The Ultimate Guide to Optimising Your Restaurant’s Profit

After a 20-year career shaking and stirring behind the bar and in the boardroom of some of Sydney’s most revered venues, Joong Charpentier is today the General Manager of Tanuki. Since its opening in January 2024, the Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar has become a wildly popular haunt in the harbourside suburb of Double Bay. Drawing on his wealth of experience in fine-dining restaurants, pubs, five-star hotels, nightclubs, and bars, Joong is leading Tanuki to success with a combination of the right team and the right tech. “My family immigrated to Sydney from Belgium in the early 90s and opened a French restaurant in Manly, so I’ve just always been around hospitality, ”  explains Joong Charpentier. After cutting his teeth as a kitchen hand, he worked his way up through back-of-house, front-of-house, and management, to where he is now, at the helm of Tanuki. Named after the mischievous raccoon dog, known in Japanese folklore for leading humans astray, the venue is an invitation to stay a little longer than you should. “It combines everything I love: cocktails, fine-dining, and an atmosphere that turns into a bit of a party later on in the evening. It has all those elements rolled into one,” Joong says. With those three elements comes the need for multiple teams and careful coordination in order to provide consistent quality and service throughout the venue. “Staffing is the biggest challenge,” says Joong, “Finding the right team members and maintaining consistency. Whether it's your product offering, trading hours, messaging, or back-of-house policies: consistency is key. And you need to find the right people to achieve that,” he explains. Thankfully, the hospitality industry is producing more professionals today than ever before, and offering them opportunities to learn and grow within the industry: “We invest time and energy into training our team members,” says Joong, “Because people now understand that this is a professional industry. You can apply yourself and have a successful and rewarding career, it’s no longer just a weekend job or something you’re doing to put yourself through uni." Parallel to the professionalisation of the industry, Joong has also experienced the shift in technology available to restaurateurs. Being able to access data today, enables venues like Tanuki to hone in on and optimise different areas of the business – from customer service to inventory management, and pricing. “The more information that we have on the way a guest likes to enjoy their time in the venue, the better the experience we're going to provide,” says Joong. “We use  SevenRooms  to manage our reservations. It syncs up to our point-of-sale system, H&L, and allows us to track everything the guest orders and allows us to make profile notes. So, if you come back in six months time and say ‘I had a really great wine here last time’, we’ll be able to track it down for you,” explains Joong. The flow of data between separate providers has been a key development in recent years, unlocking even more opportunities for hospitality professionals to speed up their processes and conduct richer analysis. One such integration was that of  H&L  point-of-sale system with  Zeller ’s payment platform, giving rise to  Pay at Table : a solution that allows wait staff to view open tables, see outstanding bills from across the entire restaurant, accept payments and close tables — all from one device, while keeping the point-of-sale free for other staff to use.

Tucked down a quiet side street in Perth’s CBD, MODU Bar & Kitchen brings a bold and vibrant take on Asian fusion dining. Inspired by early 20th-century Shanghai – known as the ‘City of Magic’ – owner Raymond Kwok and his team have created a venue that balances energy with elegance, tradition with innovation. “We wanted to create an Asian fusion venue that sits closer to the Asian side of fusion,” explains Raymond. “A lot of fusion spots tend to lean Western, but we wanted to stay true to our roots. MODU captures the magic and vibrancy of old Shanghai, bringing that mix of cultures and traditions into our food, cocktails and atmosphere.” MODU seamlessly blends traditional Chinese cooking methods with modern Western flair, crafting a menu that pairs perfectly with its innovative cocktails infused with Chinese ingredients. As the night unfolds, the venue transforms from an upscale lunch spot for corporate diners into a dynamic bar with live music. It's a destination where people gather, celebrate, and immerse themselves in an atmosphere that’s as refined as it is inviting. A polished solution for a sophisticated restaurant. As a thriving restaurant-bar in the heart of Perth, MODU needed a payment system that matched its style and sophistication. After struggling with traditional bank EFTPOS systems, MODU decided to make the switch to Zeller. “It’s been about a year with Zeller,” says Kwok. “Before that, we were with one of the big 4 banks, but we had so many issues – near-zero customer support, and having to do manual surcharge calculations was an annoying extra step.” One of the biggest selling points was Zeller’s competitive merchant fees and the (optional) built-in surcharging functionality. “With the big 4 bank, we either had to manually calculate the surcharge or press a special button on the POS system. Zeller makes it all straightforward – everything is automatically calculated. We don’t have to mess around with it.” MODU’s success with Zeller even led to Tony Roma’s, another venue owned by Kwok, switching to Zeller as well. Beautifully itemised bills keep the bean counters happy. MODU caters to a significant number of corporate clients who require precise billing transparency for expense claims. “The integration and clarity really help us,” explains Kwok. “Our POS system is Redcat, and having a seamless integration for things like tipping – where it’s clearly displayed on the bill – prevents discrepancies. If a finance department sees a $1,000 bill and there’s an extra 10% unaccounted for, that’s $100. Everything needs to match up, and Zeller makes that easy.” Striking the right ambience into the early morning. MODU’s atmospheric setting makes it an ideal spot for both dining and nightlife. With a 70/30 drinks-to-food sales split, the venue operates like a high-end bar while maintaining a full kitchen setup. “In the afternoon, corporate people come in for lunch. As the sun sets, it becomes a moody dining spot, and later it transforms into a late-night live music bar,” says Kwok. “Some people dine elsewhere and then come to us for after-dinner drinks or work drinks.” A partnership that powers growth. As MODU continues to evolve, Zeller remains a key part of its operations. With smooth payments combined with great customer support, Zeller has helped MODU focus on what it does best – creating an unforgettable dining and nightlife experience in Perth. “Zeller has been great for us,” says Kwok. “The EFTPOS system is seamless, and the customer support has been fantastic. It’s made our whole payment process much easier. I look forward to working with Zeller as we keep growing.”

Steeped in the historical infamy of Sydney’s Kings Cross, The Roosevelt has a colourful past going back decades. Originally operating in the 1940s and 50s, the venue was once controlled by the notorious underworld figure Abe Saffron – dubbed ‘Mr. Sin’ – whose powerful influence over Sydney’s nightlife included the original Roosevelt Club. Fast forward to today, and The Roosevelt has been lovingly and creatively reimagined with an American diner meets old-school nightclub-style aesthetic, and is now proudly under the stewardship of Ben Hickey and his partner Naomi Palmer. Hickey has been involved with the venue for over a decade, and since taking ownership eight years ago, has helped transform it into a destination for cocktail lovers, whiskey connoisseurs, and locals looking for a unique experience. Some of The Roosevelt’s most famous offerings are its signature martinis, served ice-cold and with plenty of panache thanks to the power of dry ice. “We do a lot of classic martinis, but we use liquid nitrogen to get the glass as cold as absolutely possible,” says Hickey. “So, you get a really, really cold martini, plus the effect of the liquid nitrogen smoke spreading everywhere.” Also a standout is the eponymous Roosevelt Blazer cocktail. “For this one, we use Diplomatico rum, plus PX that has been infused with date, fig and cinnamon, then serve it flaming at the table. It’s a great winter drink with the  kind of theatrical presentation people love.” A food menu with finesse While The Roosevelt is best known for its drinks, it also boasts a full food menu featuring a variety of share plates and main courses. Two of the most noteworthy (and droolworthy) options on the menu include the Sydney rock oysters with champagne mignonette and the sirloin steak with cannellini bean, leek, & black pepper jus, both popular choices for guests looking for a refined dining experience. Those with a sweet tooth might opt for the treacle and almond tart with Laphroaig whisky cream or the ‘Noir Nightcap’, made with Jameson Black Barrel, coffee, stout reduction and Frangelico, served affogato style over brandy ice-cream. Zeller’s Bill at Table: worth the wait. The Roosevelt’s relationship with Zeller started a few years ago when a friend of Ben’s suggested Zeller could likely offer a better rate than their provider at the time. “When we switched to Zeller, we got a really good rate, so that made the switch well worth it. But now Bill at Table is here it's even better, because it makes the billing process that much smoother.” Tipping the scales in favour of gratuity. Tipping has always been a nuanced topic in hospitality. “Tipping is always tricky. It depends on the group and the situation,” Hickey shares. “Some people always tip, some never do.” With Zeller’s Bill at Table, guests are presented with an itemised bill on the  Zeller Terminal screen before making payment. They can also choose whether they’d like to split the bill and leave a tip with a single tap. “People are definitely more likely to tip when they’re still sitting at the table. If they get up to pay, the feeling of traditional service evaporates and the magic is gone. The awkwardness is removed from the tipping process as the system prompts the tip, meaning the staff don’t have to. It’s seamless.” More covers means more revenue. Since implementing Bill at Table, The Roosevelt has experienced a tangible improvement in patron experience at the end of a sitting. “Before Bill at Table, we had way more people coming up to the till to pay. Or we would drop the bill off and then they’d be holding their phone – but were they ordering an Uber, for example, or ready to pay? It was often awkward,” Hickey reveals. “But with Bill at Table, there’s no ambiguity. It makes the experience much smoother.” For staff, the transition has been intuitive. “Most of our team has worked in hospitality for a while, and even if they hadn’t used this system before, it didn’t take them long to learn.” For The Roosevelt, the way Bill at Table streamlines the payment process makes for quicker table turnover and thus more patrons served. “Now pretty much 95% of our payments are taken at the table,” says Hickey. “On a busy night, when we’re doing 160 covers, the feature is particularly great. People don’t need to worry about their friends forgetting to PayID them or not having the right cash, the bill is settled then and there and then they’re off into the night – and we’re onto the next table.”