Why I Build Systems While Still in Operations

People sometimes ask how I run operations and build software at the same time. The answer is simple: I'm still in the field. I didn't leave hospitality or operations-I added building systems and products to what I do. That's the whole point. The software and consulting come from seeing the same friction every day.

I've spent 18+ years in hospitality and operations-14+ as an Executive Chef. I still operate in real environments. What I saw was manual work, fragmented communication, and operational blind spots eating time and profit. So I started building tools to fix those problems-while still running operations.

The Turning Point

Picture this: It's 11:30 PM on a Friday night. I'm sitting in my office, manually counting inventory for the third time this week. My wife has texted me three times asking when I'm coming home. My kids are already asleep, and I've missed another family dinner.

After 18+ years in the industry and 14 years as an Executive Chef, I realized something had to change. I was spending more time managing inventory and paperwork than actually cooking and creating amazing food experiences. The manual processes that had worked for years were now holding me back from what I loved most about being a chef.

"I became a chef because I love creating amazing food experiences. Instead, I was becoming a glorified data entry clerk."

The Food Waste Problem

But here's what really killed me: the food waste. Every single day, I watched perfectly good food get thrown away because there was no efficient way to connect it with people who needed it. We'd have 50 pounds of fresh vegetables that were going to expire tomorrow, and I had no idea how to get them to a local shelter or food bank.

I tried everything. Phone calls to charities. Posting on Facebook groups. Even driving around town myself to drop off food. But it was impossible to coordinate at scale. The system was broken, and I was tired of watching good food go to waste while people in my community went hungry.

The Lightbulb Moment

One night, after another 14-hour day, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot, too exhausted to drive home. I started thinking about all the problems I faced every day:

• Manual inventory tracking that took hours
• No way to efficiently redistribute surplus food
• Constant stress about falling behind
• Missing family time because of paperwork

And then it hit me: what if I could build an app that solved these problems? Not just for me, but for every restaurant, grocery store, and food business that was struggling with the same issues.

Learning to Code at 40

I'll be honest - the idea of learning to code at 40 was terrifying. I had zero technical background. The last time I'd done anything with computers was playing Solitaire on Windows 95.

But I was desperate. I started with YouTube tutorials. Then online courses. I spent every spare moment (and there weren't many) learning JavaScript, React, and mobile app development. My wife thought I'd lost my mind.

Six months later, I had a working prototype of ShareTable - an app that connects restaurants with surplus food to local charities and people in need. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

Building While Operating

I didn't leave operations to build software. I built software because I was still in operations and saw the same problems everywhere-inventory, food waste, coordination, visibility. Building ShareTable, RentRight, and CaterOS was the way to scale the fix.

The work is demanding: running operations and building products in parallel. But that's the advantage. The tools we ship are the ones we need. The consulting we do is grounded in how work actually gets done.

ShareTable started getting traction. Restaurants were using it. Food was being redistributed instead of wasted. People were getting fed. And I was finally solving the problems that had kept me up at night for years.

Why I'm Sharing This

I'm writing this because there are operators and business owners drowning in manual work-watching time disappear on tasks that could be structured or automated. I'm still one of them in many ways. I build systems and software because I see the same friction you do, and I'd rather fix it than work around it.

There is a better way. And you don't have to learn to code to find it. That's why I started XenoSoft Solutions - to help other businesses automate the processes that are eating up their time and keeping them from doing what they actually love.

If you're reading this and thinking "this sounds like my life," let's talk. I've been exactly where you are, and I know there's a way out.