LAS VEGAS, NV, Feb. 2, 2005 -- Avero Slingshot, a business intelligence software for food and beverage operators in the hospitality industry, created by Avero Inc., is now being used in 21 food and beverage venues at one of Las Vegas' hottest destinations, the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

Slingshot helps food and beverage operators improve service and efficiency by providing rich detail on virtually all aspects of their business, from menu development to server productivity to even remembering individual guest preferences. More importantly, it provides the information almost instantly, without requiring managers to spend hours manually compiling and analyzing the data.

The installation of Slingshot at the Rio's food and beverage operations is the result of a comprehensive new agreement between Avero and the Rio's parent company, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET), which operates 28 casinos in the United States.

"Harrah's is known for exceptional customer service and technology leadership -- two areas that are served well with our flagship software, Slingshot. We're proud to have Harrah's Entertainment as a customer, and look forward to a longstanding relationship," said Damian Mogavero, CEO of Avero.

"Slingshot helps us give our customers a great dining experience," said Jeffrey Frederick, Vice President of Food and Beverage at the Rio. "It gives us important information about trends and alerts us to potential opportunities for improvement with a click of a mouse."

The Rio is not alone. A growing number of high-profile eateries in Las Vegas and across the country are using Avero's business intelligence software to help them manage their restaurants as a successful business.

Avero's success with Slingshot has been striking. The New York-based company made its first Las Vegas sale in 2002. Today, Slingshot is used in more than 130 food and beverage venues in 11 major Las Vegas hotel-casinos.

And what goes on in Vegas isn't staying in Vegas. After only three years, Slingshot now is used by several hundred restaurants, bars and food service operations nationwide. Customers include a growing list of some of the most widely recognized names in the hospitality industry, including Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining, Midnight Oil Company and China Grill Management. Mogavero says the privately held company has doubled its sales year-over-year for the past three years.

The secret?

"Slingshot gives frontline managers the information they need to make decisions that please customers," according to Mogavero. "And we know that pleasing the customer, and earning their loyalty, drives profitability."

For example, with Slingshot the Rio can easily track which menu items are most popular at all of its restaurants and bars, so they can tailor their menus and food purchases to ensure they can give customers what they like.

Slingshot also has helped the Rio's waiters, bartenders and servers by providing information on how to improve customer service.

Slingshot also has a unique feature that lets the Rio keep track of frequent guests, and the restaurants and menu items they prefer.

"The Rio has a strong loyalty among its guests, and many of them come here several times a year," said John Bruns, Vice President of Service Operations for Harrah's. "With this information from previous visits, we can surprise and delight our customers by asking them if they would like a specific item that they had during their last visit."

Customer satisfaction is taken very seriously at Harrah's. If a property improves its "CSA" (Customer Satisfaction Assurance) scores, all front-line employees are rewarded. In 2004 Harrah's paid more than $20 million in CSA bonuses to employees for improving the customer experience.

"Going forward we believe that Slingshot is another tool to help us make sure our guests have a great time here, and that they're eager to come back again," Frederick said. "I told my team, 'This is a gift.'"

About Avero, Inc.

Avero (www.averoinc.com) is a leading provider of business intelligence software for the hospitality industry. Its flagship software solution, Avero Slingshot, gives restaurant, bar, hotel, resort and casino operators critical intelligence that allows them to increase revenues through higher average checks and decrease costs through tighter control of food, beverage, labor, and promotion costs. Avero Slingshot consolidates data from existing multiple point-of-sale (POS) systems into an easy-to-use, intuitive tool that analyzes trends and distributes decision-critical information. Headquartered in New York City, Avero was founded in 1999. To learn more, please visit us at www.averoinc.com.

Avero, Inc.
Diane Carlson, 212-391-6210
dcarlson@averoinc.com