Bertoni, Sydney “You never have to worry ‘did that order go through?’”

During this time, Anthony Ianoco had a tech business in the gift card space and his brother Albert Ianoco was the operations manager of a distribution business. Tired of corporate life, they pivoted their careers to bring their Italian heritage to the local community: quality, good-value home-style food in a warm, inviting environment. 

So began Bertoni Casalinga, a Balmain institution that’s always buzzing with familiar faces. Their patrons love the famous 100 year old lasagne, the pastries and cakes, and the tasty sandwiches - but what they really come for are the smiles and chats from the friendly staff. 

It’s a labour of love to create a cherished neighbourhood cafe, and we speak to Anthony about how they got here. 

Tell us more about the Bertoni Casalinga story.

Bertoni really is a family business, and we all have different skills we use in the business. I have a sales background, my brother Bert has a distribution background, my wife has a marketing background, and my sister Luisa has a finance background. 

We combined our skills to launch the cafe in 2004, and after six months we were super busy! We didn’t realise how popular the coffee would be. I think it’s because there really weren’t many venues like us, specializing in deli foods and home-cooking. That’s what the ‘casalinga’ means: ‘home style, home cooking, home flavour’ 

In 2006, we opened a store in Mosman, and in 2007 we opened a store in Kent Street in the city.  We kept expanding and at one point we had nine cafes, but this started to feel a little corporate. Over we pulled back and now we’ve just got the original Bertoni Caslinga in Balmain. 

What’s a standout item on your menu?

We have a lasagne recipe that’s hundreds of years old! My mum used to make it when we were growing up and so did her mother. 

It’s labour intensive and expensive but we don’t compromise on that…and customers who’ve been coming here since the beginning know it’s the exact same product and they love that. 

What are some challenges that you’ve faced?

There’s very few people in this industry that can last this long, and we still have a really loyal customer base. However, there are still always challenges keeping up with a changing landscape, whether that’s changes in food trends, or changes in how we market the venue. 

Marketing in hospitality used to be all about PR, but now it’s just social media. Customers want to see the people behind the venues and feel a connection. 

How have you found your business has changed due to the implementation of tech broadly?

I think tech has meant that the average cafe owner is able to do more things themselves. Before, you would outsource a lot, but not anymore. 

One example is social. If you want to compete, you need to be able to do it yourself. 

This extends to other platforms as well…I’ve found that the younger people we employ really push us to use tech in different areas and push ourselves out of our comfort zone - and most of the time, that’s a good thing! 

Why did you first starting using Ordermentum?

We’ve been using Ordermentum since 2016. Simply, it’s a game-changer for ordering because it’s very simple. 

We used to fax or make a phone call to get our orders done. There used to be so much opportunity for error - and now those errors just don’t exist. 

Mark from La Spiga Bakery checking in at Bertoni.

What do you most like about using Ordermentum?

It really helps us with our budgeting because we have visibility on all the pricing. The chefs can order, front-of-house can order,  I can order. 

I also really like that it helps us find alternative products. We find that we generally don’t change suppliers, but we get more things from a supplier. 

Being able to see what different products are out there with different suppliers - and someone mentions a product to me - and I can check it out.

How many of your suppliers are on Ordermentum?

We probably have 12 main suppliers but some of them aren’t on Ordermentum. 

I’d 100% prefer it if all my suppliers were on Ordermentum - it’d be so much easier. 

What were the main problems/challenges you were looking to solve by using Ordermentum?

It gets really difficult to order things from suppliers that you can’t communicate with or who can’t get back to you. For example, you can’t call a lot of bakers after midday, or sometimes the phone line is busy. 

Now, you never have to worry ‘did that order go through?’ With Ordermentum, you can just check. We take it for granted now, but it’s such a big thing to be able to do that. 

For a lot of people working for us, they don’t even know what it’s like without Ordermentum…it’s actually a shit fight without it. 

What is your favorite feature of Ordermentum?

Definitely history tracking. It’s amazing being able to see who has ordered what and how much has been spent on any particular day. When you don’t have that visibility, problems can arise.

I’ll give you an example: our milk guy isn’t on Ordermentum… And someone might text him to order, but then I wouldn’t have visibility on that text, so I might place a double order. Avoiding things like that is gold. 

How has Ordermentum helped you control your costs?

As a small business owner, it’s all about controlling your costs. I can tell my guys ‘when you’re ordering the supplies this week, make sure we’re 20% down, and it’s easy for them to adhere to that by modifying the quantity or the type. 

Also, there are times when times are tough, and we stop doing expensive dishes because we can’t afford the wastage -having transparency around what we order makes it easier to make menu changes.

What would you say to another venue thinking about using Ordermentum?

It’s a given now. I wouldn’t think twice about it. 

It’s the only thing I know in the industry that does what it does. 

If you’re an existing cafe, it just makes you do things better. And if you’re new to the industry, it’s great because it’ll showcase suppliers that you don’t even know. 

We are so proud to support local venues who are making the cities and towns they’re in so much better to live in. Thank you for what you do, Bertoni!

Don’t forget, Ordermentum has hundreds of suppliers for you to choose from! Get browsing today. 

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