Digital native restaurants: digitize all processes prior to opening. Belbo case study.

The starting point

With more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality sector, Iván Salvadó, General Manager and Partner of Belbo Collection, has tackled many digitization processes of catering companies that were in full operation. He defines this as a long and painful process that generates tensions and expenses before the final goal is reached.

Therefore, when he took over as the head of Belbo Collection, he had one thing clear: all back and front office processes had to be 100% digitized prior to the start of operations.

“When we were conceptualizing Belbo, it was clear that the corporate structure had to be as efficient as possible”, explained Salvadó.

When we were conceptualizing Belbo, it was clear that the corporate structure had to be as efficient as possible”

IVÁN SALVADÓ,
General Manager and Partner of
Belbo Collection.

Belbo Collection
restaurants have digitized the issuing of
orders, the reception of
goods and the receipt of
invoices through Bavel.

The solution

This is when they began searching for technology partners to digitize each one of their processes. “We wanted to have a system that was as integrated as possible. Our partners are increasingly becoming more specific and it is sometimes difficult to integrate all of them”, said Salvadó.

The heads of Belbo Collection chose ICG as their ERP. Other technology suppliers were also chosen to digitize more specific processes: FrontRest for TPVs, Mapal for personnel management, Cover Manager for managing reservations and Voxel for administrative and procurement processes.

Through Bavel, Voxel’s transactions platform, Belbo Collection restaurants have digitized the issuing of orders, the reception of goods and the receipt of invoices. All these electronic transactions are subsequently integrated and reconciled in ICG. This way, manual intervention is almost negligible and the procurement and administration process is 100% digitized.

The outcome

Belbo Collection has already opened 6 digital native restaurants.
Currently, more than 60% of its suppliers are integrated in the Bavel network. The expectation is to reach 100% in 2022. In a second phase of the project, Belbo Collection also wants to digitize creditor invoices using PDF Billing by Voxel.

In little more than a year and thanks to a digitized billing process, the company has automatically processed more than 3000 invoices. In this sense, the administrative team from Belbo Collection consists of 3 professionals. Thanks to its digitized administrative process, the restaurant chain will only require augmenting the team each time 4 new restaurants are added. In other words, a quarter of what they would have needed if the administrative process had remained analog.

“Once all the digitization processes are properly consolidated, we can grow with guarantees in terms of long-lasting control and sustainability”, reflects Iván Salvadó.

Thus, Belbo Collection has become the first digital native restaurant chain in Spain.