Catering software specialist Fretwell-Downing Hospitality (FDH) is exhibiting for the first time at this year’s Northern Restaurant and Bar Show in Manchester .

 

The company will be showcasing its recipe management software, Saffron on stand 539.

 

Interest in the web-based software has leapt in recent months as restaurants and pubs look for greater support to not only help control costs and aid menu planning but also help prepare for future challenges including calorie counting on menus and allergen reporting.

 

Saffron’s modules are designed to be flexible enough to enable customers to select which aspects of recipe management are right for their business, with the option of bolting-on more functionality further down the line.

 

As well as providing a full breakdown of menu costs, Saffron has been developed further to analyse recipe ingredients against the food industry’s McCance and Widdowson database of nutritional values. The results can then be presented as a series of traffic lights denoting whether calories or food groups such as saturated fat or salt, are present in high, medium or low levels.

 

Another Saffron module flags up 15 potential food allergens, enabling caterers to inform customers when they’re ordering or mark the relevant dishes on their menus.

 

As Nigel Adams, FDH’s sales executive comments: “There is definitely a greater drive within the restaurant trade to improve business efficiency. This, together with the moves within the industry to encourage greater sharing of information to customers on allergens and calorie levels, has prompted companies to look increasingly at Saffron’s capabilities and flexibility.

 

“We are delighted to be exhibiting at the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show as a premier event for the region’s hospitality sector.”

CATERING SOFTWARE FIRM ACQUIRES XPRESS ORDERING  

 

 

Catering software developer, Fretwell-Downing Hospitality (FDH) has acquired touchscreen self service solutions provider Xpress Ordering, for an undisclosed sum.

 

The deal will see FDH move beyond supplying its Saffron-branded catering management and nutritional analysis systems, and into other integrated technology. This includes Xpress Ordering’s queue-busting solutions, enabling customers to order and pay for food either via a web screen while sitting in front of their PC or laptop; or a touchscreen terminal, without having to queue at a till.

 

FDH’s managing director Nick Prime explains: “The deal made complete sense. Xpress Ordering’s technology is already proven and there is significant synergy between the two companies – our target markets are very similar and the respective products can be readily integrated to help caterers achieve greater operational efficiencies.

 

“We see great potential for Xpress Ordering’s stable of products across the whole of the hospitality industry as it looks for solutions that can save time and cost, while enhancing the customer experience.  We are also looking at new developments, including the potential of making nutritional analysis data available as orders are placed, or adapting the technology for use as an iphone app.”

 

The intention is to bring Xpress Ordering products within the Saffron brand in the future.

 

During 26 years of trading, FDH has built up a broad customer base within the contract catering, university, local authority, ministry of defence and restaurant sectors, providing systems under the Saffron Spice, Zest and Nutrition brands.

 

In 2008, the company became one of the first hospitality IT specialists to achieve the ISO 14001 environmental management standard.

 

FDH was advised by Hardy Transaction Management Ltd, a Sheffield based corporate finance firm. Legal advice was provided by Ironmonger Curtis LLP.