New Technology for an Historic Restaurant - Gluek's
As the oldest restaurant and bar in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, Gluek’s balances historical charm with an openness to change in new processes and technology. Since opening their doors the day Prohibition ended in 1934, this restaurant has witnessed many passing fads, economic boom times and the occasional recession. After all that, the doors are still open, and happily satisfied customers return again and again.
“Our market has become much more competitive," says owner/operator Linda Holcomb. “We have to be better at what we do. As an owner, I don’t like surprises. Our success over five generations is about anticipating and avoiding mistakes, delivering what our customers are expecting, and keeping the number of un-planned expenses down. With DegreeGuardTM, we are pro-actively aware of our operations.”
Restaurants across the country are finding themselves caught in the middle of rising food prices, increased food safety awareness and regulation, and ever-higher energy costs. NorthWrite’s DegreeGuard monitoring service brings needed relief in all these areas.
Equipment Failure: “Recently, after the kitchen had closed for the night,” said Linda, “my management team received a text message that the protein cooler was too hot. The on-duty manager checked and realized the compressor had failed. Right there, the system paid for itself. We saved thousands in inventory that night. But it is not only the cost of replacing the inventory. If we had lost that cooler, our menu for the next day would have been a mess!”
Compliance with Health Regulations: “Another huge benefit of the DegreeGuard system is that it automatically logs the temperatures of the coolers and freezers every 15-minutes. I don’t worry about the health inspector showing up at my restaurant and having the logs out of date. That was always a big concern as we have over 50 employees and it is often a challenge to make sure this task is done consistently,” notes Holcomb.
Customer Comfort: Gluek’s has also taken advantage of NorthWrite’s new feature enabling them to monitor temperatures in the dining areas. “Our staff works hard and has been known to adjust the temperature in the dining areas so that they didn’t get too hot. The problem, of course, was customers would get uncomfortable as a result. Now I can track the thermostat in the dining areas when I’m not even there.” Linda explained. “We’re also seeing consistency in our energy bills which helps my budgeting.”
NorthWrite’s DegreeGuardTM provides a low-cost wireless monitoring solution for tracking and logging cooler, freezer, and dining area temperatures. Installation does not require a contractor or technical expert. You will be up and running in less than 10 minutes. NorthWrite’s experienced, friendly customer support staff are available to answer your questions. | 
