Running a venue is so much more than just the service. Hospo owners need to become experts in finance, people management, business law and more – seemingly overnight. In partnership with Crunch, we sit down with a local venue owner to hear how they shifted from surviving to thriving in the industry.
Most venue owners will tell you that they opened their bar, cafe or restaurant because of their love for hospitality – but many realise that being a great host is just one aspect of running a business. Ordering stock, managing finances, juggling rosters (and personalities) and pricing menu items all come into play, and it’s easy to lose yourself in the noise.
This was the case for Hap Cafe owner Renee Fostiropoulos, who opened her Carlton North venue in September 2023 and found the need to learn on the fly.
“I’m Filipino and Greek, so I’m used to lots of food and generous hospitality and that’s where my passion came from – I had always wanted to translate that to a venue,” she says. “In the early days I was just learning how to survive – I had to teach myself to be a barista, learn the kitchen, get a grip on finances and staff and keep the doors open,”
Searching for support and answers, Fostiropoulos found Crunch Hospo – an online education platform and community hub that teaches hospo owners about all aspects of their business. Crunch is like a hospo-focused Linkedin without all the bad bits. No corporate culture, no jargon and no cringey posts – just a social network of hospo owners and a database of experts sharing advice.
“There’s a strategic way to effectively run a venue and that's where I knew that I was falling short, I didn't have the knowledge myself or the resources around me to do that yet,” Fostiropoulos says. “I started looking for support networks and places I could ask questions or find advice and that’s when I found Crunch.”
Crunch runs on a subscription service for $49 per month and its aim is to integrate seamlessly into the weekly flow of any busy hopso operator. Online business coaching and live Q&As run on Mondays – often a quieter moment in the hospo week – with on-demand masterclasses available anytime to fit around a venue’s schedule. At Hap, Fostiropoulos says Crunch has gradually become part of her weekly admin.
“When I first got Crunch, I used it as a resource I could draw on when I was stuck. Now, as I use it more and keep getting value from the education on there, it’s become a non-negotiable part of every week,” she says. “I’ve gone from passively consuming the masterclasses to chatting with other business owners in the Q and A’s, asking questions and offering advice wherever I can – just trying to help build on that sense of community.”
Crunch covers topics such as financial management, team building, marketing, systemisation and more. While the platform can offer valuable insights shared between experienced owners and operators, Fostiropoulos says it’s an essential tool for first-timers in the industry.
“I definitely wish I had found Crunch when I first opened Hap – it would have streamlined so many of the things I learned and help me cut down on some mistakes I made in the early days,” she says. “One of the best things I got from Crunch was the knowledge on how to adjust my menu to offer items with a greater ROI, as well as finding the best price points for some stuff we had to keep on.”
Hap’s success has allowed Fostiropoulos and the team to expand the venue’s offering – opening a Filipino-themed evening service, starting an in-house condiments brand that kicks profits back to communities in the Philippines and plenty more.
“It’s crazy how much value there is in such a low-ticket membership. I’ve always been huge on self-development and gaining the skills that allow me to expand Hap to give back to communities has been super valuable for me.”
You can sign up to Crunch here.
Photography: Amy Hemmings
This article is produced by Scout Jobs in partnership with Crunch. There are a number of exciting initiatives between us coming up, so keep your eyes on your inbox.
