Now accepting early access applications

We save you money on the problems you can't see.

A clear, jargon-free report built for busy cafes.
Delivered to your inbox every Monday morning.

Join the Waitlist How It Works
Early Access Open
8Employ
Weekly Report - The Copper Kettle
Report Engine
Live
Revenue
↑ £2,847
Waste
£143
Rating
4.7 ★
Health Score 87 / 100
💡 Reduce Monday avocado orders by 6 units - save £18/wk
South Wales Swansea-based team
UK GDPR Fully compliant
Every Monday Report delivery
Cancel anytime No lock-in contracts
The Problem

Running a business shouldn't mean guessing

"Most local businesses are sitting on data they never look at."

01

You're busy. The numbers pile up.

Between the lunch rush, the evening service, and everything in between. Who has time to figure out where the money actually went? Most owners are running on gut feel.

02

Your data is there, and nobody is reading it.

Your till, your Google reviews, your stock sheets. They're full of signals. But without someone to make sense of them, it's just noise at the end of a long week.

03

Generic advice doesn't fit your business.

Spreadsheet templates and business courses weren't built for a 12-table cafe in Swansea. You need recommendations specific to your menu, your customers, and your costs.

Is This For You?

Built for busy hospitality owners who'd rather cook than count.

You run a cafe, pub, restaurant, bar, or takeaway in South Wales

You know your data matters but never have time to look at it

You want clear, specific advice, not generic business tips

You'd rather someone else handle the numbers

If that sounds like you, keep scrolling.

The Process

How It Works

Four simple steps. No technical knowledge needed. We handle everything.

1

Tell us about your business

A quick chat with one of our team. We learn about your setup, your goals, and what you'd like to understand better. No forms, no tech knowledge needed.

2

We connect to your data

We'll walk you through connecting your data sources. Your POS, Google account, spreadsheets. We guide you through every step, and most businesses are set up in under 10 minutes.

3

Your report lands on your schedule

A clear PDF arrives in your inbox before you open the doors. What happened, what it means, and what to do next.

4

Act on it, see the difference

Each recommendation includes a projected saving or gain. Follow them and track the difference. We show you what's working each week.

What's Inside

What's In Your Weekly Report

Six sections of clear, practical insight. Tailored to your business every week.

Headline Dashboard

Four big numbers at a glance: weekly revenue, waste cost, Google rating, and a health score out of 100.

Week-on-Week Change

Instant comparison to last week and the same week last year so you can spot trends and seasonality at a glance.

Top 3 Priorities

Your most time-sensitive actions listed first, ranked by estimated revenue impact so you know exactly what to tackle Monday morning.

Revenue Snapshot

Total weekly revenue with a daily bar chart breakdown showing your best and quietest trading days.

Business Health Score

A 0-100 score combining your sales performance, waste efficiency, and reputation into one clear number.

Alerts & Flags

Automatic flags for anything unusual - a sudden drop in covers, a spike in waste, or a cluster of negative reviews.

Daily Revenue Chart

A clear day-by-day breakdown of your sales for the week, with comparison to your weekly average.

Best & Worst Sellers

Your top 5 products by revenue and units sold, and the bottom 5 that are dragging down your margins.

Average Transaction Value

Track how much customers are spending per visit, and whether upselling is working week-on-week.

Dine-in vs Delivery Split

Revenue breakdown by channel so you can see where your growth is really coming from.

Peak Hours Analysis

Hourly sales heatmap showing when you're busiest and when you're running staff for nothing.

Margin Insights

If you share your cost data, we'll calculate your gross margin per category and flag where you're losing profit.

Waste by Category

Food waste broken down by category (produce, dairy, meat) with the real cost of each and the week's total.

Week-on-Week Waste Trend

Is waste improving or getting worse? A rolling 4-week chart makes the trend impossible to ignore.

Order Suggestions

'Cut weekday bacon order by 12 rashers.' Specific reorder adjustments based on what you're actually using.

Cost of Waste

Total cost of wasted stock for the week, month, and rolling 12-week average - so you can see the real financial impact.

Over-Order Flags

Items ordered significantly more than consumed are flagged automatically, with a suggested reduction quantity.

Sustainability Score

A simple 0-10 waste efficiency score so you can track environmental improvement alongside financial savings.

Covers by Day

Number of covers for each day of the week with comparison to the previous week and your rolling average.

Peak Hours Heatmap

A visual heatmap showing which hours are busiest across the week. Essential for staff scheduling.

No-Show Rate

Track how many booked covers don't show up and whether it's trending in the right direction.

Promotion Ideas

"Wednesday covers are 40% below your weekly average - consider a midweek set menu deal." Actionable, not vague.

Repeat Booking Rate

What percentage of your covers are returning customers? Tracked week-on-week so you can see loyalty building.

Lead Time Analysis

How far in advance are people booking? Helps you plan staffing and prep more accurately.

Current Rating & Trend

Your live Google rating with a rolling chart showing whether it's moving up, down, or holding steady.

New Reviews This Week

Every new review summarised, with the full text of any 1-2 star reviews so nothing slips through the net.

Sentiment Breakdown

Positive, neutral, and negative split for the week, with the most-mentioned words in each category.

AI-Drafted Responses

Ready-to-post responses for every new review - professional, on-brand, and personalised to each review's content.

Most-Mentioned Topics

Word cloud of what customers talk about most - so you know what's landing and what needs fixing.

Review Request Campaign

Automated follow-up messages to recent customers, asking for a Google review at the right moment.

Top Priority Action

"Reduce Monday avocado orders by 6 units - estimated saving £18/week, £936/year." The biggest-impact action, clearly stated.

Revenue Opportunity

"Wednesday lunch covers 40% below average - a set menu deal at £12.95 could add ~£340/week." Always with an estimated figure.

Reputation Action

"3 unanswered 1-star reviews mention wait times. Respond using the drafted replies in Section 5 this week."

Watch This Week

One thing to keep an eye on - a rising trend, a new competitor, or a metric that's nearly hitting a threshold.

Last Week's Results

Did you act on last week's top recommendation? We track whether the predicted improvement materialised.

This Week's Focus

One clear priority for the week - so even the busiest business owner knows exactly where to direct their energy.

Early Access Open

Join early. We'll make it worth your while.

We're working with a small number of South Wales businesses to fine-tune our service.

1
First month free

We learn your business first. That month is on us.

2
50% off for 3 months

Half price when your paid plan starts. No catch.

3
Priority support

Direct line to our team. You go to the front of the queue.

4
Shape what we build

Early members have a direct say in what comes next.

Join the Waitlist →
Pricing

Flexible plans for every business

Three plans, one clear promise. Pricing will be confirmed at launch. Early access members get 50% off their first three months.

Starter

To Be Confirmed

Guided
  • Weekly report delivered every Monday
  • Revenue and waste tracking
  • Prioritised weekly actions
  • Setup guidance and onboarding
  • Monthly email check-in
Join the Waitlist
Most Popular

Growth

To Be Confirmed

Managed
  • Everything in Starter
  • Google reputation monitoring
  • Choose your report delivery day
  • Fortnightly check-in call
  • Proactive performance alerts
Join the Waitlist

Premium

To Be Confirmed

Dedicated
  • Everything in Growth
  • AI recommendations
  • On-demand reports (48h turnaround)
  • Named account manager
  • Quarterly strategy review
Join the Waitlist
Join Us

Reserve your spot.

Join the waitlist and one of our team will be in touch within 48 hours. No commitment, no pressure.

Business type
Cafe
Pub
Restaurant
Bar
Takeaway
Other
Message sent! We'll be in touch within 48 hours.
The Team

The people behind 8Employ

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Built at Swansea University

Three undergraduates from Swansea who saw the same problem in every cafe, pub, and restaurant they walked into: valuable business data sitting untouched. So we built something to change that.

Z

Zak Armitage

AI Systems & Strategy
BSc Business Management (Finance) - Swansea University

Designs the AI systems behind our reports - connecting business data to clear, actionable insights.

Max Field

Max Field

Software Engineering
BSc Computer Science - Swansea University

Builds the platform end-to-end - frontend, backend, and deployment - so clients get a polished, reliable experience.

S

Saul French

Business Development
BSc Zoology - Swansea University

The face of 8Employ. Meets business owners, understands their challenges, and makes sure what we build solves real problems.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What kind of data do you need from me?

Typically your sales data from your POS system (Square, iZettle, Lightspeed), plus access to your Google Business Profile. If you track stock or bookings in a spreadsheet, we can use that too. We'll guide you through the whole setup.

Is my data secure?

We take data security seriously. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, processed in line with UK GDPR principles, and we only access what's needed to generate your reports. We never share your data with third parties.

How long does setup take?

We'll arrange a quick call and walk you through connecting your data sources. Most businesses are up and running within a day.

Do I need to install any software?

No. Your report is delivered as a PDF straight to your inbox every Monday morning. There's nothing to install, no app to download, and no dashboard to log into - unless you're on the Premium plan, which includes an optional interactive dashboard.

What if I don't have a POS system?

That's fine. If you track sales in a spreadsheet, a notebook, or even till receipts, we can work with that. We'll find the simplest way to get your data into our system with minimal effort on your end.

Can I cancel at any time?

Yes. We don't lock you into long contracts. We'd rather earn your business every month by delivering genuine value than hold you to a commitment. Cancel with 30 days' notice, no questions asked.

When do you officially launch?

We're onboarding a small number of South Wales businesses right now as part of our early access programme. Join the waitlist and we'll be in touch to get you started.

What's the free first month about?

We spend the first month getting to know your business inside out. Your quiet days, your busy periods, your best-sellers. We think it's only fair that month is on us.