#Ep: 85 How The Software Company Hotplate Is Helping More Bakers Have Pop Up Success

Summary

Episode #85: How The Software Company Hotplate Is Helping More Bakers Have Pop Up Success

Baking for Business Podcast – Hosted by Chef Amanda Schonberg

Introduction

In episode #85 of the Baking for Business podcast, Chef Amanda Schonberg engages with Rishi, co-founder of Hotplate, a software company revolutionizing the way bakers and food entrepreneurs manage their businesses. Released on August 21, 2024, this episode explores how Hotplate is enabling home-based bakers and cottage food operators to achieve pop-up success and scale their ventures efficiently.

Background of Hotplate

Rishi begins by sharing the personal and cultural inspirations behind Hotplate. Coming from a Gujarati Indian background, he witnessed firsthand the importance of authentic home-cooked meals in fostering family bonds. This experience, combined with his passion for food, led to the creation of Hotplate.

“At [01:53], Rishi explains:

“My mom had this idea for a marketplace of home cooked food because she was trying to find authentic Gujarati Indian food. I thought, why is there no easy way to access the regional cuisine that I grew up eating?”

Hotplate initially launched as a marketplace to address this gap but had to pivot quickly due to unforeseen circumstances.

Pivot During COVID-19

The pandemic struck Hotplate’s early operations in March 2020, coinciding with the global COVID-19 crisis. This period highlighted the vulnerabilities of traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants and the inefficiencies of third-party delivery apps, which often took a hefty 20-35% commission on sales.

“At [03:33], Rishi shares:

“COVID really exposed some of the flaws, like the brick and mortar business model. When people stopped coming in person and started buying food online, restaurants were really hurt by that.”

Recognizing a shift in consumer behavior toward online ordering and home-based food sales, Hotplate pivoted from a marketplace to an online ordering platform tailored for pop-up chefs and bakers. This strategic shift allowed Hotplate to focus on providing backend tools that streamline order management, prep lists, packing, and automated communications.

Key Features of Hotplate

Hotplate offers a suite of features designed to give chefs and bakers greater control over their businesses:

Event-Based Ordering: Hotplate allows users to set up specific events (e.g., weekly porch pickups, farmer’s market sales) with automated opening and closing times. This flexibility prevents overselling and ensures that businesses can manage their inventory efficiently.

“With Hotplate, you can create an event called like, Weekly Porch Pickup. You can set when you want your orders to open and close automatically.” [11:26]
Inventory Management: Users can limit the quantity of each item, ensuring that once a product is sold out, it remains unavailable, thus avoiding customer disappointment and inventory issues.

“You can set specific dates, times, and locations... And you can set up your menu items, inventory and restrictions to your point, just for that sale.” [13:20]
SMS Integration: Hotplate’s SMS feature allows chefs to communicate directly with their customers, notifying them of new sales and ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional email marketing.

“When you create a Hot Plate storefront, customers can actually go to your storefront, put their phone number in, and they'll get a text when orders open.” [14:03]
Prep and Packing Lists: Automatically generating prep lists based on incoming orders saves chefs significant time and reduces the risk of errors in production planning.

“Hotplate actually automatically generates a prep list that tells you exactly what you need to make for each day and time.” [21:03]

Benefits to Bakers and Food Entrepreneurs

Amanda and Rishi discuss the significant advantages Hotplate offers to a diverse range of users, from home-based bakers to seasoned restaurateurs. Hotplate not only reduces reliance on high-commission third-party platforms but also enhances profit margins by allowing direct customer interactions and pre-sold orders.

At [06:22], Amanda highlights:

“This model is a game changer because it gives me control, it allows me to do what I want, which is focus on the food and not have to deal with all the fixed costs or added labor that comes with starting a brick and mortar business.”

Rishi adds that Hotplate has transformed how chefs think about starting and scaling their businesses, enabling higher profit margins akin to software businesses.

“We’ve grown to serving thousands of chefs across the country and processing millions of dollars of payments for people, whether they're selling one loaf of bread or they're like a viral popup, like pop up bagels in New York.” [05:53]

Future Plans and Vision

Looking ahead, Rishi shares Hotplate’s plans to enhance two-way customer communication, making interactions more seamless and efficient. Additionally, Hotplate aims to increase awareness of the online pop-up model, encouraging more diversity and accessibility in the food industry.

“At [24:29], Rishi states:

“We really think Hotplate can contribute to a more diverse and accessible food industry, where anyone can share and showcase the cuisines they grew up eating.”

He underscores the importance of democratizing the food business model, allowing diverse culinary traditions to thrive without the constraints of traditional restaurant operations.

Conclusion

Amanda wraps up the episode by emphasizing the transformative impact Hotplate has on the baking and food entrepreneurship community. She highlights success stories and the platform’s ability to consolidate customer communication and order management, making it an invaluable tool for bakers and food entrepreneurs.

Amanda concludes: “With Hot Plate, you collect subscribers that you can text while you post your sales, all on one particular software that is free to get started. So you can check the show notes and learn more about Hot Plate yourself.”

Notable Quotes

Rishi on the inspiration behind Hotplate:

“Hotplate was a way to solve that problem for her and others like her.” [01:53]
Amanda on the benefits of Hotplate’s model:

“This model is a game changer because it gives me control, it allows me to do what I want, which is focus on the food and not have to deal with all the fixed costs or added labor that comes with starting a brick and mortar business.” [06:22]
Rishi on customer communication via SMS:

“When you create a Hot Plate storefront, customers can actually go to your storefront, put their phone number in, and they'll get a text when orders open.” [14:03]
Rishi on the future vision:

“We really think Hotplate can contribute to a more diverse and accessible food industry, where anyone can share and showcase the cuisines they grew up eating.” [24:29]

Final Thoughts

Episode #85 offers an in-depth look into how Hotplate is reshaping the landscape for bakers and food entrepreneurs. By providing tools that enhance control, reduce costs, and streamline operations, Hotplate emerges as a crucial resource for those looking to thrive in the competitive food industry. Listeners are encouraged to explore Hotplate’s offerings through the show notes to elevate their own baking businesses.

Summary

Episode #85: How The Software Company Hotplate Is Helping More Bakers Have Pop Up Success

Baking for Business Podcast – Hosted by Chef Amanda Schonberg

Introduction

Background of Hotplate

“At [01:53], Rishi explains:

“My mom had this idea for a marketplace of home cooked food because she was trying to find authentic Gujarati Indian food. I thought, why is there no easy way to access the regional cuisine that I grew up eating?”

Hotplate initially launched as a marketplace to address this gap but had to pivot quickly due to unforeseen circumstances.

Pivot During COVID-19

“At [03:33], Rishi shares:

“COVID really exposed some of the flaws, like the brick and mortar business model. When people stopped coming in person and started buying food online, restaurants were really hurt by that.”

Key Features of Hotplate

Hotplate offers a suite of features designed to give chefs and bakers greater control over their businesses:

Event-Based Ordering: Hotplate allows users to set up specific events (e.g., weekly porch pickups, farmer’s market sales) with automated opening and closing times. This flexibility prevents overselling and ensures that businesses can manage their inventory efficiently.

“With Hotplate, you can create an event called like, Weekly Porch Pickup. You can set when you want your orders to open and close automatically.” [11:26]
Inventory Management: Users can limit the quantity of each item, ensuring that once a product is sold out, it remains unavailable, thus avoiding customer disappointment and inventory issues.

“You can set specific dates, times, and locations... And you can set up your menu items, inventory and restrictions to your point, just for that sale.” [13:20]
SMS Integration: Hotplate’s SMS feature allows chefs to communicate directly with their customers, notifying them of new sales and ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates compared to traditional email marketing.

“When you create a Hot Plate storefront, customers can actually go to your storefront, put their phone number in, and they'll get a text when orders open.” [14:03]
Prep and Packing Lists: Automatically generating prep lists based on incoming orders saves chefs significant time and reduces the risk of errors in production planning.

“Hotplate actually automatically generates a prep list that tells you exactly what you need to make for each day and time.” [21:03]

Benefits to Bakers and Food Entrepreneurs

At [06:22], Amanda highlights:

“This model is a game changer because it gives me control, it allows me to do what I want, which is focus on the food and not have to deal with all the fixed costs or added labor that comes with starting a brick and mortar business.”

Rishi adds that Hotplate has transformed how chefs think about starting and scaling their businesses, enabling higher profit margins akin to software businesses.

“We’ve grown to serving thousands of chefs across the country and processing millions of dollars of payments for people, whether they're selling one loaf of bread or they're like a viral popup, like pop up bagels in New York.” [05:53]

Future Plans and Vision

“At [24:29], Rishi states:

“We really think Hotplate can contribute to a more diverse and accessible food industry, where anyone can share and showcase the cuisines they grew up eating.”

He underscores the importance of democratizing the food business model, allowing diverse culinary traditions to thrive without the constraints of traditional restaurant operations.

Conclusion

Amanda concludes: “With Hot Plate, you collect subscribers that you can text while you post your sales, all on one particular software that is free to get started. So you can check the show notes and learn more about Hot Plate yourself.”

Notable Quotes

Rishi on the inspiration behind Hotplate:

“Hotplate was a way to solve that problem for her and others like her.” [01:53]
Amanda on the benefits of Hotplate’s model:

“This model is a game changer because it gives me control, it allows me to do what I want, which is focus on the food and not have to deal with all the fixed costs or added labor that comes with starting a brick and mortar business.” [06:22]
Rishi on customer communication via SMS:

“When you create a Hot Plate storefront, customers can actually go to your storefront, put their phone number in, and they'll get a text when orders open.” [14:03]
Rishi on the future vision:

“We really think Hotplate can contribute to a more diverse and accessible food industry, where anyone can share and showcase the cuisines they grew up eating.” [24:29]

Final Thoughts

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