, it is impossible to reduce it to zero - do not believe such promises - but it is within its power to turn 40-50 percent of the loss into ten. Employee work patterns are set so strictly that to deceive you will have to enter into complex agreements and make a lot of manipulations and calculations. At the same time, many suspicious connections can be easily tracked in the reports provided by the system - for example, the manager can see that one of the hall managers and waiters often rejects a couple. The combination of these measures: a clearly defined sequence of actions and a reporting system will protect the owner’s income from more attacks.

There will be a government

The reports that the system provides are sufficient and even (as practice shows) redundant for typical restaurants and cafes. They provide information to managers, accountants and management at different levels of access. With their help, you can draw conclusions about revenue (total and by day, hour, table, waiter, dish and category of dish) and sales; see how bonuses and discounts are used, check for refusals and make sure that nothing suspicious happened during the day. Advanced managers can take advantage of OLAP reports, and accountants can enjoy the opportunity to upload data to 1C.

Having learned to manage this information, you can manage the institution with brilliance. However, the reports themselves, in all their diversity, do not eliminate the need to think and draw conclusions. Their task is to collect data for you and display it in an easy-to-view form, and some managers expect actions from reports that the creators of artificial intelligence have been struggling with for decades. So that, for example, after the close of the working day, you receive a message from the system: “Well, everything is going well. If you replace pike perch with sea bass, fire waiter Ivanov and increase manager Petrov’s salary by $105.8, everything will be even better.” Unfortunately, the program cannot do this yet. If you need to receive data in this form, you will have to hire a live analyst who will “digest” the numbers and facts produced by the system.

Jokes aside, any required report format that is missing in R-Keeper can be created at your request at a low cost. It is enough to inform the developers about it and clearly describe the task.

Finger on the pulse

In addition to reports that provide information about the business of the restaurant after the day closes, R-Keeper can monitor the operation of the enterprise in real time. To do this, a small Monitor application is connected to the main system. With its help, on the manager’s computer you can receive information about the lists of orders and receipts at the current moment (with the ability to view any item) and the balance of paid and unclosed sets. It is especially pleasant to use this application from home (remote access via the Internet is a good solution for an owner monitoring work from another city, country, or at least a country cottage). You press the information update button - another check is closed, the revenue has increased, you press it again - again an increase in the total amount. Fine.

Reliability and Co.

And finally, R-Keeper is known in the market for its reliability. A fancy system with a bunch of functions is of little use if its stability is in question. The restaurant business does not tolerate downtime, so the system must be as resistant to failures as possible - not freeze, not crash, and not lose data. R-Keeper implements several levels of protection, which guarantees the safety of valuable information. The program is tolerant of user errors, who will not be able to cause serious harm to it through random actions. The degree of satisfaction with the operation of the system largely depends on reliability and guarantees of uninterrupted operation.

A few words about myself

It also depends on how quickly and efficiently the automation company that implemented your system answers questions and responds to work-related challenges. In this sense, we have something to attract customers - a 24-hour service department that promptly resolves all issues regarding the operation of the system. Priority in service is given to clients who have entered into a subscription service agreement with us. We resolve any of their problems within 4 hours.

Every restaurant owner sooner or later begins to think about how to take his business to a higher level. For this purpose, some add new dishes to the menu, change the interior or profile of the establishment, while others decide to use technical or software tools.

In order to significantly improve the work of public catering enterprises, domestic and foreign developers are creating various computer programs of the appropriate profile. For example, it is quite popular.

One of such developments, created by Russian programmers from the UCS company, is the R-Keeper system, which allows you to easily manage all processes in an enterprise, process orders and receive reports online.

History of the program's creation

The first version of the program appeared in 1992. R-Keeper software is constantly updated and improved by its creators, thanks to which it is very popular among restaurant and cafe owners both in Russia and around the world. The number of companies using R-Keeper in their establishments includes: Burger King, Subway, Shokoladnitsa and others.

System from UCS company is a reliable software solution that allows you to fully automate an enterprise, significantly increase sales volumes, reduce costs, keep track of orders, generate reports, control production, warehouses and employee activities, and develop a system of discount cards for visitors.

The R-keeper software product is perfect for managing both a small cafe and a large restaurant chain.

The customer can purchase only those modules that are needed specifically for his establishment.

Benefits of R-keeper

R-keeper differs from analogue programs in that it allows:

fully automate the work of cashiers and bartenders;
automatically plan employee working hours (Time Keeper module);
create an electronic menu on iPad;
automate delivery;
control beer bottling;
maintain warehouse records (Store House module);
install intelligent video surveillance at cash registers;
control bowling and billiards (Pool Jet module);
create a visualization system for orders and reservations for hostesses;
automate fast food establishments, including the drive thru system;
manage delivery (Delivery module);
create mobile terminals for placing orders at tables;
manage the entire restaurant chain from one office;
prevent possible fraud on the part of employees;
hierarchically structure the menu and divide dishes into categories;
authorize access to the system;
use modifiers;
work with magnetic cards Hard Copy and Card Pay System;
use hot keys when working;
issue fiscal and provisional checks to clients;
automatically transfer the order to the appropriate production department;
accept currencies from different countries and credit cards for payment.

The system will function perfectly together with other programs, such as 1C: Accounting or Restorun.

Program installation

The program modules are designed for platforms with 32-bit systems. The operating system of the computer can be either Windows or Linux. The program and system drivers are updated automatically. All user data is securely encrypted and sent to the SQL server, all information is stored in the cloud.

The program provides functions for automatic and delayed synchronization of directories, as well as automatic resumption of connection breaks. R-keeper supports TCP/IP network protocols.

The system involves the installation of special kitchen monitors, devices for calling waiters and printing receipts.

It is impossible to find the program on the Internet; R-keeper can only be purchased from official dealers, a list of which is published on the UCS website.

Price and user service

Installation of software, cash register modules and terminals takes 3-4 days. The kit includes a training video course, as well as a free demo version of the program. Pay Customers can purchase licenses and services in installments over one to two months. Sellers provide technical customer support 24 hours a day, the first month of service is free.

The cost of the software depends on the configuration. A “seasonal” kit, designed specifically for monitoring, maintaining financial and warehouse records on-line in small establishments, costs about 77,000 rubles.

A package for a cafe with 200 seats, including one station for waiters and one workplace for a manager/accountant, will cost the entrepreneur approximately 128,000 rubles.

The price of a modular package for large restaurants with 4-5 halls, including two waiter stations and one workplace for an accountant, is 180,000 rubles.

Feedback from catering workers

Entrepreneurs whose establishments have already installed the R-keeper system say:

Anna:

“At first, when my cafe just opened, we carried out all the calculations in Excel. This took too much time, and I began to think about how I could speed up and simplify both my work and the work of my employees. I used both Samobranka and Tavern, and then I found out about R-keeper and settled on it. The program has a very user-friendly interface, many special functions, convenient little things, thanks to which we significantly save time.”

“They installed the program for me very quickly. If any questions arise, you can get help from the technical support service at any time. My accountants, waiters and bartenders really liked R-keeper! The system works without failures or glitches. I myself find it very convenient to work with readers and a printer. I recommend to everyone!"

“I can only praise the R-keeper program. The software takes into account all user requirements, when this makes it very easy to use. My employees were able to master the system in just an hour! The technical support service employs competent specialists who are always ready to help. The program was installed very quickly and has been working flawlessly for a year now. The system is reliable, proven, I recommend it to all restaurateurs.”Previous entry iiko program – a comprehensive solution to catering problems

R-Keeper is the most popular restaurant automation program, with a wide range of capabilities. It is used by thousands of restaurateurs in different countries. Even the 2014 Olympics in Sochi were served by restaurateurs using this program. In St. Petersburg, the R-Keeper program can be purchased not from dealers, but from a branch of the developers - the company USiS SPb, which is located on Moskovsky Prospekt.

I have been working with this program for 4 years, I am satisfied with everything. It is simple and easy to use and at the same time contains many useful functions. There are no problems in reporting either; you can find any information you need quickly and easily. Modifiers that can be divided into groups and use your own individual group of modifiers for any dish greatly simplify the work of waiters.

"R-Keeper" - program for cafes and restaurants

When the restaurant business in Russia took its first steps towards development, a software product appeared that allows you to competently manage your business - the R-Keeper system. UCS developed and launched the first version in 1992. Today it is an effective management tool in catering establishments.

The R-Keeper system has evolved along with the restaurant business, responding to its changes with new capabilities and functions. Thus, it was possible to create a program that takes into account the specifics of business and Russian legislation, and can be used in any catering enterprise, regardless of its format. By choosing the desired configuration, with the help of R-Keeper you can organize the work of a small family cafe or a huge complex consisting of a restaurant with delivery service, a cinema, gaming areas, a fitness center, and so on.

The R-Keeper program is such a familiar and familiar program that any employee who has ever worked in a catering establishment, from a waiter and bartender to a chief accountant and manager, can use it. This is very convenient, as you do not need to waste time on staff training. But what is the secret of R-Keeper's popularity?

All details are taken into account

The specificity of restaurant accounting is that it reflects production and trade. The complexity of business is due to the presence of many objects and areas where goods move. The R-Keeper system provides many opportunities for effective business management. For example, you can use it to track inventory flows, control payments to suppliers, obtain information about the work of staff, analyze the attendance of an establishment, obtain financial results and much more.

The R-Keeper program was created to facilitate accounting and analysis of the enterprise’s activities, as well as to eliminate the possibility of selling unaccounted for drinks, preparing dishes from brought products and other types of fraud on the part of staff.

Control and control again

The R-Keeper system monitors the work of each employee of the establishment, recording all actions. Upon joining the service, an employee receives a personal magnetic card, which allows him to register in the system and undergo authorization if necessary to perform any operation.

R-Keeper consists of several separate programs. Each of them is intended for a specific category of employees, from waiters to managers:

Waiter module. Designed to form orders and send them to the kitchen. It also allows you to print documents for the visitor, cancel an order and much more. The program prescribes an algorithm for the employee’s actions and provides protection against intentional or accidental errors, which makes the task much more difficult for those who want to commit fraud.
Cashier module. It performs several important functions at once. First, the maintenance staff registers at the beginning of the shift. Secondly, it reflects payment of their bills. Receiving funds from the waiters, the cashier punches the fiscal receipt, which removes the order from the system and makes it possible to close the working day. At the time of execution, the products that were the ingredients of the ordered dishes based on the costing cards are also written off from the warehouse.
Model Bartender. It is necessary to serve visitors at the bar counter. It allows the bartender to serve as both a waiter and a cash register employee. That is, the bartender opens an account when an order is received and closes it when money is received from the visitor.
Manager module. In it, directories are filled out and adjusted (personnel information, menus, cards for suppliers and inventory, etc.), closing the working day and generating reporting information. If there is more than one manager in a restaurant, then employees work in one module, but each of them has access only to certain functionality necessary for his work.

Minimizing incidents of theft

Thanks to statistics, it is known that in the restaurant business the percentage of abuse can reach 50%, due to which the profitability of the enterprise is significantly reduced. Business owners know this, as do the developers of the R-Keeper program, who have made every effort to reduce the level of fraud to 10%, since it is not possible to completely get rid of theft.

To do this, it is proposed to integrate the work of the R-Keeper program and a video surveillance system, which allows for the effect of presence. In addition, the manager has the opportunity to generate a report on inventory balances at any time and immediately conduct an audit in the bar, kitchen or warehouse.

The R-Keeper system is capable of calculating theft patterns, most of which are already entered into the database. Thus, the program monitors fraud and identifies those responsible. The created schemes for the work of personnel are so strict that the implementation of fraud requires the performance of many manipulations that cannot go unnoticed by the manager. Suspicious connections can be tracked using reports. For example, if a manager, working in tandem with a certain waiter, refuses customers more often than usual, then this indicates theft.

Working to the max

Using the R-Keeper program allows you to increase the speed of service several times and increase the efficiency of staff. Many mistakes in the activities of employees are simply excluded. For example, the system prevents order confusion and incorrect transfer to production. As a result, the restaurateur notes an increase in the flow of satisfied visitors.

Each employee can only work on a specific module of the R-Keeper system. This limitation allows you to quickly find the culprit if a violation is detected. Employees should know that any information that gets into the system remains in it and cannot be deleted in one click.

Assembling the constructor

Automation of the restaurant business involves performing the following operations:

Installation of system equipment.
Installation of system elements taking into account the specifics of the enterprise’s activities.

Installation of workstations is carried out within a few hours, and the equipment itself is compact.

It is also convenient that for the R-Keeper program to work correctly, it does not require instant debugging of work processes, their configuration and testing. If necessary, you can supplement the installed system with other functionality quickly and easily. While the waiters are arranging furniture on the new summer area, specialists are expanding the functionality of R-Keeper.

Reports for everyone

The R-Keeper system generates reports at different access levels, which have managers, chief accountant and manager. They allow you to obtain the following information:

Revenue data is both general and for a specific waiter, table, dish.
Implementation information is general or detailed.
Analysis of the use of discounts.

And thanks to the reports, you can verify the absence of suspicious transactions indicating fraud.

For accountants, the R-Keeper system is also convenient because it easily integrates with 1C.

The ability to control everything anytime, anywhere

While outside the restaurant, the manager or business owner can monitor the operation of the establishment at any time. To do this, it is enough to have access to the Internet and it does not matter at all what part of the world a person is in at the moment.

After authorization, the manager can view reports, data on the work of personnel and the availability of inventory, analyze the performance of a specific employee and the establishment as a whole, and view images from CCTV cameras in recordings or online.

The proposed variety of reports helps you think, draw the right conclusions and make effective decisions. Using the R-Keeper system, you can track the dynamics of business development, as well as track changes in revenue over a certain period. It is also possible to determine the days that are most profitable from a commercial point of view, find out about customers’ favorite dishes, etc. All this will improve the efficiency of the establishment due to the fact that more attention will be paid to these parameters.

Uninterrupted operation guaranteed

When deciding in favor of business automation, you should not be afraid that one fine day the restaurant’s work will stop due to the fact that the system has failed. The main terminal (POS terminal) is distinguished by its reliable design. It can be damaged by dropping it from a great height or spilling liquid on it.

In addition, you should take into account the versatility of the R-Keeper system, which is limited only by your wishes. You have the opportunity to fully adapt the software product to the needs of your restaurant, choosing the necessary modules and tools from a large list of possible options.

The R-Keeper system is a set of information terminals in the hall and kitchen, a video surveillance system, printers, call buttons and other equipment. Your only job is to provide reliable and safe power. At the same time, the system is equipped with a function for saving important information in the event of an emergency shutdown of lights or other operational failures. And intentional or deliberate mistakes by personnel when working with R-Keeper cannot harm it.

Currently, there are several ways to automate restaurants, bars, cafes and other establishments of this type. I would like to talk about one of them in my work.

R-Keeper - what is it and how does it work, and what functions does this system perform? I would like to note right away that this automation method is in incredibly high demand, as it allows you to save quite a lot of money, and also effort.

4.1 General provisions

To be more precise, the main purpose of the system is to automate public catering establishments as much as possible, that is, hotels, cafes, restaurants, and so on. Although, as practice shows, similar software is used for other purposes. R-Keeper is suitable for both single and chain establishments. The system has many tools at its disposal that allow you to manage not only the establishment, but also the warehouse, as well as production. But, in addition to this, the program contains a lot of innovative solutions that allow you to more competently organize personnel management. A distinctive feature of the system is that only minimal support is required, therefore, for R-Keeper, the instructions are quite simple and do not take a long time to understand. It should also be noted that the utility is suitable for use in establishments regardless of their size and type, which is extremely important.

For stable operation of the system, several conditions must be met. This includes uninterrupted power supply, modern computer equipment, and a cable network through which information about the restaurant or cafe will be transmitted. As for the complete software, this includes the following several modules: for waiters, cashiers, managers and a warehouse accounting system. In addition, this also includes a discount system (personalized). You also need to pay attention to the fact that to effectively use R-Keeper, staff training is absolutely necessary. The same applies to setting up the system, which must be performed by a specialist. I would like to note that since its foundation, which was back in 1992, the program has only been improved, and today every restaurant or cafe manager knows what “Erkeeper” is.

Guest Loyalty Management Solutions

So, as noted above, the system has only developed since its founding, and today there is a whole host of innovative solutions that allow guests of your restaurant or hotel to feel cozy and comfortable. The presence of R-Keeper 6 allows you to organize an established delivery service. In addition, the ability to monitor the operation of the restaurant will be very useful for customers. But that’s not all, since the program provides for automatic reservation of tables in the hall and even an intelligent tracking system for the cash register area, which records the most important events. Regular customers of your establishment can receive their own virtual card, which provides a discount on their order, the ability to send an SMS message to the waiter, etc. Of course, all this is convenient, especially considering that this kind of software does not require any special maintenance, not subject to periodic updates.

Cash and managerial level of automation

So, let's talk about how to achieve the most effective results for the establishment. We will talk about automation. The operational method, also known as the cash method, ensures the formation of a sales database in the greatest possible way, and also automates the sales process itself. As for the restaurant office, that is, at the managerial level, the main task of this module is to create various directories, set up access levels and cash levels. This also includes the development of various marketing systems. As for organizing warehouse accounting, for this the R-Keeper system uses a program called StoreHouse. The utility is fully compatible with 1C, which makes the work even more comfortable and fast.

As noted above, Erkeeper is a fairly multifunctional application. Let's see what opportunities both clients and staff receive. Firstly, this is almost 100% automation of the work of the cashier and bartender, as well as the presence of an electronic menu for guests of the establishment, an iPad is used. There are also beer dispensing systems at tables, seat reservations, and warehouse accounting. Secondly, this is “smart” video surveillance, about which we have already said a few words. A rather important function can be considered planning the time of the establishment’s staff. If necessary, you can turn on control systems for billiards, bowling, etc. Of course, the capabilities of Erkeeper are not limited to this, and listing all the strengths will take too much time.