Richard began his career as a chef in 1976, gaining experience with ingredients, menus and staff in fast-paced kitchens. He then worked with a large international book publishing company, moving through roles in book packing, sales management and inventory systems development.
In 1997 Richard launched his own catering business in Sydney, one of the earliest catering companies to have its own website. The business served many clients, but he saw how much time went into repetitive tasks: planning menus by hand, assigning tasks for each event, coordinating suppliers, texting staff and tracking details across multiple functions.
Spreadsheets proved too unreliable. By 2000 he began joining up different information systems and eventually built a custom Online Management System. It removed recurring problems, reduced errors and cut the administrative burden.
There was a personal benefit too. Richard could rest easy before a big event, knowing the system would manage the ingredient lists, customer requests and staff communications.
Those experiences inspired Catered4, to give other catering business owners the same confidence and peace of mind.