How Caffè Nero Scaled to 1,100 Locations Across 11 Countries with Crunchtime Inventory

Caffè Nero Group evolved from a London-based boutique coffee shop into a global powerhouse with 1,100+ locations across 11 countries. To support this massive scale, they replaced a fragmented network of 17 supplier portals and manual, paper- based stock tracking with Crunchtime Inventory. This digital shift has enabled proactive forecasting and the ability to set up 50 new stores in a single week (when needed).

Gong cha Uses Crunchtime Ops Execution to Improve Task Completion, Guest Return Visits, and Brand Standards

Gong cha increased brand standards compliance and improved above-store oversight across its 400+ stores in North America with Ops Execution. The increased visibility and access to real-time data empowers leadership to make more informed decisions and will help scale its store and field operations teams as it adds 300+ U.S. locations in the next two years.

CHALLENGE

Limitations of Systems That Don’t Scale with a Global Footprint

As Caffè Nero expanded rapidly across multiple markets, its back-of-house operations struggled to keep pace. Adam Tekiela, Senior Systems Analyst at Caffè Nero, witnessed much of that growth firsthand over the last 17 years and noted, “For a very long time, our inventory was paper-based.” Managing stock counts and supply orders on paper across a growing number of stores created inefficiencies that compounded with every new location.

The ordering process was equally fragmented. Adam explained, “Previously, we used to have 17 different portals for orders, as every supplier had a different way of ordering.” Staff had to navigate a patchwork of supplier-specific systems, each with its own interface and
workflow—a burden that only intensified as Caffè Nero’s international footprint grew.

Caffè Nero adopted Crunchtime Inventory to consolidate its fragmented ordering processes into a single, unified system. Adam noted, “Crunchtime Inventory is our main ordering solution now, used for every single supplier across all of our 11 countries.” Where staff once juggled 17 separate supplier portals, they now place every order through one consistent interface.

This standardization brought clarity across the organization. “Having the same message to every administrator and every supplier makes a massive difference. It makes decision-making so much easier,” Adam added.

The team also makes full use of Crunchtime’s powerful reporting capabilities. Adam explained, “The report that made a massive difference for us is the actual versus theoretical report. The way we’ve set it up within Crunchtime, it immediately provided us with an opportunity to identify which types of products are the biggest pain points.” With these tools in place, Caffè Nero shifted from reactive to proactive, as Adam put it, “Rather than reacting to issues, we can forecast and be better prepared.”

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SOLUTION

Real-time visibility and standardized operations for more compliance and efficiency in stores

Gong cha adopted Ops Execution to standardize operations and improve communication between stores, above-store teams, and headquarters. Rolling out the platform in phases, the team ensured smooth implementation and strong adoption. Gong cha’s success with Ops Execution stemmed from:

Store excellence guides: Gong cha created a comprehensive guide within Ops Execution to help managers prepare for third-party evaluations with visual aids and practice assessments.

Checklists and audits: Tasks like opening/closing procedures and food safety checks were standardized across all locations to ensure consistency and make it easier to track performance data from store to store.

National operations initiative calendar: To ensure execution against seasonal promotions, regional or market-specific projects, etc., Gong cha assigned tasks and projects in Ops Execution ahead of these initiatives so that stores could have visibility into upcoming work while also tracking how stores completed (or didn’t complete) the work.

Franchisee engagement: Franchisee and team engagement were also integral to success. Ops Execution forms helped align franchisees with performance goals, integrating compliance metrics into bonus structures to incentivize adoption. Additionally, interactive tools like the “Gong cha Great Values” form encouraged daily team member engagement and reinforced company values.

“With Ops Execution, Gong cha can easily track performance metrics, gather data from individual stores, and identify specific opportunities for improvement with more accuracy.”

Rebecca Kahn
Sr. Director of North America
Master Franchise Operations

Why this report is different

Industry Insights
Unlike broad state-of-the-industry overviews, these findings offer fresh, unfiltered data and perspectives directly from 300+ of your industry peers, anonymously surveyed to reveal what's really working (and what isn't) to drive growth in today's restaurant landscape.

Actionable Benchmarks
Instantly see how your operations stack up and identify precise areas for improvement to drive competitive advantage.

Collective Learning
Gain clarity on key trends, validate your own assumptions, and learn from the collective wisdom of the industry.

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RESULTS

Significant improvements in operational consistency, compliance, and decision-making

Within just the first year of rolling out Ops Execution, Gong cha improved operational performance in several key areas:

• 49% more daily tasks completed, demonstrating consistent execution of operational priorities and enhanced team accountability

• 20% better compliance with brand standards, ensuring a more uniform and high-quality experience across all locations

• 25% increase in guest return rates, reflecting stronger customer loyalty and consistent positive experiences across locations

• 20% increase in guest satisfaction, measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS), highlighting the impact of operational excellence on customer experiences

The data-driven insights provided by Ops Execution also empowered district managers to address operational weaknesses effectively. One franchisee—initially among the lowest performers—transformed into a top-three operator within only 90 days by following a customized action plan based on the insights from Ops Execution reports. This success illustrates the platform’s ability to drive meaningful and lasting improvements.

“Crunchtime Ops Execution was the right choice for us because it’s very easy to use, makes sense, and helps us standardize operations as we scale,” said Kahn. Gong cha’s commitment to operational excellence and brand integrity ensures that it will remain a leader in the competitive premium tea market.

RESULTS

Significant improvements in operational consistency, compliance, and decision-making

Within just the first year of rolling out Ops Execution, Gong cha improved operational performance in several key areas

49%

more daily tasks completed

demonstrating consistent execution of operational priorities and enhanced team accountability

20%

better compliance with brand standards

ensuring a more uniform and high-quality experience across all locations

25%

increase in guest return rates

reflecting stronger customer loyalty and consistent positive experiences across locations

20%

increase in guest satisfaction

measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS), highlighting the impact of operational excellence on customer experiences

RESULTS

Operational Agility at Scale

With Crunchtime fully embedded across its operations, Caffè Nero has sustained its rapid international growth without adding operational complexity. Crunchtime’s standardized setup process has proven especially valuable as the company opens new locations at scale. Adam shared, “Sometimes we need to set up 50 stores within a week. When things are in the right place and set up in the correct order, it only takes a couple of minutes to set up a new store.”

What once required navigating multiple systems and manual workflows now follows a simple, repeatable process. This enables Caffè Nero to expand confidently across markets while maintaining consistency and control over its inventory operations from day one.

Caffe Nero outside