IRO Sushi: bringing the flavours of Japan through the power of delivery optimisation

“Before Otter, we had Hungryhouse, Just Eat, our website, Deliveroo and Uber within five or six tablets running around the restaurant. Chefs got lost with which order came first, which was second and then, sometimes, tickets got lost. Sometimes the last order was made first, the first order was made last. It was a bit of chaos.”

For London-based IRO Sushi, the key to exquisite sushi lies in achieving the perfect balance and harmony. The takeaway and delivery franchise serves traditional sushi with special attention to detail and carefully-sourced ingredients of the highest quality. The most important part, though? The people.

“The people are important, the most important,” says Managing Director at IRO Sushi, Chhong Sherpa. “And then, of course, the food, the processes are important. But if we have good people, that’s the key.”

Read on to learn more about running one of the fastest-growing sushi chains in the UK—and how Otter helps supercharge their delivery service across multiple locations.

‍

Betting on delivery

“We do 80% of the business through Deliveroo, Uber Eats and our website.”

The balance and harmony that IRO Sushi looks for extends beyond their kitchen and into their operations by offering both affordable prices and a wide delivery circuit across London.

Sherpa explains that he started the business in 2015 after working as a sushi chef while studying. Since then, delivery has become the main focus for the franchise—counting for 80% of their business.

IRO Sushi is yet another example of the food industry’s transformation, where consumers increasingly understand the value of delivery. Growth is here, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping: in the UK, it is expected that user penetration in the Online Food Delivery segment will reach 54.9% in 2022. By 2026, the nation alone will house 48.5 million users.

Recognising that opportunity, IRO Sushi has bet on delivery: their extensive network of 12 locations means no citizen is ever too far from “the best takeaway sushi London has to offer.” However, when operations scale up to that level, challenges are inevitable.

‍

Fewer devices, better information

“The most important insight for me is revenue and the best selling items. If there are any mistakes, any menu item with more refunds or complaints, we change the menu or even remove the item.”

“Before Otter,” explains Sherpa, “we had Hungryhouse, Just Eat, our website, Deliveroo, and Uber within five or six tablets running around [the restaurant].” Handling that many devices complicated things: “chefs got lost with which order came first, which was second, and then, sometimes, tickets got lost.” It was so messy that old orders could be made way too late, while new ones too early, says Sherpa. “It was a bit of chaos.”

Most restaurant owners aim to be on more than one delivery platform to increase their sales. But using more than one service means balancing orders, notifications, menus, and multiple tablets. Otter’s Order Manager solution helps IRO Sushi consolidate their delivery services like Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats into a single place. “It’s one tablet, so it’s easy to operate,” explains Sherpa.

Plus, our industry-leading dashboard allows them to create unified reports, analyse performance data, and discover deep insights that can inform their business decisions. Before, the team had to log into each delivery platform individually to see data about their sales. Now, the IRO Sushi staff can log into one single platform and see both gross and net revenues from all their delivery services: “I can see the report for the last seven days, ten days, six months, whatever it is.”

“The most important insight for me is revenue,” Sherpa continues. For Sherpa, identifying the best-selling items to optimise their menu is also a big plus. With Otter, IRO Sushi can keep tabs on their menu items and remove underperforming dishes. “If there are any mistakes, any menu item with more refunds or complaints, we change the menu or even remove the item.”

Now that they have successfully streamlined their business process, the next steps for IRO Sushi are clear: expansion. For now, Sherpa hopes to extend beyond London: “We are really looking at some units in Manchester and Birmingham, so hopefully we’ll be there soon.”

IF YOU ARE A RESTAURANT LOOKING TO MANAGE AND OPTIMISE YOUR DELIVERY BUSINESS,  FILL IN THE FORM BELOW AND WE WILL CONTACT YOU FOR MORE INFORMATION.