Kruchu-Verchu: turning a near-bankrupt street-food chain around and preparing it for exit
A street-food chain in near-bankruptcy ahead of the "dead" summer season: cash gaps, staff turnover and a delivery rating on the verge of shutdown. In 2 months - stable profit and a business ready for a profitable sale.
What was wrong
The Yandex.Delivery rating dropped to 3.9 - at 3.8 the service cuts the outlet off from the platform, putting the entire sales channel at risk. The average check had stagnated at ₽473.50. Rent and utilities were overdue by up to 3 months. Line-staff turnover and food waste kept rising, chicken purchasing got more expensive, new excise taxes hit drinks - all of it right before the "dead" summer season.
What I did
Rebuilt purchasing on a JIT model for perishables - lavash write-offs went to zero. Based on predictive sales analysis, offered suppliers transparent guaranteed volumes - this earned a discount on chicken during a period of rising prices. Pivoted the bar to local producers to offset the new excise taxes on sugary drinks - kept margins intact. Audited kitchen ergonomics: redesigned stations on lean-manufacturing principles, placed tech cards right in front of the cooks' stations - lowered the entry threshold and defect rate amid high staff turnover. Cut menu items with high logistics cost and low summer conversion (mini-pizzas). To protect the rating, installed video monitoring over the assembly and pickup zones - gave hard evidence to contest fines and courier disputes. Introduced differentiated delivery pricing for 100% coverage of the aggregator's commission. To offset the seasonal drop in student traffic, shifted the schedule toward the night order flow and commissioned professional food photography - lifted CTR on aggregator listings.
What changed
In 3 weeks the rating recovered to 4.5 (peak 4.8), and the average check grew 86% to ₽883.52. Debts were paid off, the outlet reached stable operating profit. A year later the owner sold the business profitably at its peak value.
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