sales

Digital menu boards provide virtually limitless opportunities for merchandising menu items. Additions or revisions—to accommodate nutritional postings or price changes—can be made quickly. And for multi-unit operations, centralized control of the menu is especially important.

It’s not quite an avalanche, but iPad point of sale software is unfurling out into the marketplace at a heightened pace. Touting wireless connectivity, anywhere, anytime access and quick response to menu and room changes, the field is crowded with options, as newcomers to the market, like Lavu and Breadcrumb, join more established POS vendors like Micros, Revel Systems and Aloha.

Although American craft beer gets most of the ink and blog posts these days, there is a lot more happening in the ale arena. With sales of U.S. domestic macrobrews in decline and imports growing at just 1.3 percent, the big brewers are trying harder, with new products and brand extensions.