Making more time for real hospitality at Apéritif & Co. and Andiamo

TL;DR

• Half the staff required behind the counter: now just three, down from six.
• Owners and managers use quarterly reports to quickly identify which menu items drive the most revenue, need improvement or should be removed, helping them grow sales and keep their menu performing at its best.
• Implemented a connected system which will easily manage and support their next steps to franchise their venue.
• Real people, real support - someone at the end of the line to talk to. 

Owners Joseph Rechichi and Valerie Deeks bring more than 25 years of hospitality experience to both their much-loved Andiamo restaurant and their new euro bar Apéritif & Co. in Summer Hill, NSW. Alongside their Apéritif & Co. business partners, Versha Gupta and Camille Bahier, they’ve built their venues on one simple idea: hospitality is about people first.

This belief has earned them national recognition, including the 2025 Heart of Hospitality Award (awarded to Joseph for his leadership and contribution to the industry) and Australian Wine List of the Year – Under 50 Wines for Apéritif & Co., along with three goblets - an impressive achievement for a new venue in such a competitive category.

Andiamo has run on Deliverit tech for years and the team loves it - it’s been a great fit for their fast-paced, QSR-style service. But when the group were opening Apéritif & Co., a wine bar with a very different style of dining, they needed something that worked more intuitively for their team and their guests. After discussing their needs, it became clear that Oolio would be the better fit for the new venue. They introduced Oolio at Apéritif & Co. and now confidently run both systems across their sites, choosing the right solution for each venue.

From thoughtfully curated menus to their award-winning wine list, the venue owners have created spaces where guests feel seen, celebrated, and genuinely cared for, whether it’s a milestone dinner or just another Wednesday night.

With a strong foundation and guest loyalty built over decades, Joseph and Valerie through Cucina Hospitality Group are now laying the groundwork to franchise the Andiamo brand, sharing their family-driven style of local Italian dining with even more neighbourhoods whilst supported by technology that grows with them.

The Challenges

Running hospitality venues comes with plenty of pressure: shifting compliance, rising costs, staffing challenges and the need to adapt quickly without losing the personal touch guests love.

Some of the biggest hurdles both owners and managers wanted to overcome included:

• Manual processes slowing everything down. Handwritten dockets, double entry and printed slips were causing mistakes, delays and miscommunication between sections.
  
  

  “Previously we had three copies of the same order going to different stations, things got lost, and it made busy nights even busier, slowing things down and costing more in wages.”
  

• Different systems for delivery, takeaway and dine-in. Each system worked on its own, but none of them spoke to each other. This made it hard to see the full picture of what was happening day to day.
  
  
• Too much data, not enough clarity. The group rely on numbers to guide decisions, but their dashboards made it difficult to find what mattered. There was information everywhere - but not in a way they could act on quickly.
  
  
• Constant industry changes. Pressure on labour (staffing shifts), new surcharges, customer behaviour changes and rule updates meant adapting constantly. Outdated technology made that harder.
  
  
• Staff couldn’t focus fully on guests. The more time spent fixing tech issues or jumping between screens, the less time the team had to check in with guests, talk through the menu or offer the warm service they're known for.

The Solution

Oolio and Deliverit have provided exactly what the Cucina Group needed - a connected system that brings reporting, payments and orders together in one place, giving them better insight into their business to make smarter decisions, faster.

More time for guests

With fewer steps in every order and instant syncing between the floor and kitchen, their team now spends more time talking to guests and less time behind the counter.

“Tech should help you be more present with guests. That’s what matters.”

One connected system

Instead of juggling separate tools, everything now works together - in-venue ordering, delivery partners, payments and staff activity.

Reporting that drives real decisions

Every quarter, the owners and managers use their reporting tools to review their productivity, analyse top and bottom-selling items, spot trends, influence training of staff and make the decisions about what needs tweaking.

“The data tells you the truth, what people love and what they leave behind.”

A setup that can grow with them

With Andiamo now preparing to franchise, having a consistent system across new locations matters more than ever. Oolio and Deliverit give them that base - something they know can work in multiple venues without becoming complicated or hard to run.

Support that feels human

When they call, they get people not scripted responses.

“You’re speaking to someone who actually understands how a Friday night works.”

Results

Here’s what changed after bringing Oolio and Deliverit into the mix:

• Reduced the front counter team from 6 to 3, freeing up more time for real hospitality and guest care.
• Orders processed faster and with fewer mistakes, thanks to real-time syncing across the venue.
• Using reporting and customer insight to continuously update and improve menu performance.
• Smoother onboarding and training for new staff, with a system that’s easy to learn and use every day.
• Implemented a connected system which will easily manage and support future venue growth.
  
  With clear reporting and detailed sales insights, Joseph and Valerie regularly boost menu performance and revenue. "We track our top and bottom 10% every quarter. The bottom goes; the top inspires what's next." 

With the right technology behind them, Joseph says they are doing more than just running a venue - they’re building a community, saving time and money along the way. With everything connected in one place, Apéritif & Co. and Andiamo have reduced extra subscription costs, require fewer team members at the front taking orders and can serve guests better than ever. These everyday efficiencies mean there’s more room to focus on what really matters: growing their business and making every guest feel welcome.

Their connected system and clear, reliable insights let them make decisions with confidence, whether improving their menu, supporting their team or planning for future growth. As Joseph puts it, “You guys have been the back end of our growth.” With Oolio as their partner, the team know they’re ready for whatever comes next - empowered to create even more great moments, one guest at a time.

Book a demo with Oolio today and experience the difference for your venue.