Case Study: Chef
Dreams come true for Italian chef
Andrea Vignali’s weekly pasta menu allows him to fulfil a lifelong dream of opening a restaurant and enoteca.
Snapshot
Who: Al Dente
Food business segment: Professional Chefs
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Andrea Vignali established Al Dente, a weekly pasta delivery service run via Cookaborough, then a thriving restaurant and enoteca.
Situation
Al Dente was originally started as a means to support Vignale himself and other international visa holders working in hospitality during the start of COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne. The success of the weekly artisan pasta menu via Cookaborough allowed Andrea to dream big and plan for a bricks and mortar restaurant and enoteca.
Solution
Fast forward 18 months and Andrea has joined forces with Davide Bonadiman, as their joint vision came together to take Al Dente to the next level. Melbournians rallied to support the duo and the business went from strength to strength. Together through their talent and hard work, this side hustle has evolved into a distinguished bricks and mortar Al Dente Enoteca, with a weekly menu via Cookaborough being an essential mainstay throughout the increasingly unpredictable nature of hospitality.
Business Highlights
Consistent Income
The increasingly unpredictable nature of hospitality allows Al Dente Enoteca to thrive due
to the reliability of its weekly service and a consistent 80 orders per week.
Batch Model
For Andrea, having a system to power a weekly batch model meant that he could focus people and cooking. It also meant that he can dial it all down when he needs to and ramp it up when he needs to – he’s totally in control.
Loyal Customers
The relationship built between Andrea and his loyal community was possible due to his constant social media presence and ability to connect to customers directly. Al Dente’s weekly changing menu keeps loyal customers engaged and marketing tools allow loyal customers to be rewarded and attract new ones.
Creativity
Andrea passionately built the Al Dente brand over social media – handmade pasta made by a passionate Italian pasta chef with impressive credentials. Al Dente’s team can keep their creative juices flowing with a constantly changing weekly menu.
"Cookaborough’s like a magical tool in my pocket. I can be totally in control – of when, what and how much I cook, and I can also switch it on or off when I need to without any fees."
— Andrea, Al Dente
Key Features
A few features of the Cookaborough platform were of particularly high value to Al Dente for building its business, driving sales and creating a smooth and efficient weekly process.
