Hospitality and food service is a notoriously time-poor industry. On one side, venue managers and owners need to manage staff, balance books, and please their customers.
On the flipside are the suppliers, who need to rapidly turnaround and deliver orders – and often need to do admin and management outside business hours.
The demand of the industry can sometimes lead to stress and burn out, with technology working to provide solutions to managing the work-life balance.
One such technology solution is Ordermentum, a custom-built platform with the mission to “create a more sustainable food and beverage industry by helping suppliers and venues trade smarter.”
Since the company launched in 2014, they’ve invested $25 million dollars so that venues and suppliers can claw back time and create healthier habits.
We spoke to some suppliers and venues using Ordermentum to see what they had to say about their experience and how they’ve finally been able to take some time off.
Work-life balance for suppliers – it exists!
James Scarano, the Director of Sydney-based fruit and vegetable supplier Fruitlicious, feels like he could never actually take a holiday before he used Ordermentum.
“I feel that the platform has allowed us to be more organised and we can actually have a bit more work-life balance. Honestly, three or four years ago, before Ordermentum, I’d be ‘finished work’ but I had to take all the orders over the phone, so I never actually clocked off.”
It’s a common story with people who work in food supply. Alexandra Szwarchberg-Poch, the Director and Co-Founder of Allie’s Cold-Pressed Juices says that she wasn’t able to take time off, even when she had her first child.
After Allie’s integrated Ordermentum, she saw that the system “freed up so much of my time. In many ways it’s allowed me to take some time off from work with my second baby.”
Busy venues owners also find the platform saves them serious time. Jess Dufficy from popular cafe Four Ate Five on Crown Street in Sydney’s Surry Hills, started using Ordermentum because one of her suppliers switched to using the platform.
Originally she was unsure about not being able to talk directly to suppliers, but discovered it was the more time-efficient way for her to order.
“I like having a relationship with my suppliers, but I find it so easy to order on Ordermentum…I genuinely wish my other suppliers would go on the platform.”
She says that now she can see how difficult it is for suppliers who are doing things the old way, and how time-consuming it is. “Because now I’ve got so many suppliers on the one app, I just open Ordermentum and I order my bread, milk, coffee. It’s all there, it’s all linked to my credit card. I know it’s paid, I get regular emails, regular messages…it makes it so much easier for me.”
Any time saved is valuable in such a fast-paced industry. As we strive to a more sustainable future for all of us, it’s clear that technology is the way forward for a healthier and happier existence for those that work in hospitality and food service.
When was the last time you took a holiday?
Find out more about how leading Australian food service suppliers are growing their customers and finally getting a well-deserved holiday.
