Point of Sale

In a scheme that seems to continue repeating itself, yet another store has reported malware in their systems. Kmart announced Friday that their systems had been compromised since early September. An investigation is ongoing, but there is currently no information on how many customers were affected. However, Sears Holding Corp mentioned that kmart.com and Sears shoppers were not affected by...

We enjoy reading the Q&A posts in the Franchise Players section on the website Entrepreneur.com, and wish to share, in particular, the one recently with seasoned franchisee Binoy Kothari. In his Q&A with Entrepreneur.com, Kothari shares how he sought opportunities in the restaurant industry and became a franchisee, beginning with Subway in 2002. In 2010, he purchased three struggling Baskin-Robbins...

Particularly for the retail industry, the staggering amount of payment card theft at the point of sale is a hallmark of 2014. As such, in terms of consumer confidence and loyalty, validated cybersecurity is becoming a market differentiator. In a post by Tara McGraw Swaminatha and Aravind Swaminathan, both with the DLA Piper law firm, found on the business advisor...

As the frozen yogurt world continues to expand, new shops are finding ways to make their frozen yogurt business unique and extraordinary, standing out from the rest. In an article we wrote about Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt, the company’s Vice President Johny Wudel said the most important action to take if you are opening a frozen yogurt shop is to expand...

As news about point of sale data breaches continues unabated, it is perhaps worthwhile to consider the issue from the criminal's point of view. One such example is a slideshow prepared by Russ Spitler, vice president of product management at the security management firm AlienVault, and part of a post on the website ITBusinessEdge.com, "From a Hacker's Perspective: How to Breach...

Los Angeles, Ca - October 7, 2014 -Sintel Systems is set to release a new point of sale (POS) systems inline with its introduction of the first generation Model 5i line of stylish POS systems. The design has been in the works since the Model 5i overwhelming success last year. To date, company officials had refused to release details of...

  Daylight Donuts was founded in 1954 by Tommy and Lucille Day. The couple aimed to create a donut with a different taste, something with a distinctly light texture. Starting out in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the company now has expanded to over 1000 retail outlets in 28 states and 4 countries. In 1977, the Days retired and sold their business to...

Texas Roadhouse, the steakhouse franchise, has been rounding up sales as it grows out its footprint, according to the Motley Fool in a recent Top Franchises post on Nasdaq.com. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and service industries' point of sale marketplace, we share these service sector growth trends with our customers and franchise hopefuls...

News has arrived of another point of sale (POS) security infiltration; one similar to those which compromised Target, Neiman Marcus, UPS, Michaels Stores, Walmart and SuperValu. We found details of the malware attack in a recent post on the personal finance website PFHub.com, "Malware Installed on Jimmy John’s POS System: Data Breach," which states that Jimmy John's fell victim to...

Technical support is one of the most important aspects of an operation dependent on a POS system and 90% of the support provided never receives recognition because is either done behind the scene or during off hours. However, its effects are felt every day. The technical support provided by Sintel Systems always pays for itself without most of our clients...

More information is coming available regarding Apple's new mobile payments system. According to a recent post on the website pymnts.com, the Apple payment system will use tokenization as well as contactless payment based on the new point of sale terminals used in the company's own stores. As the only full-service point of sale provider — from software development to franchise...

Shoppers at Albertsons and Supervalu may be at victims of yet another hacking. The supermarket chains reported that malicious software was installed on the company's credit card and debit cards processing networks at their stores. The information taken from Albertsons’ customers spans over a dozen states, and includes cardholder names, account numbers, and credit card expiration. Supervalu stated that although...

South Carolina-based C&K Systems has released further details of its 18-month-long system breach, which went on to affect customers at Goodwill and two additional unnamed retailers. The news corroborated earlier reports from Goodwill that its point of sale (POS) systems had been infected by malware from February 1, 2013 to Aug. 14, 2014. In a recent post on ThreatPost.com, Chris...

Franchising is booming. FRANdata says demand for franchise units is expected to increase more than 12 percent in 2014, the highest rate of increase in five years. Furthermore, the lending shortfall for franchises (that is, the difference between projected loan demand and loan supply) is expected to be one-half that of last year's figure. And yet, how frequently do you...

As foodie-ism invades American culture, news has arrived of a new trend — that fast-casual diners are looking for restaurants that excel at one thing, rather than offering dozens of mediocre dishes. In a recent post, "Huge, Terrible Menus are hurting McDonalds and Olive Garden," Huffingtonpost.com writes, "The days of a restaurant menu that reads more like a chapter book...

While franchising is booming in popularity — in part because many people see it as an easier route to entrepreneurship in an uncertain economic landscape — the Wall Street Journal is reporting the names of the 10 brands whose franchisees were the worst in terms of loan defaults among Small Business Administration (SBA) borrowers. The newspaper recently posted their analysis...

Since its launch in 2001, Point of Sale systems have been utilizing Microsoft’s Windows XP programs. Unfortunately, as of this year, Microsoft’s support of XP has come to an end. While the majority of Windows users have upgraded to Windows 7, a large number of business owners are still working with XP on their systems, and this new change brings...

The payment card giant MasterCard is throwing its full weight behind near-field communications (NFC) payment systems, also known as contactless payment technology. NFC technology allows for contactless payments to be made using radio waves to transmit data between devices that support the technology, provided they are in close proximity at the point of sale. A recent post on Out-Law.com is...

It’s a pivotal moment for your booming business: the possibility of becoming a successful franchisor. Before going any further, it's time to get up to speed with the complexities of franchise legislation. We spotted a thorough roundup on the topic of state and federal franchise laws in a recent blog post at TweakYourBiz.com that is well-suited to the necessary first...

This article was previously published in June of 2011 and is being republished again for our new readers. Location, Location, Location seems to be part of business 101. This premise is based on the notion that the locaiton of a business (specially one's catering directly to the consumer) is one of the most important factors contributing to success. Most landlords...

As a company who focuses on staying green and environment friendly, Sintel Systems continues to support any and all initiatives that are good for the planet. Rockefeller heirs recently announced their plans to withdraw approximately $50 billion from fossil fuels. The family, whose well-known wealth stemmed from Standard Oil, is now joining the divestment movement that began on college campuses...

  Technology is taking over the world. Nooks and Kindles are replacing printed books. Online newspapers have replaced printed pages at our door every morning. Digital photobooks have replaced film prints and photo albums. The list goes on and on. And now? Apple seems to be working to replace our wallets as well using Apple Pay. In their recent iPhone...

Time is money, so it makes sense that franchisors who value time by creating more of it are more likely to award more new franchises. That's the viewpoint shared by Joel Libava, a/k/a The Franchise King. "It has long been thought that organization is the key to success," writes Libava in a recent post on his website. "Business moves faster...

Coming soon....

If you are thinking of opening, buying, continuing, selling or possibly closing down a frozen yogurt store, California may be the fortune teller you have been looking for to guide you. The extensive amount of experience and  data collected by frozen yogurt's leading point of sale provider and market conditions have solidly exhibited the frozen yogurt market cycle trends. One...

Nothing succeeds like success, so it's natural that persons interested in franchise opportunities strongly consider those companies at the top of their game. In a recent blog post, "The 12 Best Fast-Food Franchises To Own," Forbes.com lists the top twelve performers with the most sales per individual restaurant. Given the strong presence Sintel Systems has in the retail, restaurant and...

It is more than obvious to say that frozen yogurt is growing exponentially, now more than ever. With so many froyo shops opening all over cities across America, it’s easy to wonder where exactly this industry is headed, and where it will be in the next ten years. Well, according to Bryan Merryman, Chief Operating Officer at Rocky Mountain Chocolate...

Baked and Wired coffee shop and bakery has been serving their unique and absolutely delicious goods to the greater D.C. area for the past seven years. Located in Georgetown, they serve a variety of treats from cupcakes, biscotti, pies, cakecups, and biscuits (just to name a few), and we can’t forget about their one-of-a-kind granola. Aside from their desserts, Baked...

We hear about self-serve frozen yogurt more and more each day, with new locations opening daily all over our cities and towns. Now, a new self-serve concept may become more common than anticipated: self-serve coffee. This may seem obvious to some, isn’t coffee generally self-serve at places like gas stations? Although this is true, it is not common to have...

After much anticipation, District Doughnut served their first customers today in Washington, D.C. Although the store had many soft-openings during the month of August to give customers a taste of their unique doughnuts, today was the store’s official opening, and it plans to stay open from today onward. Is it time to tell gourmet cupcakes to move over? Has a...

For the restaurant industry, August 2014 was the best sales month in more than two-and-a-half years — more evidence that the economic sector is recovering. In a recent online post, "Restaurant sales rose, traffic slid in August," Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) writes, "August was the best month for the restaurant industry in terms of sales growth since February 2012, and...

Just as Californians remain committed to their In-n-Out burgers, those in the East Coast feel the same about Shake Shack. The New York City based chain restaurant started out as a food cart in Madison Square Park in July of 2004. Since then, it has expanded to over 40 different stores. The interesting part? There are no Shake Shacks to...

After arriving to the airport, the first stop on the way to my terminal is definitely the line at Starbucks. And at 6:30am, you can bet that line was long. It’s a little funny. I mean at this point, are we really doing it for the caffeine? It’s quite debatable how greatly a Pumpkin Spice Latte is going to benefit my...

The nation's business press is taking note of Amazon's efforts to create tools and services for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. "The recent launch of Amazon’s in-store credit card reader and checkout software was one of Jeff Bezos’s most deliberate acts to date to grab a slice of the 85 percent to 90 percent of total purchases that still happen in the physical world," writes Re/code columnist Jason...

The recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling, that McDonald's is considered to be a co-employer along with the owner of a franchise, continues to send shockwaves in the fast-food sector of the economy. As one example, California is expected to pass S.B. 610, called the California Franchise Relations Act, which will bolster the rights of franchise owners and give...

The latest news suggests that Home Depot has been hacked in the same manner as Target, Neiman Marcus, Michaels, UPS Store and others. In a recent post on ComputerWorld.com, Jeremy Kirk of IDG News Service says that hackers may have the upper hand for years as the retail industry slowly upgrades its systems. As the only full-service point of sale...

Washington D.C., not only our nation's capital and home to historical monuments and museums, but also home to amazing food, desserts, and even bars. Sintel Systems will be traveling to Washington D.C. this week to visit customers and get a pulse on how the nation's capital is doing on business. We are excited to share our journey with you so...

A Home Depot hack that may be even greater than Target’s scandal last year has been confirmed. For the past 5 months, hackers have remained in Home Depot’s Point of Sale systems unnoticed, while stealing debit and credit card information from shoppers across the United States and Canada. Home Depot is currently investigating, and no information has been released on...

Eat. Mor. Chikin. That’s what Chik-Fil-A has been telling Americans...and eat more chicken they did. Chik-Fil-A has now surpassed KFC in total U.S. sales, grossing $5 billion last year. This number, close to $800 million over KFC’s $4.22 billion, places them at the top of the U.S. fast-food chicken service. Ironically, Chik-Fil-A was able t o accomplish this goal with...

Are we still talking about ice cream vs frozen yogurt? Why yes, yes we are. If you’re wondering why, it’s probably because regardless of the frozen yogurt craze that has been progressing furiously for the past few years, ice cream shops are also still thriving and moving forward. Yogurtland was founded in February of 2006, with its first location in...

San Francisco’s next café is a little bit more eccentric than you would expect…especially because it involves cats. Yes, you read the correctly. A cat café. Now before you pack your feline friend and head over to KitTea, think again. It isn’t a café to bring your own cats to have tea with you. Instead, it is a place where...

Doug Sohn, owner of Chicago’s famous Hot Doug, recently announced that the restaurant will be permanently closing on October 3rd. A short message about a “permanent vacation” was posted on his website, letting his fans know of the closing. According to DNAinfo Chicago, Sohn stated, “There really is no overwhelming reason other than it’s time to go do something else...

Putting eateries such as Subway or Tacobell with gas stations has been a successful combo for years, but combining a self-serve frozen yogurt shop with gas stations is fast becoming a profitable proposition for gas station owners across the country.  Commuters traveling on Interstate 5, 60 miles east of Fresno, are greeted by Yogurt Swirl at a Shell gas station...

Instantaneous ice cream. What a concept! Well, liquid nitrogen is now making it possible. Multiple ice cream stores across the nation have now opened based on ice cream made instantaneously, right in front of the customer as they order. Liquid nitrogen is a chemical element with a boiling point of 195.8 below 0 degrees Celcius. What does that mean? Simply...

Nanci’s Frozen Yogurt is a global supplier of premium soft-serve mixes including frozen yogurt, fruit freezer sorbet, no-sugar added mix, smoothie mix, and non-dairy soft serve. John and Nanci originally began Wudel Inc. in 1979 in their then home-state of Utah. John received a dairy patent for his fructose-sweetened ice cream, the first ever in the United States. However, as...

The season finale of Restaurant Startup focuses on two teams who “see big bucks in their single concept ideas.” Bon Chovie is a business based out of Brooklyn, New York. Their concept is simple: fried anchovies! The Whole Beast comes next, a husband and wife team who specialize in whole animal cooking, just as the name suggests. After some discussion...

Sintel Systems announced the introduction of its next generation tablet point of sale (POS) (aka iPad POS) system intended for a variety of operations including restaurants, frozen yogurt shops, and other industries. The new hardware is accompanied by a software with more features to help businesses operate more efficiently by increasing productivity. * Easy Setup & Training * Full Menu...

As of yesterday, Burger King Worldwide Inc. and Tim Hortons Inc have confirmed discussions pertaining to a possible merger. This deal, if it were to go through, would cause BK to move its headquarters out of the United States and into Canada. However, they would not be changing the names; both will remain as standalone brands. According to CNN Money...

Avery Dennison Corporation is the latest to join ranks of international companies like Sintel Systems to call Glendale, California home. The company recently moved their headquarters from Pasadena to Glendale in an effort to consolidate. Avery Dennison is a global distributor and manufacturer of adhesive materials, branding labels, and some medical products. They are a Fortune 500 company with sales...

The volatile issues of payments and payment security have consumers, financial institutions, retailers and security professionals all wondering how to make shopping more secure. Security professionals are admitting that today, when you make a purchase, the way you make that purchase — in person, over the phone, online — can determine just how secure your transaction will be. "One in...

In this episode of Restaurant Startup, Joe and Tim were looking into two startups with a different take in the dessert industry. First, Kones by K introduced their business as America’s favorite ice cream cone, not only sweet, but savory as well. Some savory options included bacon and eggs, salmon, and chicken. The cones themselves were also infused with herbs...

Week two of Restaurant Startup finds two burger food trucks, each with their own distinct style and flavors. Bacon Bacon is just as the name says: bacon with everything! Not just limited to beef burgers, they also sell grilled cheese, fried chicken sandwiches, and even bacon dipped in chocolate. Baby’s Badass Burgers says their selling point is selling not only...

This past week, Frost Bites premiered their frozen yogurt with a grand opening in Fluvanna County. Owned by The Williams Family, locals in the area, this new self-serve frozen yogurt and ice cream shop hopes to enhance their customers’ experiences each and every time they visit. Sintel Systems was once again happy to see a business come to life as imagined...

Feeling comfortable?! Good! Because this week’s Restaurant Startup focused on comfort foods. Mac-o-licious uses the finest cheese and some “down home Southern roots” to make great mac’n’cheese. Bespoke Doughnuts makes hot, made-to-order donuts, and they describe their product as a “work of art." Despite their hesitance with the inexperienced business owners, Joe and Tim give the opportunity to Bespoke Doughnuts. Owners...

If you're thinking about opening a restaurant, it is crucial to understand what your customers are looking for, and you must be adaptable to that. Owners of Cubby Bear Pizza in Elkhart, Indiana showed their ability to adapt to their customers needs by adding Cubby Cone, a frozen yogurt bar, right next door to their existing pizza restaurant. Although frozen...

This week’s episode of Restaurant Startup focused on sweet treats. Sugar Knife is a small startup that infuses alcohol in each and every product. Their popups have focused on the popular smores bar. The sticky pig is also a dessert business that identifies itself as a“bacon-centric sweet shop,” with interesting choices like bacon truffles. Ultimately, Tim and Joe choose the...