Channelside Store Has No Beef With Abacus

Tony Polselli is a pretty happy guy. An operating partner of one of the newest in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s chain of restaurants, he’s made a lot of very good decisions in the opening of the store. Along with owners Kevin Burnes and Andrew Hupp, he’s convinced that one of the best was the choice of the Aloha Point of Sale system and Abacus as his service provider.

The Channelside “Beef” (the chain received its nickname long ago from its regular customers), is one of the largest and busiest, directly across the street from the Ice Palace, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. Tony knew that he’d need a POS system that was fast and reliable. And most of all, easy to use.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business for a long time,” says Tony, “and I’ve seen pretty much all the POS systems out there. The decision was easy. We went with Aloha.”

When asked what he liked about Aloha, Tony doesn’t hesitate. “Aloha is the easiest system to use. All the things that are tricky to do in other systems are a snap in Aloha. That means we can concentrate on more important things, like taking care of our customers. And because the system is so simple to learn, it makes training easy too.”

But that wasn’t the only factor in his decision. “We had a lot at stake, so we wanted a solid business partner. Abacus has the Customer Support capability we needed. They have excellent training facilities and offer complete professional services. We’re confident that when we pick up the phone, we’ll get the help we need. And we’re sure that Abacus will be there next year and the year after that. Just like us.”

Unlike most stores in the chain, the Channelside location is free-standing and not in a typical neighborhood. But like all other Beefs, it is friendly and filled with televisions, sports memorabilia, and great food. From wings to the Watterson (an enormous roast beef sandwich named for one of the restaurant’s earliest patrons), there’s something delicious on the menu for everyone.

For many years, the building housed a printing company, dilapidated and nondescript. But with the revitalization of the Tampa waterfront, the property quickly became a candidate for change. Situated directly across the street from the Ice Palace, it was obvious that any restaurant would succeed. And it has. Whether it’s the downtown lunch bunch or groups drawn by events at the Ice Palace, the Channelside Beef is always crowded with happy people.

“We stay busy,” says Tony. “The last thing we need is a problem with our front of house operation. With Abacus and Aloha, we know that isn’t going to happen.”

Abacus. You can count on us.