Schiff’s Restaurant Service Case Study
Challenge Overview
Schiff’s needed a system that could integrate their retail and warehouse operations while simplifying manual processes.
Solution Highlights
WinFDS® has connected different parts of Schiff’s business, improved their buyer’s experience, and supported better inventory control.
“I’d make the move to WinFDS® again without hesitation. Food Decision Software made this project a success.”
The Business Challenge
For over 70 years, Schiff’s Restaurant Service, Inc. has been serving restaurants, hotels, and educational institutions in northeastern Pennsylvania with quality food service products. Operating both a retail store and wholesale warehouse, Schiff required two completely separate business software systems. However, problems arose when wholesale customers wanted to pick something up from the store and charge it to their account.
“We didn’t have automated access to credit limit or customer pricing information from their wholesale accounts. We just weren’t able to present a cohesive image to our customers,”
Additionally, producing monthly financial statements required staff to re-key posted entries from the point-of sale software into their existing accounting software. The separate systems also led to difficulties managing the company’s inventory, with daily spot counts and frequent physical counts consuming a great deal of time and money. It was difficult for Schiff’s decision-makers to know exactly what they had in their inventory at any given time.
The Solution
Schiff’s management team knew they needed an integrated solution, capable of providing real-time inventory availability, integrated point-of-sale capabilities, and comprehensive distribution functionality. After working with a consultant to develop project requirements and a scope, it became clear that the WinFDS® software package was the best solution for their business, as it offered a wide range of functionalities as well as customization potential.
“We realized that Food Decision Software specializes in solutions for our industry, and after analyzing our operations, they assured us that they could tailor their software to meet our exact needs.”
Food Decision Software implemented WinFDS® to serve as a a true end-to-end business management solution for the company, working directly with Schiff’s point-of-sale software provider to transfer the data seamlessly between the two systems, including automated warnings about credit limits.
The Results
The integration of retail and wholesale operations is delivering big rewards for Schiff’s. Being able to search through their inventory allows them to provide accurate inventory levels to buyers and customers. Most importantly, the disconnects between their retail and wholesale departments were completely resolved, with customers receiving the same experience and pricing opportunities through either outlet.
In addition to improved customer service, the tight inventory control provided by WinFDS® gives Schiff’s better visibility into its purchasing process:
“We’re now able to track how much we’re buying of each item from each supplier, and that information allows us to negotiate better deals. We simply didn’t have this data before.”
Schiff’s buyers are now able to make more informed and strategic buying decisions based on the information WinFDS® provides, improving their purchasing experience and supporting a closer relationship. With space at a premium, the inventory data means buyers can order adequate supplies without overstocking. Schiff’s customer service staff also loves WinFDS® for its timesaving features. Based on past purchase history, a suggested order is assembled and sent to customers who can simply fill in the blanks and send the order back.
Contact:
Mark Reese
President, Schiff’s Restaurant Service
Food Industry Software Built For You
Since 1978, Food Decision Software has been building, supporting, and perfecting a complete package of software for food distributors and food manufacturers that offers full inventory and purchasing control, streamlines your customers’ ordering process, and automates time-consuming tasks for employees. Contact us for a personalized demonstration and see how WinFDS® can revolutionize your food business.