FAST Web Monitored Kitchen Unveiled

MySCK Portal Exhibited at FS/TEC Show: Booth #332

STRATFORD, Conn., October 2, 2001 - Food Automation - Service Techniques, Inc. (FAST), a Stratford, Conn.-based controls supplier, will display its new enterprise application portal, called MySCK™, at the FS/TEC show in Dallas October 21-24.

Smart Commercial Kitchen® (SCK®) allows users to access restaurant data from multiple store locations over the Internet. MySCK users can review in-store activity and configure reports to better manage production, labor efficiency, equipment and track quality control and food safety (or "HACCP") initiatives. Designed with a secure login, anyone who has used an online banking application will find the MySCK interface extremely intuitive.

"If any area of foodservice can benefit from technological innovations, it's the realm of food quality and safety," said Mario Ceste, vice president of FAST. "Operators previously relied on outdated methods of tracking and collecting information, using unreliable tools such as paper and pencils. Restaurants simply do not have the man-power available to collect, record and archive all this critical information."

"Additionally, MySCK changes the traditional management paradigm that requires on-site regulation," said Ceste. "Small and large operators alike can enjoy real-time enterprise management tools that ensure that consistent best practice procedures are followed across their restaurants without the need to travel to and from locations."

FAST's SCK Debut in Arby's Kitchens
Visitors to the FAST booth #332 will see how easy SCK Solutions are to use and will see a demonstration of the SCK technology that is being implemented into the kitchens of top foodservice operators. Currently, SCK technology is being implemented at Sybra's 240 Arby's locations nationwide.

John Bicks, co-chairman and chief executive of Sybra Inc., recently spoke with Nation's Restaurant News about the company's decision to implement oven and temperature-monitoring SCK technology in its Arby's franchises in order to increase operational efficiency, comply with HACCP regulations and keep costs down.

"At the store level, instead of having someone constantly checking the temperature of beef by looking in the oven, we can check them via the Internet," he told the publication. Additionally, SCK "frees up managers and crew to focus on maximizing sales and optimizing customer experience."

"We should be able to realize a real cost savings because it helps us both cut down on the labor involved in food preparation and helps us maintain optimum beef yield," said Bicks.

How Can SCK Help You?
From MySCK, users access and manage a suite of solutions over the Internet. Standard solutions of the system include: Quality and Production Management Solution, Food Safety/HACCP Monitoring Solution, and the Asset Management Solution.

The Quality and Product Solution ensures that food products are available and of the freshest quality. By interfacing with the Point of Sale system, this module creates a build plan that determines production rates, balancing demands against prepared product, eliminating overproduction and waste. Production instructions are output to crew members, and reports generated for store managers and multi-unit executives ensuring fast speed of service and the freshest product available.

The Food Safety Solution ensures that all food is cooked and held according to safety specifications. This module is an automatic record keeping system for substantiating food safety compliance. It silently monitors critical cook and hold times and temperatures, ensures that correct process set points are used, and generates alerts when there is a potential HACCP violation. In addition, defective equipment can be locked out to prevent use. Standard reports are included in the module to illustrate, document and store real time critical control data as required by health inspectors.

The Asset Management Solution enables managers to monitor the operations of all networked equipment to prevent equipment degradation and disruptions to normal service operations. Asset Management includes Tracking of Equipment Assets and Service/Maintenance. Specific equipment can be identified by location for accounting purposes and warranty administration. In addition, equipment changes can be made directly to accommodate new menu items, react to product improvements, and insure adherence to operational standards. Performance degradation can be detected based on a known performance standard, and preventative maintenance can be automatically alerted/scheduled before equipment failure. Equipment performance and repair history is tracked and maintenance diagnostics are displayed in a dashboard format.

Each MySCK module improves the labor efficiency in the restaurant by automating many labor-intensive tasks or decreasing the time to perform these tasks, thereby increasing crew output. For example, the product projection features of the Quality and Production solution anticipate preparation at optimal times (i.e. when and how much to cook) and monitors work loads in the kitchen. Asset Management reduces indirect labor and crew frustration by scheduling preventative equipment maintenance and monitoring and controlling usage so equipment is operating at peak efficiency at all times.

About FAST and SCK
SCK is a division of privately-held FAST, the leading manufacturer of appliance controls and on-line kitchen networking products specially developed for use in the foodservice industry. FAST products, based on DigitalDNA™ technology from Motorola, can be found in major restaurants worldwide, including KFC, Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, Church's Chicken, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and others.

Based in Stratford, Conn., FAST is committed to open networking standards in the foodservice industry. Through partnerships with Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector and Multiservice Networks Division (MND), FAST delivers interoperable, end-to-end networking solutions that provide foodservice operators with an easy migration path to a smarter kitchen. For more info. on SCK visit www.fastsck.com. For more info. on FAST, visit www.fastinc.com.

Notices: (FAST.) is a registered trademark of Food Automation - Service Techniques, Inc. SCK, Smart Commercial Kitchen, and SCK Direct are trademarks or registered trademarks of Technology Licensing Corporation. DigitalDNA is a trademark of Motorola, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. (c) Copyright 2001 FAST, Inc.

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