Aside from the price, they are identical in all ways except one. Each of the Distributor versions has the additional benefit of being able to directly import the Distributor’s “Order Guide” (a list of all the products you purchase) from a file that you can obtain from that Distributor. Depending on the Distributor, the file may be available online, from the sales representative or from the Distributor’s IT department. Instructions for obtaining each order guide are included in the EZchef HELP link.
FAQS
Your Distributor’s Order Guide, with all current inventory items and prices, can be easily imported into the EZchef program once obtained from the distributor. Instructions for obtaining and importing these files into EZchef are included in the EZchef online documentation. You can repeat the import procedure on a regular basis to add new products, and to update all your inventory prices. Once the order guide is imported, all your Inventory, Menu Item and Sub-Recipes costs will be automatically updated.
No problem. The additional cost to include each Distributor is $70. Contact us at info@rrgconsulting.com, and we can process the upgrade over the phone, or you can upgrade at a later date without losing any of your inventory or menu costing data. Activation instructions will be given to you over the phone.
Yes, both the Standard and Distributor versions are designed so that you can easily import inventory items from all your other vendors as well. It’s not a direct import process like the supported Distributors, and you once the data is imported you will need to periodically update the prices manually from within EZchef. But, it’s a huge time saver from entering your inventory manually. EZchef performs this import by first exporting a “Transfer Template” that you can then use to copy/paste data from existing Excel spreadsheets or from spreadsheets obtained from your other vendors/distributors. Once the data is “pasted” into the EZchef template, simply import directly into the EZchef program. Step by step documentation is provided, and the process is simple and takes only a few minutes.
No, EZchef does not keep track of your purchases. It is designed to maintain a listing of your food and beverage items so that you can take period ending inventories, print up to date vendor order guides, and most importantly so that you can accurately cost your menu items and sub recipes. Keep your food and beverage item costs up to date by importing a current vendor order guide, using the EZchef Template or updating the prices manually.
Each restaurant requires its own EZchef license. Additional licenses are discounted based on the number of restaurants. Contact us directly for discount details and to purchase additional licenses.
Yes you can, but the program is not compatible with the Mac Operating System because it includes “macros” (programming features) written in the Windows version of Microsoft Excel. It can however be run on the “virtual” hard drive of a Mac computer with appropriate software installed (e.g. Parallels, Windows (all versions) and the Windows version of Excel (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or Office 365).
Technical support by phone or email is free! Please make sure to read the EZchef Getting Started Guide before contacting us. It usually provides the answers to your questions.
So long as you have a reasonably powered PC, preferably with 4GB or more of RAM, all you need is Windows and a copy of the Windows version of Microsoft Excel (2007, 2010, 2013 or 2016). You also need an active Virus Protection program running on your PC as the program’s “macros” require this protection.
No.
Yes, while most updates do not add features or impact functionality, from time to time we do add new features to the program or fix existing “bugs”, and you can always email us to find out if a newer version exists, and if it would be worth upgrading. If so, we can import all your inventory, menu items and settings to the new file. The upgrade cost varies depending on which version of the software you are using. Upgrades during the first year are always free.
The answer is a definitive NO! EZchef, while written and running on a MS Excel “platform”, is really a fully functional software application that cannot be modified without jeopardizing its integrity or functionality.
Yes, but only one user can access the file at a time.
This is almost always solved by downloading the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2). In the event that this does not solve the problem then email us and we’ll contact you to resolve the problem.
Yes, unless you are running on a server. Click here for easy instructions.
Treat the file as you would any other Excel file, and save to a USB drive (typically one of those “thumb” drives that you use to back up and move files). You will need the current password to reactivate the file after it’s moved. Call us if you have misplaced it. The file can usually be sent as an email attachment although some ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) limit the size of files transmitted over the internet. Make sure to SAVE the file before opening from an email. Otherwise the file may become corrupted, or open in “Read Only” mode which will not permit you to save any work that you do in the program.