Chefs tend, by their nature, to be a bit on the independent side.
All of which is fine when you're asking them to develop signature dishes for a top restaurant, somewhat less so when the main aim is to persuade then to order and prepare produce within fairly strict guidelines in a managed concept.
That is the issue facing Laurent Malnuit, head chef of L'Auberge, the French-restaurant-within-a-pub concept developed by Massive. "Chefs sometimes find it difficult to work with nominated suppliers," says Laurent. "However, it's very important for us at L'Auberge that customers can be confident that the meal will be up to a certain standard. Our proposition is good food at good value prices."
With 16 Massive pubs now featuring L'Auberge restaurants, chefs at each have the scope to add their own touches to each, but the menu is built around the same basics, whether meat, fish or fruit and veg.
Laurent and his team have built up a network of preferred suppliers, which has now been integrated into the Freshnet online ordering system introduced to the 42-strong Massive estate last year.The company was looking for a solution to reduce the amount of paperwork involved with running the business.
The accounts department was being swamped with invoices to reconcile, with the workload threatening to inhibit the future growth of the company. The problem was complicated by Massive's commitment to using fresh ingredients. Fresh food is served in 35 outlets, which range from traditional pubs to L'Auberge's French approach. This was generating somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 invoices per week.
Head office had the task of processing these invoices, tracking down those that went missing, reconciling credit notes and tallying statements.Massive enlisted the help of Freshnet, and has now cut the number of invoices for processing by 90 per cent. The system has had a significant impact on the purchasing process, enabling Massive to continue to expand and its accounts team to spend its time more effectively.
Cutting out the paperwork
Massive's financial controller, Mark Bispham, explains: "A full audit trail remains for every transaction, which has improved the nature of purchase ledger from process to control."The Freshnet system is an online trading hub for the catering and hospitality industries, aimed at improving efficiency, reducing paperwork and minimising errors. It lists the price for all items and provides data which can be analysed for spend patterns.
Orders are placed online, processed by the supplier, delivered, and an invoice is electronically produced. The system comprises a network of selected suppliers from up and down the country.The catalogue of products and prices is managed and maintained by Freshnet, and fixed, capped or variable prices are set for fresh produce on a regular basis, allowing complete price transparency. Freshnet is also able to alert customers to shortages or high yields of certain produce, so that they can adapt their menus accordingly.
As has been done by Massive, customers can bring their own suppliers to the network as well as use those already on the system. Individual pubs or restaurants are still able to use local producers who are only able to supply their outlet.
As with any new process, the best way to deliver success is to invest in training. Introducing online ordering into the daily routine of the kitchen can be quite a culture shock, but Laurent believes that once mastered the benefits far outweigh that initial learning curve.
Delivering on quality
"It was a challenge for our chefs to get used to the discipline of ordering through Freshnet," says Laurent. "The key is to ensure that all deliveries are up to the standards we expect, and that's something chefs can understand - they don't want to use ingredients that aren't up to scratch."
The system has been designed and developed with the end-user in a busy operation in mind. Freshnet trained Massive's managers and chefs over a seven-week period and that's backed by a 24-hour telephone helpline."It hasn't changed the suppliers we use," says Laurent, "but it does mean we work with them far more effectively. They can alert us when they have seasonal lines or produce which can be added to the system."
Any problems with deliveries, either quality or quantity, can be flagged up and queried by Freshnet, which sends a single invoice to Massive, and pays the suppliers within an agreed timeframe.A traffic light system is used, showing colour-coded progression of the order. When the customer places its order it is in the red zone, it moves to amber once it has been viewed by the supplier, and green once delivered.
During these stages the order can be amended to allow for mistakes, shortages of certain produce and any spoilt items. The client has three days in which to confirm their approval of the order before it is dispatched to the invoicing pool."It makes us more efficient and, ultimately, means we can maintain the standards and prices that our customers expect," says Laurent.