How South Wharf Restaurants Cut Dietary Questions by 70% While Attracting 25% More Customers
Three Melbourne Restaurants, One Smart Solution for Dietary Needs
BUSINESS TYPE
Restaurant Group
VENUES
3 Restaurants
LOCATION
Melbourne, Australia
South Wharf Restaurants runs a number of popular Melbourne venues including: Bangpop (serving authentic Thai), Henry and the Fox (with modern Australian cuisine), and Plus 5 (offering Mediterranean favorites). Each restaurant has its own character, but they all faced the same daily headache.
THE CHALLENGE
"Our servers were constantly running back to the kitchen during the dinner rush," explains the Operations Manager. "Does the pad thai contain sesame? Does the lamb have dairy? Can we make the pasta vegan? This was proving to be extremely inefficient, and we wanted to find a solution to remove this friction point."
THE SOLUTION
The team decided to implement Foodini at Bangpop first, enabling them to provide a dietary menu via both their website, and via a QR code in venue, alongside their Me&U ordering QR.
The results at Bangpop were immediate. Fewer questions, more customers and happier customers, and staff who could focus on service instead of playing ingredient detective. Within two months, they rolled out Foodini to Henry and the Fox, then Plus 5. Each restaurant kept its unique menu style, but now they all had the same reliable system for dietary information.
THE RESULTS
Fewer staff interruptions about dietary questions
Increase in customers with dietary restrictions
Mistakes or incidents since Foodini implemented
The numbers speak for themselves. Staff interruptions about dietary questions dropped by 70% across all three venues. More importantly, they started attracting customers who'd avoided dining out because of food restrictions - bookings from people with dietary needs increased by 25%.
But the biggest change was cultural. "Foodini made us take dietary needs seriously as a company," notes the Operations Manager. "It's not just about avoiding mistakes anymore - we're actively welcoming customers who need clear information about their food."
WHAT THEY SAY
"We're seeing regular customers now who used to be hesitant about dining with us. They know they can trust our information and feel comfortable ordering."
Manager at Bangpop
THE THREE VENUES
Bangpop
Authentic Thai cuisine
Henry and the Fox
Modern Australian cuisine
Plus 5
Mediterranean favorites
LOOKING AHEAD
South Wharf Restaurants is expanding their commitment to inclusive dining. Ideally they would like Foodini fully integrated with their ordering tech stack.
"The success across all three venues has shown us that dietary transparency isn't just a nice-to-have anymore - it's essential for modern hospitality."