Many companies are currently experiencing the same picture:
fewer staff, more tasks, rising prices, a volatile market – and the need to make better decisions in less and less time.

Traditional purchasing processes often reach their limits here:
Too many phone calls, unclear price developments, spontaneous availability problems
and paperwork that takes up time that nobody has.

This case study shows how a medium-sized Viennese restaurant business digitized its purchasing processes – and the effects this has had in just a few months.

No exaggerations, no success stories from the drawer, but a real, sober look at an industry in which restaurants and suppliers work under the same economic conditions and face the same problems.

Table of contents

1. Initial situation: high outlay, little predictability
2. Why digitalization is not a “nice-to-have” but a necessity
3. What specific changes GASTORO has brought
4. How structured demand stabilized prices
5. What advantages the supplier had – not just the restaurateur
6. Conclusion: The industry will only be fit for the future together

1. initial situation: high outlay, little predictability

The business we are looking at here is a typical example:
a Viennese restaurant with 10-15 employees,
upscale but not high-priced cuisine,
five main suppliers and many small specialty producers.

The biggest problems before the changeover:

• Strong price pressure due to rising food and energy costs
• Lack of availability of some product groups
• High communication effort due to phone calls and unclear orders
• Fluctuating prices that were difficult to understand
• Lack of transparency between kitchen management, purchasing and suppliers
• Loss of time because many things had to be clarified twice and three times

In short:
A system that worked in the past was no longer viable under modern conditions.

2. why digitalization is not a “nice-to-have” but a necessity

The crucial point was not modernization for modernization’s sake,
but simple insight:

“We have less and less time for the same tasks.”

The kitchen management wanted:

• Document orders cleanly
• Compare prices faster
• Making delivery reliability traceable
• Recognize seasonal fluctuations at an early stage
• Clearer decision-making basis for the use of goods

The suppliers in turn faced the same problems:

• Changing order rhythms
• Short-term quantity requests
• Unplanned order peaks
• Rising logistics costs
• Numerous queries due to unclear orders

Both sides recognized:
They are in the same boat.
If only one digitizes, there is no improvement.
If both digitize, structure is created.

3. what concrete changes GASTORO has brought

After the introduction of GASTORO, the process changed step by step:

✓ 1) All products & prices at a glance

For the first time, the company was able to compare real
instead of relying on memories or PDF catalogs.

✓ 2) Orders were clearly documented

Queries fell drastically.
Incorrect orders decreased significantly.

✓ 3) Delivery times were traceable

The company could see which supplier was reliable – and which was not.

✓ 4) The ordering of recurring goods has been automated

This significantly reduced the time required for routine orders.

✓ 5) Data replaces gut feeling

For the first time, the team was able to transparently track
where prices rose, fell or remained stable.

The biggest change was not technical, but organizational:
Purchasing became plannable, and plannability is the most important factor at a time when economic conditions fluctuate daily.

4. how structured demand stabilized prices

GASTORO shows when many businesses order similar products.
This is the decisive economic lever.

In the case of this company, it led to this:

• The supplier recognized realistic quantities,
  instead of relying on estimates.
• The restaurateur benefited from price stability,
  because the supplier was able to calculate more reliably.
• Seasonal fluctuations became more predictable,
  because aggregated demand became visible.

The principle behind it is simple:

Plannable quantities create better prices – for both sides.

Not because someone wants to “shop communally”, but because that’s how the market works.

The result: a real, measurable advantage without additional effort.

5. what advantages the supplier had – not just the restaurateur

One interesting effect was that it wasn’t just the restaurateur who won – the supplier did too.

Advantages for the supplier:

• Clear volume development instead of spontaneous fluctuations
• Lower acquisition costs because restaurateurs were actively searching
• Less miscommunication, as orders were clearly stored
• More stable delivery cycles because the demand of several companies has been aggregated
• Better production & warehousing because data was available

The supplier said in conversation:

“For the first time, we have seen where demand is heading.
That takes a lot of pressure off the calculation.”

This also shows that
restaurants and suppliers are not on different sides,
they benefit in parallel from a structured system.

6 Conclusion: The industry will only be fit for the future together

The insight from this case study is clear:

• Digitization reduces costs
• Structure reduces errors
• Transparency creates predictability
• and bundled demand stabilizes prices

These are benefits that no single company can generate on its own.
They only arise when the catering trade and suppliers use the same tools
and see the same data.

It is often said that the industry must “stick together”.
In reality, it’s about something else:

For economic common sense.
If everyone has the same challenges, it is logical that common structures help everyone.

GASTORO provides this structural framework – sober, functional and economically sensible.

Discover GASTORO: gastoro.com

Buy more efficiently. Deliver more stable. Work together more economically.

Der Beitrag From the kitchen to the cloud: How a Viennese restaurant business became more digitally stable with GASTORO erschien zuerst auf GASTORO - Gastronomie Online Marktplatz.

Suppliers today are under enormous pressure: volatile purchase prices, rising energy and transportation costs, a shortage of skilled workers, fluctuating demand and a market that is becoming increasingly difficult to plan.

At the same time, the expectations of the food service industry are rising: consistent quality, stable delivery capability, absolute reliability – at the fairest possible conditions.

In the past, it was possible to manage these challenges through personal relationships and direct communication.
2026 requires additional digital structures that make demand more clearly visible and make sales more efficient.

GASTORO supports exactly this:
It makes suppliers visible, shows the real demand of many businesses and creates a basis on which products can be professionally presented and offered in a plannable manner.

Table of contents

1. Why visibility alone is not enough
2. What successful suppliers on GASTORO have in common
3. How structured demand creates hero products
4. What product data restaurateurs really need in 2026
5. Why GASTORO makes suppliers more efficient – not more labor-intensive
6. Conclusion: Stability is created by predictable demand, not by chance

1. why visibility alone is not enough

Many suppliers believe that the key lies in being “found”.
But visibility without structure rarely leads to real orders –
but to random inquiries with no economic value.

The market works differently today:

• Restaurateurs compare faster.
• Prices fluctuate more strongly.
• Supply chains are becoming more unpredictable.
• Time for acquisition and queries is becoming scarcer.

What suppliers really need is not just visibility, but accessible demand, in a form that is predictable, clear and efficient.

2. what successful suppliers on GASTORO have in common

Hero products are not created because they are “brilliantly presented”, but because they precisely meet the needs of many companies and can be economically mapped.

The most successful suppliers on digital platforms have three things in common:

A) Clear product data

Not a lot of text, but precise information:

• Origin
• Certifications
• Production
• Availability
• Price structure
• Minimum quantities

B) Plannable delivery capability

Restaurateurs don’t change when a product is beautifully photographed, but when it is reliably available – week after week.

C) Consistent supply structure

Unclear conditions lead to queries,
queries lead to delays,
delays lead to abandonment.

Hero products are those that are well documented, reliably available and economically traceable.

This brings us to the strongest factor:

3. how structured demand creates hero products

Hero products are always created where many companies have similar needs.

This is the crucial point that GASTORO makes visible:

• Which product is ordered by many?
• What quantities are realistic?
• Which quality levels are preferred?
• Which seasons influence demand?

When suppliers see that 30 companies per week order the same product category, this creates leverage that was previously invisible:

Planning capability.

Plannable demand means:

• Better calculation
• more stable prices
• More efficient production
• Lower costs
• less committee
• More efficient supply chain

This is the decisive advantage of GASTORO:
Not that products are online, but that demand is bundled and visible.

Hero products are those that do not function in the market by chance, but are structurally required.

4. which product data restaurateurs really need in 2026

The days when you could convince people with a nice PDF or a friendly phone call are over.

Today’s restaurateurs need clear data in order to make quick decisions:

• Origin / Region
• Production method
• Quality criteria
• Stock / Availability
• Delivery times
• Packaging sizes
• Price scales
• Minimum purchase quantities
• alternative products

A product becomes a “hero” when it is capable of making a decision without further inquiry.

GASTORO offers the structure to prepare precisely this data in a clean, standardized and comparable way.

This reduces misunderstandings and increases the completion rate.

5. why GASTORO makes suppliers more efficient – not more labor-intensive

Many suppliers initially expect more effort, but the opposite is the case:

✓ Fewer queries

because information is clearly stored.

✓ Less dispersion

because orders and communication are documented.

✓ Less wastage

because restaurateurs are actively looking instead of dropping by by chance.

✓ Better production planning

because demand becomes visible in aggregated form.

✓ Less reactive power

because offers are created based on exact requirements.

Digital structures do not replace direct relationships, they make them more economical.

A provider becomes a hero supplier when it is reliable, clear and predictable –
not when it advertises the loudest.

6 Conclusion: Stability is created by predictable demand, not by chance

The 2026 market does not reward individual actions.
It rewards suppliers who understand that gastronomy and retail suffer from the same challenges and can only work stably through clear processes and bundled demand
.

GASTORO is not an advertising tool, but a procurement tool that brings suppliers and restaurateurs together in a structured way.

Anyone who presents their products clearly, delivers reliably and provides economically comprehensible data automatically becomes a hero product – because that’s exactly what the industry needs.

Create a supplier profile now and make product benefits visible

SUPPLY. SUPPORT. SUCCESS.

Der Beitrag How to become a hero product on GASTORO as a supplier – and why structured demand is crucial erschien zuerst auf GASTORO - Gastronomie Online Marktplatz.

Gastronomy is about much more than just good food. It’s about people, relationships – and trust. When you order from your suppliers, it’s not just because of the price, but because of the certainty that the quality, origin and handshake are right.

But trust is not a static value.

It grows – or breaks – with every order, every conversation, every experience. And in an increasingly digitalized world, the question arises:

How can this trust remain alive when so much is automated, networked and digital?

GASTORO wants to provide an answer to precisely this: A platform that combines digital efficiency with a genuine relationship culture. Because behind every product is a person with passion – and this passion deserves visibility.

Table of contents

1. Why trust is the foundation of every business relationship
2. Transparency creates proximity – also digitally
3. Reliability is the new currency
4. GASTORO as a bridge between people and markets
5. How trust generates long-term success
6. Conclusion: trust is not a trend, but a principle

1. why trust is the foundation of every business relationship

Trust is the invisible capital of the hospitality industry. It determines loyalty, stability and economic success. It is the reason why many chefs keep the same supplier for years – even if another supplier would be slightly cheaper.

This trust arises in many small moments:

• a punctual delivery
• an honest word
• a quick response
• a phone call if something is not right

In an industry where decisions are made under time pressure every day, trust is the oil that keeps the gears turning. At the same time, it is being challenged more than ever before – by price pressure, staff shortages, new structures and digitalization.

The question is therefore no longer: “Do we need trust?”

But rather: “How can we preserve and even strengthen it digitally?”

2. transparency creates proximity – also digitally

Trust is created through clarity. And clarity comes from transparency – visible, verifiable, comprehensible.

In the past, transparency meant knowing the supplier personally, his family, his warehouse, his handwriting on the invoice.

Today, this closeness can be recreated digitally.

GASTORO makes exactly that possible:

• Suppliers can openly present their origin, philosophy and production methods
• Restaurateurs see real-time data on availability and delivery times
• Evaluation and feedback systems replace chance with real experience
• Communication is direct and without detours

Digital interaction suddenly becomes personal again – because it is based on openness, not distance.

Example: If a Viennese bistro sources its organic vegetables directly from the Waldviertel, and the supplier shares seasonal insights, photos and cultivation methods, a new closeness is created. Digital – and yet emotionally comprehensible. This is not cold process optimization.

This is partnership at eye level.

3. reliability is the new currency

The faster the world becomes, the more valuable consistency becomes. Reliability is a real competitive advantage today – and an anchor of trust.

Reliability means:

• Agreements are kept
• Delivery times are right
• Products correspond to the description
• Communication remains binding

GASTORO actively supports this:

• Automatic reminders
• Clear ordering processes
• Transparent information
• Comprehensible status updates

But reliability is not just a question of processes. It is also a question of attitude. A restaurateur trusts that his partner cares – not just delivers.

This often begins with simple, human gestures:

• Information on new products
• honest feedback
• A conversation at eye level

Digitization creates space for this because it reduces routine and facilitates exchange. Reliability is therefore more than quality.

It is the new currency between restaurants and suppliers.

4 GASTORO as a bridge between people and markets

GASTORO does not see itself as a classic marketplace, but as a bridge – between tradition and the future,

between craftsmanship and high-tech, between people who share the same passion. Where other platforms only optimize transactions, GASTORO focuses on cultivating relationships:

• Supplier profiles with stories instead of just prices
• Restaurateurs with clear values instead of mere shopping lists
• An exchange that inspires instead of just transacting

Example: A family business from Styria can not only list its products, but also tell its story.

Why he produces. How he thinks. What makes him unique.

This makes him tangible – and likeable and trustworthy for many restaurateurs.

This creates a network in which digital platforms become human – and trust forms the basis for real success.

5. how trust generates long-term success

Trust is not a soft factor – it is a hard, measurable competitive advantage. Long-term partnerships are not based on the lowest price, but on predictability, loyalty and mutual understanding.

Studies from the industry show:

• Up to 40 % fewer complaints
• Up to 20 % shorter delivery cycles
• Up to 30 % higher repurchase rates

for companies with stable, trusting partnerships.

GASTORO does not want to replace these relationships, but rather support and strengthen them digitally – through transparency, communication and binding processes.

If you create trust, you create growth.

6 Conclusion: Trust is not a trend, but a principle

In an age that seems louder, faster and more impersonal, trust is becoming a decisive success factor.

It is the foundation on which gastronomy functions – and on which the future of the industry is built.

GASTORO wants to preserve this value and develop it further digitally: with clear structures, real stories and a simple claim:

reconnect people with each other.

SUPPLY. SUPPORT. SUCCESS.

This is not just a motto – it is the attitude with which GASTORO connects restaurants and suppliers.

Become part of a community built on trust

Register for free on gastoro.com and discover partners who think like you.

GASTORO – SUPPLY. SUPPORT. SUCCESS.

Der Beitrag People behind the products: Why trust is the most important ingredient erschien zuerst auf GASTORO - Gastronomie Online Marktplatz.