“It Used to Be Fun”: How Bustle Is Helping Independents Get Back to What They Love

In May, fresh off a 30+ hour flight across time zones, Bustle’s own Jonny McKenzie sat down with Chris Fletcher of Tech on Toast to talk about something personal: what it really means to run a hospitality business today, and why Bustle exists in the first place. From New Zealand to the UK, the conversations the Bustle team has with operators, baristas, roasters, and restaurateurs hold a common theme that won't be new to anyone reading: the game has changed.

I had this wonderful conversation with this amazing.. owner-operator in Melbourne one day, and she was like, ‘It used to be fun.’ And when I heard that, I was like - yeah. That’s the feeling. I could resonate with that. I opened up a cocktail bar because it was fun. Most people, they’re good at cooking dinner, so they think - let’s open a restaurant.

In the face of rising costs, staffing challenges, and razor-thin margins, what once felt like a passion can feel like a burden. Many operators still love what they do - but are facing compounding pressures across almost every facet of their businesses.

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Making Tech That Actually Helps

Bustle was built from this place of empathy - we've been there. As a multi-site owner juggling four locations across a city, Jonny felt the daily tension of not knowing how each site was doing, and not having the time or headspace to figure it out.

We're building a product for who I was - a guy with four businesses, spread across the city. And my problem was, I had no idea how they were all going. I just wanted to be able to look at my phone and know: how are things going, and how can I help?

Bustle isn’t trying to “disrupt” hospitality- it’s here to support the people who already love it, giving them the tools to get a grip on their numbers, without having to sacrifice why they got into the industry in the first place.

We call our target audience ‘creatives’. They’re here because they love making. So our challenge is making it so easy that they can just do little nuggets each week - log a recipe, track some wages, build it in over time to get a better understanding of their business.

5% Profit: The North Star

It might not sound like much, but in this industry, 5% has become a huge challenge and accomplishment. For the Bustle team, that figure has become a unified mission.

To get there, the product is designed to simplify, and gamify progress. Instead of overwhelming users with spreadsheets and data, Bustle helps them see the impact of small, everyday actions.

It’s like - if I just sell that one extra coffee a day, or get an extra £20 through the till consistently, I might actually be able to sleep better. I’ll be able to pay my bills next week.

Confidence to Charge What You’re Worth

One of the biggest challenges hospitality businesses face - especially small, independent ones - is pricing appropriately when your customers are facing the same cost of living crisis. Bustle helps operators benchmark pricing in their local market, so they can charge what their products are actually worth, and stand behind it.

One of the big challenges we’ve heard from roasteries is: how do we give our customers the confidence to raise their prices? In New Zealand, we were able to use data to show, look - everyone’s increasing by 30 cents or a dollar. It’s not just you. And that helps independents say: it’s time.

That transparency and benchmarking becomes even more crucial in an environment where price alone doesn’t drive loyalty. It needs to work in tandem with hospitality's core values - exceptional products, exceptional service.

People forget - hospitality is about the experience. You can raise your prices all you want, but if the person serving looks grumpy and doesn’t say hi, you’ll lose business. It’s still about quality.

Build the Foundations, Then Get Back to the Fun

The truth is, running a hospitality business will probably never be “easy” - but it doesn’t have to feel impossible. Bustle is designed to get operators back to a place where they feel in control, even if it’s just 30 minutes a week.

We tell customers: just spend half an hour a week looking at your numbers. That’s all you need. Once you do that, you’ll start to feel more on top of things. You’ll start having fun again.

That’s the goal. Bring back the fun. Bring back the clarity. Help good operators not just survive, but grow - and maybe even outgrow Bustle one day.

Some of our customers have 10 or 15 locations now. And honestly? I love when they say, ‘We’ve outgrown you.’ I send them a cake. Like, you did it. You broke the odds. That’s success.

Listen to the full interview with Jonny McKenzie on the Tech on Toast podcast and learn how Bustle is helping hospitality creatives beat the odds - with clarity, calm, and, hopefully, a bit more fun.

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