The story behind Parsly
The days were long and Hamid’s presence was constantly needed to solve issues that arose here, there, and everywhere. He spent all his waking hours at the restaurant, often at the expense of time with his family.
“You have to secure the venue, create the menu, find suppliers, attract guests and give them the best possible service so that they’ll come back – that’s the essence of running a restaurant and a huge challenge in itself!” says Hamid.
Indeed, good food and service create the restaurant’s turnover, but controlling costs is absolutely crucial for profitability. Compared to many other businesses, restaurants tend to buy a greater range of products; meat, poultry, fish, dairy, fruit, vegetables, dry foods, condiments, beverages, etc. are ordered from many different suppliers – and often!
As such, purchasing is one of the biggest costs for a restaurant and also one of the most time-consuming and complex tasks. Not to mention the time it takes to properly go through the multitude of suppliers and products available, compare yourself to competitive prices and then check that these are maintained. It can also be challenging to determine what a competitive price is in the first place. As Leo notes, “I’ve never met anyone who became a restaurateur because they had a passion for purchasing and negotiation, but unfortunately, it’s essential for reaping the profits of all that hard work.”
Parsly was founded with the goal of helping restaurateurs save time and money by streamlining supply administration. In 2021, Leo and Ramzi, friends for over 20 years, developed this service to enable restaurateurs to focus on their core business activities and passion, rather than wasting resources on administrative tasks like checking and following up on invoices. Parsly can automate these processes, freeing up time and energy for restaurateurs to use elsewhere.
While larger restaurant groups may have employees whose sole task is analyzing and optimizing purchases, smaller players often lack these resources and access to transparent information that can support effective decision-making. As Leo explains, “Having better information empowers everyone to make smarter decisions that can future-proof their restaurant business, regardless of size.”
“That said, we are grateful for the cooperation of larger players, as their manual best-practice methods provided insight that formed the basis for our product’s development and user-friendliness. In return, they gained time and money savings through our automations,” says Ramzi, and Leo adds “All these savings can be re-invested in raising the quality of the food and service – leading to many more satisfied guests, higher turnover, and profit.”
In conclusion, Ramzi notes that by indexing and streamlining the purchasing flow for restaurants, Parsly aims to contribute to reducing the environmental impact caused by food waste. “Across all of our users, this could have a significant positive impact on the environment.”
It’s only the beginning, but the people at Parsly have the experience, expertise, and determination to transform the restaurant industry, one of the oldest and largest in the world. We want to help those of you who never seem to have a day off, and who deserve a little more time and energy to do what you do best. And spend some more time with your loved ones.