Franchisee Crust Pizza have been using Deputy to run their business like clockwork.

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bars are Australia’s leading pizza makers.

Founded by Costa Anastasiadis and Michael Logos, Crust is a 10-year-old pizza chain with over 120 different locations in Australia, two in Singapore, and are planning to expand in the U.S and other parts of Asia.

They promise to deliver ‘pizza reimagined,’ and pride ourselves on their unique flavours and product offerings that are ahead of global food trends.

Franchise owner, Michael Timbs, sells 9,000 pizzas a week across his five franchised outlets in Sydney, and he runs his business like clockwork.

He owns five franchises for national chain Crust Pizza, in the Sydney suburbs of Annandale, Lane Cove, Balmain, Rose Bay, and Double Bay. The Crust Pizza business has exploded on an approach of fresh ingredients supplied to the store every day and a fast and efficient home delivery operation.

In other words, the pizzas are not cold when they get to a destination.

“Our pizzas are designed to be delivered fresh and arrive in a good state, and that is where Crust has made its niche,” said Timbs. He employs around 200 staff and says it’s crucial that staff turn up on time, and the rostering system is efficient.

Timbs said that using the Deputy platform means he can monitor employee time sheets and ensure his staff arrives at work on time. His managers also use the rostering system to manage shifts.

“The key for us is that we save money by using Deputy as its an incentive for punctuality. The rostering component is a handy tool as staff attendance and management is one of the major headaches for hospitality. Before Deputy was installed, daily operations were managed via a combination of Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and phone calls to staff. Shift changes were printed out and pinned to staff notice boards, and time sheets were recorded on paper.”

Now, most of the company’s staff are required to use the Deputy time and attendance feature and this keeps daily operations on track. This includes store managers, phone operators, and the pizza makers.

Timbs said Deputy has also sped up the reporting procedures at his franchise and given access to real-time data. That allows Timbs and his managers to know the cost of a shift in advance.

“When you are running multiple sites having the knowledge and understanding of what is happening at every site is key,” Timbs said.

Timbs also uses Deputy to meet daily occupational health and safety requirements. Under industry rules, staff have to undertake a temperature log for the pizza ovens and fridges every night to ensure they are meeting food safety standards. A reminder to carry out these tasks is sent out on the Deputy system every night.

“Deputy makes these responsibilities easy to carry out because these tasks are right in front of you, so you have to do it,” Timbs said. “If a staff member doesn’t do these tasks, the manager knows right away.”

The Deputy platform also includes a journal system where managers can make notes on individual staff performance. Timbs said they use a star system to rate employees, and he is moving it make mandatory as it helps with staff management.

“We use the Deputy journal system to look at staff performance in the case of an employee wanting a promotion and seeking to move up the ladder,” Timbs said.

Timbs said he also plans to install Deputy in his next venture, a new chicken shop, called Rocket and Bird, in Crows Nest. He said Deputy keeps him on top of a business that requires almost military style planning in a time-sensitive business.

“Just knowing that my team are plugged in and are doing what they need to do means that I can focus on improving my business. It’s as simple as that,” Timbs said.