Years working in hospitality showed Tauranga entrepreneur Billy Emeny just how difficult it can be to maintain consistent service and sales performance across a restaurant team. That experience led the owner of CBK restaurant in Tauranga’s city centre to create Upsel – a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to help hospitality teams improve performance through data and personalised coaching.

The need for Upsel began when Billy purchased a second venue, Village Green in Ōmokoroa. While spending time there, something unexpected was happening at CBK – sales declined significantly. “I did weekly staff training, I put in heaps of effort, then someone would go to my restaurant and say they had a bad experience,” says Billy.

Despite the time spent on training and systems, he wasn’t getting results. Billy realised that while staff seemed to understand his expectations during training sessions, things often played out differently when he wasn’t there.

Determined to understand what was happening, Billy started looking at the data. “I just kept looking at the problem over and over, looking at numbers in a different light and using point-of-sale (POS) data to understand what’s going on in my business,” he says. Billy began building multiple spreadsheets to track sales patterns and staff performance – some worked, some were dead ends, but over time they grew into a system that helped reveal missed opportunities. “I worked out some key formulas, then I worked out ways I could move the needle in those areas.”

Once Billy could analyse this data, the picture became a lot clearer… “I was very shocked at what was happening in both my businesses – staff were pulling the opposite direction of where I was trying to pull the business – and now, every business I bring on to Upsel says the same.”

The project moved beyond spreadsheets when Billy’s friend Vince Edwards visited CBK at a serendipitous time. With years of experience developing SaaS products for startups, Vince recognised the potential in Billy’s system and helped turn the spreadsheets into a scalable, AI-powered platform for other restaurants to benefit from. Vince is now co-founder and chief technology officer of Upsel.

Today Upsel connects directly to a restaurant’s POS system, analysing sales data and identifying patterns in staff performance. Managers gain clear dashboards that track key metrics and sales trends, and staff receive personalised prompts and coaching to help them to improve service and increase sales. “If you’ve got turnover, we can sort out those little problems in your business,” says Billy.

The platform continues to evolve. Recent features include a rostering tool that can build schedules through simple prompts, taking into account expected demand and staff availability. “We’re the first company in the world to do AI roster,” says Billy.

Another innovation is an AI coach for staff, identifying opportunities such as increasing spend in drinks or desserts. “It coaches them automatically so the owner doesn’t have to do it,” says Billy.

Staff performance is displayed through leaderboards that can encourage friendly competition. Ultimately, the goal is to help hospitality businesses lift the performance of their entire team. “We’re trying to get your C players up to A players.”

Billy says the biggest challenge now is simply getting the product in front of more restaurant owners, plus they’re looking into raise funds in next two to three months. The pair are focused on expanding internationally (they already have clients in multiple Australian cities) and helping hospitality businesses unlock the potential hidden in their everyday data.

If you’re interested in learning more about a fascinating local business and how they’re using cutting-edge AI in the hospitality industry, come to hear Billy and Vince at our Design + Innovation Meetup: Turning Experience & Insight into an AI Startup at Priority One, 4.30pm to 6.30pm on 25 March. Register for free now.

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