Savoury Chef - Restaurant Staff Scheduling - Case Study

Case Study: Savoury Chef Foods Catering Company in Vancouver, BC

Business Overview

Savoury Chef Foods started in 2005 as a Personal Chef agency which quickly grew into a full service catering business. We have been fortunate enough to work for famous politicians / presidents, hollywood elite, and shared many weddings with happy couples in Vancouver, BC. Our focus is on supplying the highest quality food we can offer while utilizing the best of what is locally grown and in season from our great city. We support the futures of our livestock and oceans of tomorrow, by keeping on top of sustainable kitchen practice, and supporting our farmers.

Scheduling Overview

As some of our staff are "on call" or scheduled based on open shifts that are upcoming for events, we had always found it time consuming and difficult to keep on top of who was approved for a shift, and if they were actually going to show up. Not to mention the time consuming part of crib sheets and attendance which everyone deals with.

Previous Scheduling Method

Google Calendar w/ Excel and Email. Not very effective and would take 2-3 hours a week to keep on top of!

Since ShiftPlanning

2-3 hours down to 10 minutes. You do the math!
No excuses about employees claiming they were not scheduled for a shift.
Management has been almost 90% removed from shift trades and swapping spots. The employees can do this themselves now.
No more keeping track of every employees vacation time or unavailability, the program does it for us.

With a winning positive attitude, and a great framework that is constantly being updated with new features, ShiftPlanning is definitely the ultimate shift scheduling software available. It is completely in-valuable to our business and operation. - Taryn Wa - Savoury Chef

Further

It has saved our managers much needed time, and minimized confusing. Very little time is spent on the phone scheduling staff anymore.
File Sharing to give staff access to the business standards, event attire, and new employee sign up forms for taxes and payroll. Easy download and then can bring it to us at the event ready to go.

Interview

Even in small business, automating the scheduling process can have a huge impact on streamlining operations and driving cost savings. Take the case of Savoury Chef, a high- end caterer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Founded in 2005 the company currently employees nearly 50 full-time and part-time employees that can peak to 70 during event season.

As the company grew, the founders realized that streamlining tactical workflows will be paramount to thrive and focus on service and quality. According to Taryn Wa, a founder and one of the owners of Savoury Chef, "I come from a web application background and I knew that automating scheduling would help our organization. We were spending too much time on the phones to ensure people show up on time at the right venue." After an unsuccessful endeavor with one provider, Savoury Chef opted for a web-based solution that met its needs. "The first solution was a bit bulky, pricey, and slow." Added Taryn, "So we took our chances with a newer solution and became one of its early adopters."

Through training, Taryn and his team ensured that managers are familiar with the system and its capabilities. The solution afforded Savoury Chef key advantages that allowed them to integrate with their in-house payroll software, make shifts available via email or SMS, allow employees to trade shifts, and provide managers real-time visibility into who is working where. Shortly after automating this process, Savoury Chef was able to reduce a full salaried resource. Taryn concluded, "From reducing or staff to spending less time on the phones, we saw the savings almost immediately. Knowing that the right people show up at the right place to provide our quality service gives us an ease of mind that is much needed in our fast-paced hospitality industry."

From reducing or staff to spending less time on the phones, we saw the savings almost immediately. Knowing that the right people show up at the right place to provide our quality service gives us an ease of mind that is much needed in our fast-paced hospitality industry. - Taryn Wa - Savoury Chef