Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar
There is good news coming from Derry - Londonderry
As Derry ~ Londonderry prepares itself to become the U.K. City of Culture in 2013, you can see construction work progressing everywhere. One of the first projects to emerge from the scaffolding is the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar. Located opposite the beautiful promenade along the quayside, it’s facing the “Peace Bridge”, a brand new defining landmark for the city.
While the historical frontage of the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar remains untouched, the owners and architect managed a perfect reunion of historic elements with stylish, warm, luxurious surroundings incorporating high-tech functional equipment inside. The most obvious changes apply to the newly discovered entrance to the building. The last time this entrance was utilized was during the 18th Century; however on this occasion this entrance leads us into a stylish and contemporary reception bar.
Whilst waiting to be seated you may enjoy a classy drink prepared by the well experienced bar tenders. Three Vectron POS SteelTouch systems within this area ensure you receive efficient direct service even during those busy times. Cocktails are a speciality and all of the bar tenders are able to produce perfect results every time with the help of the “Competence Text” function of Vectron POS. This function shows the bar tender exactly the right ingredients and measurements in order to prepare the cocktail.
Within this communicative ambiance we’ve got to know Galyna, a young Russian lady who met her Derry ~ Londonderry husband in New York. Together with Stephanie, a local news media agent they believe the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar to be a perfect location not just for an absolutely outstanding lunch, but for a relaxed evening dinner or an inspiring party.
Shukpal Kular, better known as “Soupy”, the co-owner of the business along with his business partner and Head Chef, Christopher Moran “Tofty”, explains how the Custom House can give different experiences to its guests. “Beside the Bar you can find the dignified library on the ground floor level. Following the impressive wooden staircase that still contains the old safe from the Customs Duty days we can offer two dining rooms on the first floor either in a lounge- or a fine dining style. We can easily rearrange any of these rooms to accommodate a conference room. Entering the second floor, another conference or private lunch room and the grand ball room can be found. A high-tech lightning concept compliments the carefully refurbished surroundings. For example we can turn the mood of the ball room from a bright white wedding location into an impressive disco location on the fly.”
Soupy points out: “Before opening the restaurant we embarked upon special training covering all aspects of customer service, knowledge about the wine menu and the food menu. ACCS provided extensive one to one training about the functionality and operation of the Vectron POS systems. Therefore we had a perfect start without any problems and could concentrate on our guests“. Experienced in a couple of former gastronomic activities, Soupy was convinced that “only the elaborate non PC-based Vectron POS system like the Vectron POS SteelTouch and MobilePro would guarantee the stability and robustness we needed to meet our goal.”
Another reason why the Custom House owners chose the Vectron POS System was the level of service offered by ACCS. ACCS provide the latest remote support software tools to support their customers, any new POS feature, screen layout, product assignment, report analysis or correction can be realized by ACCS’s support department without the need to travel to the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar. This represents a far more efficient and effective support service for all concerned. Soupy and Tofty are very astute business people and appreciate that operating the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar has two major aspects to it. One being the Vectron POS system and the other being control of stock and costs. As Roger McDermott from ACCS explains, “I listened to the major concerns of both Soupy and Tofty and after an extensive demonstration, decided to show the guys another ACCS Vectron installation utilizing all of ACCS’s software systems (The Icon Restaurant & Wine Bar). The ACCS Stockwatch Pro, Stock Control and Business Management system is a window-based software platform which transparently links to the Vectron Commander software. The system provides management information such as Product Variance Reports, Gross Profit Reports, Par Stock Reports, Sales Analysis of all products and PLUs and many more bespoke reports. Also incorporated into the solution is the ACCS Promacon Beer Flow System. As this system is also linked to the Stockwatch Pro software it allows Tofty and Soupy to monitor every pint of beer that is poured from the taps and then reconciles this dispensed information with the beer PLUs sales from Vectron POS terminals. Having addressed their concerns both Soupy and Tofty were assured that the solutions which ACCS could provide for their business were the right solutions for their business.”
As the interior design of the Custom House is luxuriously decorated, it was very important that the Vectron Steeltouch design continue this theme. The design of the Vectron POS SteelTouch with its classy, brushed stainless steel housing and its smooth, clear lines made it a perfect choice to meet the generous style of the interior of the Custom House.
While we understand that the success of the Custom House is well planned, an enticing smell comes from the kitchen located on first floor. Tofty has fired up the kitchen. His professional journey began in 1996 working for celebrity chef Nick Nairns at Breval and Nairns in Glasgow. In 2000 he moved to London to Mirabelle Restaurant and worked under the much celebrated Marco Pierre White, the youngest chef and the first Englishman awarded 3 Michelin stars. In 2002 Tofty returned home and worked for the late Robbie Millar until 2006. His most recent years were spent working in Shu Restaurant, Belfast with close friend and well known local chef Brian McCann. The use of the freshest and best ingredients ensures that their guests will experience excellent cuisine. The menu offers about 20 choices, this ranges from chicken and duck, to well hung steaks and lamb. They also serve exquisite and healthy fish meals. The starters are spicy or creamy, the desserts will make any weight watching person skip off his (or) her plans for at least one day. “A work of a real genius“, as his fans quote on the internet.
Walking out of the second floor dining room, music comes from the ballroom, where we meet again Galyna and Stephanie, enjoying refreshing cocktails at the bar. The dance floor is already laid and covering half of the otherwise carpeted room, the party is ready to go. “For the town hall is just a walk over the street”, Soupy explains, “This is a great place to have a perfect wedding party.” And in moments it can be transformed into a disco dance floor.
Whatever happens in the future, the Vectron POS system will meet all their needs. So now the Custom House Restaurant and Wine Bar, as one of many ACCS Vectron POS installations in Derry ~ Londonderry, is well prepared for all the activities that will take place while being UK City of Culture in 2013.
Vectron POS MobilePro
Run less. Earn more.Vectron POS MobilePro is a purpose-made, hand-held EPOS terminal specifically designed for the rough and tumble of today’s hospitality environments. The light-weight but strong magnesium housing and spill-proof design ensure long life and trouble-free use. Its superior functions make it easy to operate and relieve daily tasks. Rapid data processing speeds up the ordering and cashing in processes.
Vectron POS SteelTouch
Large. Strong. Precious.The Vectron POS SteelTouch is equipped with a 15 inch touchscreen, which allows the POS system to be operated in an ultra-convenient, rapid manner. The precious metal housing with its crumb-, dust- and waterproof display frame made of brushed stainless steel combines appealing design and enormous stability. When combined with high-performance technology and flexible POS software, the Vectron POS SteelTouch is an all-rounder, satisfying even the most exacting of requirements.
Download this success story as PDF-document