More than ten years in the field. One obsession: make margins simple.
I directed two food courts and managed margins across more than fifty restaurants in total. Toby grew out of the simple methods required by teams actually working on the floor, behind the bar, in kitchens and in storage rooms.
The formula was not the real problem
Information was scattered across Google Drive, invoices, paper, notes and spreadsheets. A calculation could be right on the day it was made, then become wrong because a purchase price changed, a reference was unavailable or a spreadsheet formula was altered.
A tool for the people doing the work
An employee, manager or chef should be able to start from an invoice and current prices, enter what is actually used and see whether margin reaches the target. The process must work on a phone or computer, without rebuilding a complete invoice history or learning an ERP.
The same data, from recipe to inventory
A bottle of Ricard may be purchased by the item, contain 70 cl, be used in 4 cl servings and be counted as bottles during inventory. Toby preserves that link: serving cost stays consistent with purchasing, while the team counts stock in the unit it actually handles.
Why Toby deliberately stays simple
Toby starts with ingredients to calculate recipes, prepare orders and speed up inventory. It does not require the entire business to be synchronised and does not claim to replace accounting. It keeps margin readable and up to date, then leaves the decision to the professional.