C'est Mon Donuts

"We launched in 2020 and have opened 7 stores, 5 franchise openings are planned in 2023 and 20 more in 2024. When we chose Inpulse in 2022, we needed an intelligent tool to help our managers improve their skills, so that they could reach their food cost targets very quickly" Bertrand Gasnier, head of the C'est Mon Donuts network, explains the challenges facing a booming chain, and the results obtained thanks to Inpulse:

Structure to support growth

"When you're starting out, you spend a lot of time getting your technical data sheets right, you have your cost price, and in the end you operate on theory. We had such a boom that I was focused on new openings, with a rhythm of one store every 3 months. I relied on excel spreadsheets and didn't have a clear vision of my costs. And yet what is it that adds value to my business and keeps it going? Food costs.

With Inpulse, everything is connected, and we can automatically see whether we're achieving our food cost targets. We had underestimated the approximations of the preparers who make the toppings and fillings for our doughnuts, and we gained over 5 margin points because we realized the malfunctions and implemented the right instructions in the field.

‍Inthe first 3 months, it was up to 8 points for some outlets, it sounds huge but it goes fast, if the preparer doesn't pay attention to the nutella dose for example and doubles the dose, it costs a lot given our volumes."

Monitor and analyze actual material costs

"Implementing Inpulse has made teams aware of their impact on profitability, and professionalized them.

Our managers are former multi-skilled employees whom we have trained in-house. Hence the importance of having an intelligent tool to help them improve their skills in business forecasting, raw materials management and supplier ordering.

Thanks to Inpulse, we were able to pass on instructions, and in concrete terms we brought them face to face with the realities in terms of figures. Our staff didn't realize the importance of recipe cards. We need to educate them and make them aware that they are a stakeholder in the success of the business. The price of a donut starts at 2.50 euros with us, so 10 centimes of extra topping is important. 

This then led us to equip ourselves with measuring glasses and spoons to help us stick to our recipes. It's this kind of detail that makes all the difference: if you lose 5% of the jar each time, you increase your losses. This was very well received internally, they understood, they didn't have in mind the importance of food cost. 

I use the Inpulse analysis tool once a week, while the managers use it daily for forecasts, supplier orders, loss feedback, as well as inventories, which are carried out twice a week." 

Better management of production and staffing

"We grew to over 550,000 donuts sold in 2022, when we decided to operate with a laboratory that creates the donut dough and delivers to our branches. We should exceed 800,000 donuts in 2023.

At each point of sale, we have a team that gets up early in the morning to prepare the day's doughnuts, so the fillings and toppings are made directly in the store. We use the Inpulse forecast to produce, and the preparers follow the product mix: XX Donut A, X Donuts B etc. In the past, we sometimes closed too early, and by 5 p.m. we'd sold out. Inpulse has enabled us to put an end to stock-outs.

We realized that forecasts were the entry point for many things, so we gradually extended the use of Inpulse forecasts to laboratory production, boutique production and staffing. Staffing is a crucial subject: we need to forecast the right number of people in the boutique to be profitable, based on sales forecasts. Then, either I've sold out, which often happens, or we run special promotions to speed up sales at the end of the day.

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‍ If you'd like to see a demonstration of Inpulse, ask for an appointment with an expert today to discover what Inpulse can do for you.