Reimagining Food Waste with Matt Whiley

“Business and a drink at Re share a synergy. We spend so much time making our drinks over and over again to get it right. And it’s the same with a business.”

Matt Whiley has always seen the world a little differently. Unbeknownst to himself, the drives he once took with his grandfather in the English countryside would eventually inspire the world’s first zero-waste cocktail bar. “We’d drive to the local country supermarket and when they’d closed for the day they would throw out bread and all kinds of food waste. One day we got bananas and I thought it was the grossest thing ever, but then when we sat in the garden eating banana sandwiches everything tasted as it should.”

Today Matt is a sustainability connoisseur, and Re, a Sydney cocktail bar redefining the approach to waste—with a mission to not generate waste even before produce enters the venue—is shaping change for many to come.

“To this day I see everyone who walks into the bar as an eight-year-old me - ready to re-think how they see food waste.”

— Matt Whiley, Owner, Re

Matt Whiley

Intrinsically Integrated

From kitchen displays to table-side payments and everything in between. Purposefully built hardware that looks good on the counter allows Re to continue to focus on innovation.

  • No need for servers to carry around bulky screens - Square Terminal is slick and portable.
  • Square Terminal allows Re to take orders at the table and send them straight to the kitchen. Improving efficiency and order times.
  • Offer transparent customer interactions at the bar with Square Register’s dual screen setup.

“Square plays a massive role in everything we do at Re, we have a big space so using Square Terminal to take orders at the table allows us to put an order through instantly, and the bar staff can start making it before the servers even get back to the counter.”

⁠⁠— Matt Whiley,
    Owner, Re

Built to serve with speed and transparency

In a fast-paced environment, Re couldn’t rely on traditional paper dockets or a sluggish point-of-sale system. Square for Restaurants brings together every element of their service and allows them to transfer their funds when they need it most.

  • Go paperless with digital tickets on Square KDS and the ability to email or text receipts to customers.
  • Synchronise your kitchen with multiple KDS displays, one for the chef and one for the bar staff.
  • Get your funds instantly, in one to two days or on a custom close-of-day schedule – with little or no fees.*
  • Speed up operations with reports that give you insights on prep times and more.

“We used to generate so much paper waste from printing dockets. Since we’ve used Square KDS we’ve eliminated all paper waste entirely. At the end of the night you look at the recycling and there’s nothing in there - it’s amazing!”

⁠⁠— Matt Whiley,
    Owner, Re

The next move is yours with a small business loan

“You don’t have to go through this big, scary process. It’s like, this is what the offer is and it comes off your revenue as a percentage. So you always know that it’s being paid off and that you are doing the right thing by your business.”

Customisable loan offers to match their vision have allowed Re to expand its prep space and diversify its revenue streams by adding a designated takeaway space.

  • Eligibility comes down to your unique business data. Take payments with Square, and our algorithm may create loan offers based on your Square sales, payment frequency, and new and regular customers, among other criteria.**
  • Choose how much you wish to apply for (up to your max offer).
  • If approved, receive your funds as soon as the next business day.
  • Customisable offers to match your vision — designed to be paid back with confidence.
  • Repay as you trade with daily deductions.

Learn more about:

loans icon Square Loans

“If we hadn’t added new revenue streams—especially through Covid—we wouldn’t have survived. So adding a takeaway business that was successful with our Square Loan and having online orders through Square saved us.”

— Matt Whiley,
    Owner, Re

We’re here for you

Visit these additional Square resources for more information or get in touch with questions.

*Instant transfers require a linked, eligible bank account and cost a fee per transfer. Funds are subject to your bank’s availability schedule. Up to $5,000 AUD per day. The minimum you can transfer is $5.

** All loans are issued by Square AU Pty Ltd. (ABN 38 167 106 176). Valid Australian bank account is required. Actual fee depends upon payment card processing history, loan amount and other eligibility factors. A minimum payment of 1/18th of the initial loan balance is required every 60 days and full loan repayment is required within 18 months. Loan eligibility is not guaranteed. Eligibility criteria include consistent and continuous payment card processing through Square. All loans are subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply.