MOPS program delayed by technical difficulties

Technical problems with new hardware have kept new Merchants on Points (MOPS) vendors from serving the Tufts community.

Prior to the semester break, Dining Services announced that Boston Avenue restaurants Pasta Pisa/Cafe de Crepe and Andrea's House of Pizza would be added to MOPS at the start of the Spring semester. Flaws with new equipment, however, have kept the restaurants from processing orders.

The technical issues also posed a problem for business owners, who hired extra help to deliver and cook the increased number of orders. "I have on the list a lot of drivers and people inside. I have three more people for inside, but I can't hire anyone," Andrea's owner Bob Iliopoulos said.

Dining Services is currently testing the equipment at Pasta Pisa/Cafe de Crepe. "Once [employee] training is complete, we'll start accepting points," said Dining Services Patti Lee Klos, who is unsure when training will be completed.

Students had expected that the businesses would be added after the semester break. Iliopoulos said that he did not know when Andrea's would move to the MOPS system. "This weekend, especially, we got a lot of calls from students," Iliopoulos said.

Dining Services director Patti Lee Klos said that the new equipment processes orders through a traditional credit card reading machine made by VeriFone. The new equipment is will allow students to more easily dispute or change orders. Previously, merchants were unable to change or cancel orders on points, requiring students to deal with Dining Services for refunds.

"The original MOPS hardware has become obsolete," Klos said.

Existing MOPS merchants Espresso's and Wing Works are upgrading their systems, but Panda Palace is not.

The original system cost each merchant $1,800 and took up as much desk space as an older personal computer. The cost of the new equipment varies as some merchants can get the VeriFone system through their respective banks for free, Klos said.

Iliopoulos estimates Andrea's system to cost about $700.

Klos said that "volume issues" are of the greatest concern to restaurants participating in MOPS, and are the reason why Rose's Chinese Restaurant abandoned the program in the spring of 2002 after being inundated with orders.

If Andrea's proves popular this semester, Iliopoulos may consider adding more ovens and deep fryers over the summer. For now, he's hoping for a "soft" opening.

Andrea's eagerly sought to join MOPS even before the program was expanded at the end of the fall semester, going so far as to petition students who ordered at the restaurant or accepted deliveries.

Pasta Pisa/Cafe de Crepe was selected through a Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate-led survey of businesses students would most like to see added to MOPS. Previously, Pasta Pisa/Cafe de Crepe had only attempted to join MOPS once, after they opened seven years ago.