Snackcenter Eindhoven: always seeking the optimal return
Eindhoven · Cafeteria
On Thursday March 14th we visit Lisheng at his cafeteria on the Leenderweg in Eindhoven. He proudly shows off his brand-new pre-frying oven, an investment to lift production at peak times.
“I no longer waste any time taking orders and handling payments, allowing me to focus entirely on the most important thing: maximizing revenue during peak demand.”
Lisheng: "I'm constantly looking for the ideal balance between my opening hours and what they bring in." He recently decided to close on Mondays and Tuesdays, but conversely now stays open until 1 AM on weekends. "I think I'm unique in that as a cafeteria." More on that later.
He started using Butlaroo out of necessity during the COVID pandemic in 2021, but since then has fully embraced the system, adding not only QR codes but also two ordering kiosks and a webshop, with a pickup screen on his wishlist next.
Although Lisheng speaks fluent Dutch, he ran into language and technical hurdles during onboarding. "Luckily Butlaroo brought in a Chinese-speaking partner to help, which made the process much smoother." He also values that Butlaroo is based in Eindhoven: "I could just walk into their office if I needed to, but the system runs so smoothly I really don't need to."
With costs in cafeterias rising (energy, staff, rent) and pressure on margins, Lisheng keeps making decisions in service of optimal profitability. Staffing comes into it too. "During quiet periods I can run the shop on my own. Guests place their orders via the kiosk, the QR code, or online via the website. That lets me focus fully on production and handle every order myself. During busy times, especially weekends and after 8 PM, I do everything I can to maximise revenue."
From that perspective, Lisheng chose to close on Mondays and Tuesdays and scale up on the busiest days, with weekend nights running until 1 AM. "I pull out all the stops to drive maximum revenue at those times. Butlaroo's tools help me a lot with that. Every order, whether placed via the website or in the shop, is processed by Butlaroo into a concrete order. I no longer waste any time taking orders or handling admin, so my team and I can focus fully on preparing products and, more recently, delivering to customers' homes. That makes me independent of Thuisbezorgd or other meal platforms, which I find a real benefit."
"I'm very pleased with all the new features Butlaroo keeps shipping. They make it easier for me to grow my turnover. Soon I plan to start using a pickup screen, so guests can see when their order is ready to be picked up at the counter. I hope that will be another nice step forward."
