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Barge East is no ordinary restaurant. Anchored on a 125-year-old Dutch barge in East London, it offers a dining experience with a hyperlocal twist. The restaurant is surrounded by produce gardens that supply the kitchen with 45+ herbs and vegetables - all grown on-site.
The business also includes Barge East Gardens, a more casual, street-food concept, and a sister business: Skuna Boats, offering hot tub, BBQ, and sauna boat experiences in Canary Wharf.
But running a hospitality business on water comes with its own set of challenges — especially when weather, seasonality, and rising costs collide.
The Challenge: Small spaces, unpredictable weather, and rising labour costs.
Operating a venue on a barge means tight storage, complex logistics, and a major dependency on weather. When the sun’s out, business booms. When it rains, bookings drop fast.
On top of that, Tommo (co-founder of Barge East) and his team were juggling multiple disconnected systems - using fragmented rota platforms & stock systems as well as spreadsheets - none of which spoke to each other or the POS system.
“We had all these tools that didn’t talk to each other. It made things harder for new staff and time-consuming for managers.”
Tommo, Founder at Barge East
The team needed a single system to unify operations, improve forecasting, and get control over staffing costs — especially with National Insurance increases putting added pressure on margins.
The Solution
Nory gave the Barge East team a single platform to manage everything: shift scheduling, stock counts, labour tracking, and real-time sales forecasting - all in one place.
Now, every team member uses Nory in their day-to-day. Staff clock in, check shifts, and request holidays through Nory. Managers handle stock, GPs, rotas, and reporting. And Tommo oversees performance across both Barge East and Skuna Boats — with full visibility at any time.
“Nory has become the backbone of our operations.”
Tommo, Founder at Barge East
The Impact
With Nory, Barge East has reduced labour costs by up to 10% - a crucial saving amid rising industry costs. Managers now schedule smarter, using real-time, weather-based forecasts to match staffing to demand more accurately.
Operations are faster and more focused. Managers save 4–5 hours a week thanks to Nory replacing spreadsheets and scattered tools. That time goes straight back into running better service and supporting the team.
“Nory helps us schedule the right number of staff at the right time. It’s helped us cut labour costs by 10% in some areas,” says Tommo.
What’s next?
Barge East is planning to expand - with ambitions to launch East London’s first vineyard and grow the Skuna Boats experience across the UK. Nory will remain a core part of the journey, helping the team scale smartly, profitably, and sustainably.
“Success for us is twofold: happy guests, and a business that runs profitably. Nory helps us do both.”
Tommo, Founder at Barge East