About

Bistro Rex in Sydney’s Potts Point is a stunning 100-seat modern Australian take on a Parisian bistro. Head chef Leigh McDivitt is passionate about utilising Australia’s finest produce and native ingredients, creating modern dishes alongside French Bistro favourites.

Life before FoodByUs

‘Ordering was exhausting

and time-consuming’

Previously ordering from more than 14 suppliers, Bistro Rex used a variety of methods including email, single-supplier apps, text and phone. This led to a variety of problems including difficulty in tracking, internal communication issues, uncertainty over costs and most importantly lost time. Leigh says it was ‘hard to track, cluttered and even the apps we had to use were not user friendly at all – they were all over the place.’

Leigh says that above all it’s simply having all the ordering in one easy-to-use place that has been the biggest benefit of FoodByUs. ‘It’s quicker, more organised and I love that I can start ordering and then jump back on a few hours later, especially since it’s all in one spot.’ A little-known feature of FoodByUs is that no matter which device you use (phone, laptop or tablet), FoodByUs records where you (or your team) are in the ordering process which makes collaboration easier and impossible to double-order or forget to order.

Cost Tracking

‘COGS are down 17% since we started using FoodByUs – the buying power you have is insane.’

FoodByUs lends its group-buying power to small-medium businesses, and this means big savings across the board. Leigh says ‘some items are literally half price, but the quality and brand is exactly the same.’ The benefits are not just in saving money but in knowing food costs.

Often there is a process for chefs to submit invoices to a central system which then lets everyone know costs later in time – but it can take a week or more to finally understand actual food costs. With FoodByUs, since all costs are known up front and already live in your dashboard, you’re in the know at all times.

Planning Specials

‘We have a local clientele who always want something new, so in any given week 20% of the menu will change – FoodByUs helps us plan for this in a way we never could before.’

An interesting feature of Bistro Rex is their need to constantly create specials and evolve their menu. In the past, chefs would present ideas to each other and management – and only once approved, cost the dish up. Now with FoodByUs, Leigh says the team can ‘cost the special even as we’re creating it, meaning we can always hit our COGS goals while still keeping our customers excited.’

Time Savings

‘We work 14 hour days and ordering is usually last minute. It used to take 1 – 2 hours each day to order, now we can do it in less than 30 minutes’

Perhaps most beneficial for Leigh and his team are the incredible time savings they’ve realised through FoodByUs. Chefs and many in the hospitality industry can relate to the struggle of trying to get more hours back into their day.

The simple ‘amend an existing order’ feature has been a huge time saver for the team at Bistro Rex. Leigh says, ‘things change quickly and you often need to make changes to an existing order. In the past I would have to deal with all the extra fees and getting new invoices – I’d get email after email. The amend function has made everyone’s life easier without the constant confusion.’

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