Oct. / Nov. 1998

Transportation Foodservice Software for the 21st Century

The unique complexities of mobile operations - whether in the air, on land, or at sea - necessitate a unique solution. Multiple destinations, menu peculiarities, varying journeys and passenger loads all place an enormous strain on back-office operations. Most back-office software systems, however, are transplanted from traditional restaurant/catering platforms and don't fully address the subtleties of transportation foodservice. As a result, operators often try piecing together several different sets of software to handle inventory control, menu analysis, purchasing and receiving, and accounting information. Unfortunately, these systems seldom "talk" effectively to one another, resulting in redundant data entry, decreased functionality and poor control.

In order to effectively manage inventory, reduce costs, and streamline their food and beverage operations, transportation foodservice operators should implement a fully integrated and comprehensive back-office management system.

What, then, should operators consider when purchasing back-office software?

Centralized Database
First and foremost, there should be one system. That is to say, a single database, centrally located but easily accessible to all units - whether stationary or mobile. When harnessed with communications technology such as the Internet, wide-area networks, or even via satellite, this would enable real-time data transfer from and to remote locations.

In turn, management at the corporate level would have the ability to generate detailed reports for each location, as well as consolidated reporting on every aspect of the business, from the purchase of inventory to the creation of balance sheets and income statements.

With the ability to do analyses like these across an entire organization, management can glean a precise and detailed understanding of factors such as sales, inventory usage and purchasing history. The result will be unparalleled operational control, lowered food costs and increased profitability.

Functionality
The functionality of back-office solutions is crucial in transportation foodservice operations. The system must be flexible, powerful, and go well beyond the limitations of simplified restaurant and catering software.

Take cruise lines, for example. For each ship at sea, the system must be able to track a myriad of operational data, including inventory, sales data, transfers between locations onboard (i.e. between a storeroom and a kitchen), as well as purchasing requirements and receipt of merchandise from many different locations.

A good system would allow the ability to forecast sales based on prior activity and current inventory, greatly simplifying and refining the purchasing process. This is especially useful for cruise lines who will need to order up to several weeks ahead of time to make sure that the appropriate inventory will be at port when they arrive.

Moreover, by having access to this data from each ship, the cruise lines' corporate management will be able to isolate trends based on where the cruise takes place, at what time of year, and the number and type of passengers. Executives can pinpoint, for instance, the exact differences in consumption on a Caribbean cruise as opposed to an Alaskan cruise, or the specifics on how a group of seniors eats and drinks differently than a party of young adults and families. This information would allow management to fine-tune back-office operations throughout the entire organization.

Airline caterers can also reap enormous benefits from software designed to address their singular requirements. They must to be able to track which meals, beverages and snacks need to be served on hundreds of flights each day, factoring in the length of the flight, the number of stops, and even departure and arrival times. Their system must be able incorporate all of this, as well as the capacity and passenger count of each airplane. In addition, airlines have the added complexity of different offerings on the same flight. The First Class menu, for instance, is different from what is offered in Coach. And occasionally, passengers will request special vegetarian or kosher meals. The system must be able to handle these requirements as well.

A fully comprehensive transportation back-office system, therefore, allows forecasting, inventory control, purchasing, receiving, and accounting to be seamlessly integrated throughout the entire organization - no matter how complex or remote.

Choosing the Right Vendor
When choosing a software vendor, it is important to verify that they have a proven solution, designed specifically to handle the unique aspects of transportation foodservice.

In addition, other factors to consider are just as important as the software itself. The vendor's implementation process, training and support should all be closely scrutinized. A vendor in this field should be more than a mere supplier - they should be a consultant as well.

Because of the inherent complexities, there is no such thing as an "off-the-shelf" back-office system. But, by choosing the right vendor with the right solution, operators can quickly find themselves in a new era of on-board food service.

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