How Eating House saves 30hrs a week with its hospo tech

Eating House is a 270-seat restaurant and bar in Rowville's Wellington Village Shopping Centre, serving dine-in, takeaway, delivery, and private functions. Owner Simon Daou has spent years building one of the suburb's most well-loved local venues, known for crowd staples like their chicken parmigiana, slow-cooked pork belly, and a breakfast menu served until 3pm, seven days a week. 

Running a venue of this scale takes more than great food. It takes systems that give you control. For Simon, Ordermate has been that foundation for 15 years, providing the reporting depth and front-of-house reliability that a busy full-service restaurant demands. Two years ago, he added FoodByUs, a procurement platform that consolidates all supplier ordering into one place, and connected it directly to Ordermate. Together, the two systems transformed how Eating House manages food costs and admin. 

Results at a glance 

Confidence with Ordermate 

Simon switched to Ordermate 15 years ago as Eating House grew into a full-service restaurant that needed more. More in-depth reporting, a smoother front-of-house experience, and a system that could scale with the business. 

"We started using Ordermate about 15 years ago. The main draw was that it gave us complete control, and the reporting was very detailed. We could see exactly what we were selling and what we weren't. It's very powerful, and very user-friendly for our staff." 

Reporting is central to how Simon runs the business day to day. Ordermate tells him exactly what’s selling, what’s not, and where the numbers are sitting. It’s the data layer that underpins every menu decision, every special, and every pricing call. Rather than finding out at the end of the week what happened, Simon and his managers know in real time. 

For his busy venue that visibility is not a nice-to-have. It is what keeps the operation running smoothly across every service. 

From hours to minutes 

Two years ago, Eating House's procurement was spread across multiple channels. Different suppliers had their own portals. Orders went out via email, text, and phone. Cut-off times were tight, and if service ran long or someone was pulled away, an order could be missed entirely. 

"Before FoodByUs, we were ordering via emails, text messages, phone calls, and some suppliers had their own portals we had to log into separately. It was workable, but busy and cumbersome. There was no single place to see what was happening day to day." 

The admin load was significant. Simon estimates he was spending up to 20 - 30 hours per week on ordering and invoice management when everything was factored in. Today, that same work has reduced significantly now only taking around half an hour to an hour a day and multiple managers can do it, not just Simon. 

The shift from owner-dependent to team-enabled is significant for a venue of Eating House's size. Simon can log in from his phone or laptop to see exactly what has been ordered, how much has been spent, and how that tracks against cost of goods for the week. That visibility used to require chasing people down or waiting for reconciliation at the end of a period. 

Ordermate & FoodByUS connected 

Adding FoodByUs to Ordermate gave Simon's team a new layer of visibility. The sales intelligence that has driven the business for 15 years now runs alongside live procurement data, so the full picture of revenue and cost is always current, always accessible, and always in one place.  

"Having Ordermate and FoodByUs connected makes everything more streamlined. We have instant visibility of the business and how it's performing day to day, which gives us more time to spend with our customers." 

Menu costing is a clear example. Simon's team has mapped every dish in FoodByUs, so when supplier prices move, the impact on margin shows up immediately in the context of what Ordermate is reporting on sales. Decisions on pricing new specials or adjusting the menu can happen on the day, based on current data, not last week's spreadsheet. 

"When we're putting together a new menu or specials, we can instantly see where we need to price things. The time saved is enormous. And having instant visibility of what my team is doing at the press of a button is priceless." 

COGS: proactive, not reactive 

Before this setup, tracking cost of goods was a manual, looking process. Invoices were checked by hand, data went into spreadsheets, and the full picture only emerged after the week had already closed. There was no opportunity to correct course mid-week because the information was not there in time. 

"Before, it was lots of invoice checking, spreadsheets, and lots of time and effort. And it was always after the fact. Now, we know on the day what was spent and what was sold. We're not reacting anymore. We're proactive." 

Ordermate's reporting, now informed by live FoodByUs purchasing data, means Simon has a clear view of cost of goods on any given day. That shift from reactive to proactive is one of the most significant operational changes the business has made. Problems that used to surface at the end of a week can now be identified and addressed the same day they emerge. 

Complete visibility 

After running Ordermate POS at the venue for years and more recently FoodByUs alongside, Simon's position is clear. The two platforms together give Eating House a level of operational control that would be very difficult to replicate. 

"Between Ordermate and FoodByUs, we have complete visibility of the business at all times. More control, less stress, and instant answers at the press of a button." 

For other venue operators considering the combination, Simon's advice is direct. 

"Run, don't walk. Get them connected, get them talking to each other. You'll have instant visibility of your business. It gives you so much power. You're not chasing your tail. It's a no-brainer." 

Looking for the same visibility Simon has at his venue? Contact Ordermate today to find out what we can do for your venue.