Case Study (In Progress): How a TVL Systems Audit Is Streamlining Garden of Edith + Jus' Tacos
- Martine Dardignac
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
The Business
Garden of Edith operates a flower shop and a growing taquería/catering arm (Jus' Tacos) with two brands, one small team. Orders were split across platforms (Wix website + Square in-person/catering), and inventory lived mostly in people’s heads and text threads.
The Challenge
Double systems = double work. Orders and payments came through both Wix and Square, creating confusion and monitoring overhead. “You have to monitor two different systems… pay for two different systems,” which also complicates fulfillment order-of-operations.
No unified ticket printing. Wix orders weren’t printing; Square was—so the “kitchen” couldn’t run a single queue.
Inventory by memory. Restocking happened ad-hoc, via last-minute texts, not thresholds.
Tool fit. Tools must match the owner’s way of working; otherwise they gather dust.
The Plan (90 days):
Phase 1 (0–30 d): Connect Square to site so every order prints to the same queue; list all SKUs with pars; set 2 weekly restock windows.
Phase 2 (31–60 d): Choose an inventory tool that integrates with Square; add recipes/yields so sales auto-trigger reorder thresholds.
Phase 3 (61–90 d): Review Square reports; cut low sellers; adjust pars for seasonality and event spikes.
Expected Impact & Early Signals:
One queue → fewer missed/late orders.
Pars + thresholds → fewer emergency runs.
Recipes + yields → clearer COGS and smarter pricing. (We’ll share numbers after the first 30/60/90-day checks.)
What we’ll measure: Missed/late orders • Emergency restocks • COGS % • Admin hours • # of systems monitored.
What We Did
Consolidated the order flow. Keep the Wix site but connect Square to it so all orders funnel to one place, use the existing Square printer, and standardize fees. Result: one queue, fewer misses, cleaner reporting.
Implemented inventory software. Recommend a restaurant inventory tool (e.g., Restaurant365) tied to Square so stock-in, recipes/yields, and sales flow together. “What’s in stock… what’s out of stock… and when we need to replace it.”
Set automated thresholds + restock cadence. Add par levels per SKU, auto-generate a grocery/purveyor list every 3–7 days so the buyer isn’t relying on memory.
Link inventory to sales reality. Use yields (e.g., “20 lbs pork + 3 lbs lettuce ≈ 500 tacos”) to trigger reorders when you hit the remaining-units threshold, then review weekly/monthly averages for seasonality.
Time-block the owner calendar. Ops work only happens when it’s scheduled—priorities by week/day, then delegate.
“The system is the plan. The tools you use are the things that automate the plan.”
Early Wins to Expect
Fewer missed/late orders because every ticket prints to one queue.
Cleaner COGS visibility (meat/produce/packaging/cleaning) and recipe costing, enabling smart price updates.
Less “emergency shopping.” Thresholds + scheduled restock = fewer mid-shift supply runs.
Better cash planning by consolidating fees and reporting in one payment system.
Owner Playbook (Steal This)
Record your day end-to-end once (video or voice) to capture the real workflow.
List every SKU + par level (meat, produce, dairy, packaging, cleaning).
Choose the tool that fits you, not the internet’s favorite. Test, then commit.
Review reports weekly → adjust menus quarterly. Use Square reports to prune low sellers and double down on winners.
"Working with The Vendor Lab has been one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business. They helped me build a customized system to better understand how much produce I need, track what I’ve sold, and organize my time more efficiently." ~Edith V, Owner
Want a TVL Systems Audit for your studio, shop, or catering arm? Book a consult and let’s make the backend the easiest part of your business.