garfunkel's installs gatwick super sprint

DATA Systems Terminals (DSL) is installing its Super Sprint point of sale (PoS) system, based on Comtrex hardware, in a new Garfunkel's restaurant at the Gatwick South passenger terminal, Gatwick airport.

DSL, sole UK distributor for the US-made Comtrex, previously installed the Super Sprint system in the company's Blackpool restaurant, and are now lined up to undertake the next Garfunkel's installation at Gatwick South.

Garfunkel's now has seven airport restaurants - five at Heathrow and two at Gatwick, including one at the Gatwick North terminal, which opens this month.

The restaurants make several demands on electronic PoS equipment which the high street Garfunkel's do not need. The British Airports Authority has developed a Fast Track service to minimise queues for first and business class customers, and Garfunkel's wants to be able to match it.

Because of the difficulty in loading exchange rates on to its previous systems, Garfunkel's has until now only accepted sterling or US dollars.

Sally Jones, the company's airports manager based at Heathrow, will be able to down-load exchange rates from her office PC to the tills in all the restaurants, via modem.

The airport restaurants open from 4am to midnight and may eventually become 24-hour operations.

Comtrex Super Sprint can support up to 23 terminals and 15 remote printers on a single network.

One of the strengths of the Super Sprint, says DSL, is that it posts data on all transactions to each terminal on the network as the bill is "put away". So if a fault develops on one of the terminals, even a master terminal, the restaurant can still operate without loss of data on the remaining tills.

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