AncoatsMD
Management dashboard and back-office system for Ancoats Deli, Manchester.
What Is This?
AncoatsMD is a custom-built management system designed to help Ancoats Deli run more efficiently. It gives the owner complete oversight of daily operations while empowering managers to handle the day-to-day without constant check-ins.
Current Modules
- Mystery Diner — Collect and review anonymous customer feedback
- End of Day Reports — Financial reconciliation, staff, highlights, issues
- Cleaning/SOP Checklists — Opening and closing task management
- Marketing Analysis — SWOT, strategy, competitive landscape
Quick Links
- Dashboard — Main app (login required)
- Public Mystery Diner Form — Share with mystery diners
- GitHub Repository
- Ancoats Deli Website
Login Credentials
Owner Access
Username: owner / PIN: 1234
Full access: edit templates, review feedback, add notes, view all data
Manager Access
Username: manager / PIN: 5678
Day-to-day: submit EODs, complete checklists, enter mystery diner visits
⚠️ Change these default PINs before going live with real staff!
Business Profile
Understanding what Ancoats Deli is, what they sell, and what makes them different.
The Business
Ancoats Deli is an independent neighbourhood deli and licensed bar in Ancoats, one of Manchester's trendiest and fastest-growing food districts. Opened in 2024, it positions itself at the intersection of quality grab-and-go lunch and relaxed evening drinks.
Core Selling Points
🥪 Best-In-Class Sandwiches
The headline act. Generously filled, using quality breads from local bakeries. The Jambon Beurre and Reuben are standouts. The £7.50 lunch deal (sandwich + sides for £10) is killer value for the quality.
🧀 Serious Charcuterie
Proper boards with chorizo, serrano, manchego — sourced from specialists like Crafty Cheeseman. Boards for 2 or larger sharing platters. This is the evening pivot: sandwiches by day, boards by night.
🍷 Curated Drinks Programme
Not just a deli — fully licensed with orange wines, English sparkling, craft beers, Crodino Spritz, full Martini menu. This transforms a lunch spot into an all-day/evening destination.
🛒 Pantry & Bottle Shop
Retail revenue stream: jarred goods, pasta sauces, Torres crisps, pickles, fresh produce, small-batch beers. Customers browse while they eat — impulse buys on top of meals.
☀️ The Courtyard
Outdoor seating is gold in Manchester. On a sunny day, this alone drives footfall. It creates an atmosphere that no indoor-only competitor can match.
📍 The Location
Ancoats is Manchester's "it" neighbourhood for food. Being here means being on every "where to eat in Manchester" list. Built-in discovery from tourists and food bloggers.
Revenue Streams
Current
- Lunchtime food — Sandwiches, salads, grab-and-go (primary driver)
- Charcuterie & dine-in — Evening boards, wine, cocktails
- Retail/pantry — Shelf goods, bottle shop
- Coffee & morning trade — Breakfast menu
- Events — Wine tastings, party nights
- Commercial catering — Recently expanding into business lunches
What Makes Them Different
Ancoats Deli isn't trying to be a restaurant. It's a neighbourhood deli that happens to have incredible food and a proper bar. That's the magic — it's approachable, not pretentious. You can grab a £7.50 sandwich in 5 minutes or sit in the courtyard with a bottle of orange wine for 3 hours. Same space, completely different experiences.
Customer Analysis
Who shops and eats at Ancoats Deli, and what do they want?
Customer Personas
The Ancoats Office Worker
HIGH VALUE DAILY
25-40, works in one of the new Ancoats offices/co-working spaces. Wants a quality lunch that isn't Pret or a supermarket deal. Time-poor, willing to pay £7-10 for something genuinely good. Comes 3-5x per week. Grabs coffee in the morning, sandwich at lunch, sometimes a beer after work. This is the bread and butter customer (literally).
The Weekend Couple
MEDIUM VALUE WEEKEND
25-45, lives locally or in the Northern Quarter. Saturday afternoon vibe — sit in the courtyard, share a charcuterie board, split a bottle of wine. Browse the shelves, buy a jar of something nice on the way out. Higher spend per visit (£30-50) but once a week or fortnight. Discovers via Instagram or walking past.
The Food Tourist
MEDIUM VALUE SPORADIC
Any age, visiting Manchester or doing an "Ancoats food crawl." Found via TikTok, Manchester food blogs, or Google. One-off visit but takes photos, leaves reviews, shares on social. May buy a pantry item as a souvenir. Critical for reputation and organic marketing.
The Corporate Orderer
HIGH VALUE RECURRING
Office manager or EA ordering for meetings, team lunches, client entertaining. Wants quality that impresses but easy to order. Budgets £10-15 per head. Could be weekly recurring orders. This is the emerging high-growth segment.
The Local Regular
HIGH VALUE DAILY
Lives in the Ancoats apartments. Pops in for bread, milk, olives, a bottle of wine. Uses the deli as their corner shop. Lower per-visit spend but extremely frequent. Knows staff by name. Word-of-mouth ambassador.
Customer Insights
- Lunchtime is king — The £7.50 sandwich deal is the engine. Protect it at all costs
- Evening is the margin — Drinks and boards have higher margins. Growing the evening trade is the biggest lever
- Retail is the bonus — Pantry items are impulse buys that add £3-8 per visit with zero extra labour
- Reviews matter enormously — Food tourists decide based on Google/Instagram. Every 0.1 star matters
- Regulars build stability — A core of 50 daily regulars = financial security regardless of weather or tourism
Back Office Vision
Where AncoatsMD is heading — from a basic management tool to a complete back-office system.
The Problem
Running a deli involves dozens of daily decisions and tasks that currently live in the owner's head, WhatsApp messages, paper notebooks, and spreadsheets. Staff don't always know what's expected, the owner can't see what's happening without being there, and nothing is tracked over time to spot trends.
The Vision
AncoatsMD becomes the single source of truth for everything operational at Ancoats Deli. The owner opens one dashboard and knows exactly how the business is running — today, this week, this month. Managers have clear, guided processes for every shift. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Module Roadmap
Core Operations
The foundation: daily operations tracking and quality control.
- Mystery Diner — Customer feedback with editable templates
- End of Day Reports — Financial reconciliation + daily notes
- SOP Checklists — Opening/closing with completion tracking
- Marketing Analysis — SWOT + strategy overview
People & Stock Management
- Staff Rota & Timesheet — Shift scheduling, clock in/out, hours tracking
- Inventory Tracker — Key items stock levels, low-stock alerts, order reminders
- Supplier Contacts — Supplier directory with order days, lead times, minimums
- Waste Log — Track food waste by item to spot patterns and reduce costs
- Till Reconciliation — Compare card machine + cash vs expected (like textmess)
Catering & Pre-Orders
- Catering Order System — Take corporate catering orders with menus, quotes, scheduling
- Pre-Order / Click & Collect — Let office workers order lunch for collection
- Menu Management — Digital menu builder that syncs to website + in-store displays
- Event Manager — Plan, promote, and track events (wine tastings, supper clubs)
Data-Driven Decisions
- Sales Analytics — Revenue trends, best-selling items, peak hours, seasonal patterns
- Customer Insights — Mystery diner trends, review sentiment, repeat customer tracking
- Financial Dashboard — Revenue vs costs, margin tracking, cash flow forecasting
- Staff Performance — Shift efficiency, checklist completion rates, mystery diner scores by staff
- Automated Reports — Weekly/monthly summaries emailed to owner
Owner vs Manager View
👑 Owner Sees
- All data across all modules
- Edit all templates and settings
- Annotate and review submissions
- Analytics and trends over time
- Staff performance metrics
- Financial overview
- Alerts: issues flagged by managers, low stock, missed checklists
👷 Manager Sees
- Today's tasks: checklists, EOD to complete
- Submit reports and feedback
- View (not edit) templates
- Their own shift history
- Flag issues for owner attention
- Stock check prompts
- Catering orders for the day
Workflow Processes
How the daily, weekly, and monthly rhythms of the business map to AncoatsMD.
Daily Workflow — Opening Manager
Arrive & Login
Open AncoatsMD, login with manager PIN. System shows today's date, any owner notes from yesterday, any catering orders due.
Opening Checklist
Work through the Opening SOP — unlock, alarm, coffee machine, fridge temps, display setup, till float, courtyard. Tick each off as done. System timestamps everything.
Stock Quick-Check
Flag any items that are low or out. System adds to the order list. Owner gets notified if anything critical.
Prep & Serve
Business as usual — make sandwiches, serve customers, pour coffees.
Daily Workflow — Closing Manager
Closing Checklist
Work through all closing tasks — clean counters, mop floors, sanitise slicer, clean coffee machine, empty bins, check toilets, wrap and date prep, take out rubbish.
End of Day Report
Enter card machine reading, count cash in till, log total covers, note staff on shift. Write up any highlights ("sold out of Reubens by 2pm"), issues ("milk delivery didn't arrive"), food waste, stock problems.
Security
Check doors, windows, lock up, set alarm. Final checklist items.
Submit & Sign Off
Review everything, hit submit. Owner gets notified. Done.
Weekly Workflow — Owner
Monday Review
Review all EOD reports from the past week. Annotate anything that needs follow-up. Check mystery diner submissions. Review checklist completion rates — are closing tasks being done properly?
Midweek Check
Check stock levels, confirm supplier orders. Review any catering orders coming up. Check social media engagement.
Friday Planning
Plan weekend staffing. Update any SOP tasks if needed. Brief managers on weekend expectations. Plan social media content.
Monthly Workflow
- Financial review: Compare EOD card/cash totals against bank statements
- Mystery Diner trends: Scores improving or declining? Which categories need work?
- Waste analysis: What's being thrown out? Can prep quantities be adjusted?
- Menu review: What's selling, what isn't? Time for seasonal changes?
- Staff review: Any training needs? Checklist completion dropping?
- Marketing check: Social media growth, Google reviews, event planning for next month
Mystery Diner Workflow
Set Up
Owner customises the template questions — what matters most right now? Service speed? Cleanliness? Food quality?
Deploy
Share the link (ancoatsmd.kbot/#mystery-diner) with trusted friends, family, or a mystery diner service. They visit as a normal customer.
Submit
Diner fills in the form after their visit. Ratings, yes/no, free text. Takes 3-5 minutes.
Review
Owner reviews the submission. Adds private notes. Marks as "reviewed" then "actioned" when follow-up is complete.
Action
Address any issues found. Brief staff. Update SOPs if needed. Track improvement over time.
Module Guide
Detailed guide for each module in the system.
Mystery Diner
Purpose
Collect honest, structured feedback from real customers. Identify strengths to maintain and weaknesses to fix before they become bad reviews.
Default Template
16 questions covering: Service (greeting, menu knowledge, wait time), Food (quality, presentation, temperature, portions), Cleanliness (tables, floors, toilets), Ambiance (atmosphere, music), Overall (value, would return, would recommend).
Owner Controls
Add/remove/edit questions. Change question types (rating 1-5, yes/no, number, free text). Reorder and categorise. Multiple templates possible for different focus areas.
Tips
- Run 2-4 mystery diner visits per month for meaningful data
- Rotate the template focus quarterly — deep dive on service, then food, then cleanliness
- Don't tell staff when a visit is happening — that's the point
- Share positive results with the team — it's motivating
End of Day Reports
Purpose
Create a daily record of how the business performed. Catches financial discrepancies early, tracks issues before they become problems, and gives the owner visibility without being physically present.
Fields
Card reading, cash in till, total covers, staff on shift, highlights, issues, food waste notes, stock issues, general notes. All optional — fill in what's relevant that day.
Tips
- Make it a non-negotiable closing task — every single day
- The "highlights" field is just as important as "issues" — track what's working
- Owner should review within 24 hours and add notes
- Compare card readings to bank deposits weekly to catch discrepancies early
SOP Checklists
Purpose
Ensure nothing gets missed at opening and closing. Creates accountability — the system knows exactly what was done, when, and by whom.
Default Checklists
Opening (10 tasks): Unlock, lights, coffee machine, fridge temps, display, till float, tables, courtyard, stock check, toilets.
Closing (13 tasks): Counters, floors, tables, napkins/cutlery, bins, coffee machine, meat slicer, wrap prep, fridge check, toilets, rubbish, lock check, alarm.
Tips
- Review completion rates weekly — if tasks are consistently being skipped, find out why
- Add seasonal tasks: courtyard heaters on in winter, extra cleaning in summer
- Get staff input — they know what's actually needed better than anyone
Commercial Catering Strategy
How to build and scale the corporate/business catering side.
Why This Is Huge
Corporate catering is the highest-margin, most predictable revenue stream a deli can have. Here's why:
- Pre-orders: You know exactly what to prep → less waste
- Bulk pricing: Higher per-order value (£100-500+) with lower per-unit cost
- Recurring: Once an office finds a good caterer, they reorder weekly/monthly
- Off-peak prep: Orders can be prepped before the lunch rush
- Brand exposure: Every meeting tray is a marketing opportunity — branded boxes, cards, menus
Step-by-Step Expansion Plan
Get the Basics Right
Create a Catering Menu
Keep it simple to start. 3 tiers:
- Sandwich Platters — £8-10/head. Mix of 4-6 sandwiches, cut and presented on boards. Minimum 6 people.
- Charcuterie Boards — £12-15/head. Premium option for client-facing meetings. Meats, cheeses, accompaniments.
- The Full Spread — £15-20/head. Sandwiches + charcuterie + salads + coffee. For bigger meetings or events.
Build a One-Page Order Form
Simple web form or PDF: date, time, number of heads, tier, dietary requirements, delivery or collection, contact details. Don't over-engineer it.
Set Minimums & Lead Times
Minimum order: 6 people. Lead time: 24 hours (48 for The Full Spread). Same-day possible for small orders at premium (+20%).
Get the First 10 Clients
Door-to-Door in Ancoats
Walk into every office within 500m. Bring a sample platter (yes, free). Talk to the office manager or receptionist. Leave a menu and business card. Follow up in a week. This old-school approach works incredibly well.
First-Order Discount
20% off first order. No risk for the client. Once they taste the quality, they'll reorder at full price.
LinkedIn Presence
The owner or a team member posts photos of catering setups. Tag the office location. "Just delivered to the team at [company]." Office managers use LinkedIn — this is where they'll find you.
Partner with Co-Working Spaces
Ancoats has co-working spaces (e.g., Colony, etc.). Offer a standing arrangement: their members get 10% off catering. In return, you're the recommended caterer in their directory.
Systematise & Grow
Build into AncoatsMD
Add a Catering Module: online ordering, order tracking, prep lists auto-generated, invoicing. Let clients reorder with one click.
Subscription Catering
"Weekly Wednesday Lunch Club" — £8/head/week, delivered every Wednesday. Standing order, predictable revenue. Office managers love the simplicity.
Delivery Radius
Start with collection only or very local delivery (walking distance). As volume grows, consider a delivery partner or a part-time driver for a 2-mile radius — that covers central Manchester.
Event Catering
Expand beyond meetings: office parties, launch events, gallery openings. Ancoats has loads of creative businesses — they want a local, quality caterer.
Become the Default
- Branded packaging: Custom boxes with the Ancoats Deli logo. Every delivery is a brand touchpoint
- Seasonal corporate menus: Christmas party platters, summer BBQ boxes, Eid/Diwali celebration boards
- Corporate accounts: Monthly invoicing for regular clients. Makes it easy to expense and reorder
- Reviews & testimonials: Ask every corporate client for a Google review or LinkedIn testimonial
- Target: 15-20 catering orders per week = £1,500-3,000/week additional revenue
Key Numbers
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ❌ Don't undercharge. Corporate budgets exist. £10-15/head is normal and expected for quality catering
- ❌ Don't overextend the menu. Start with 3 options, add more based on demand
- ❌ Don't compromise the core business. Catering prep shouldn't disrupt lunch service. Set capacity limits
- ❌ Don't skip branding. A nice box with your logo turns a sandwich into a premium experience
- ❌ Don't forget follow-up. Email the client next day: "How was it? Anything we can do better?" Then offer to book the next one
Expansion Strategy
How Ancoats Deli can grow beyond its current footprint.
Growth Levers (Ranked by Impact & Feasibility)
1. 🏢 Corporate Catering HIGH IMPACT LOW RISK
Already started. Biggest opportunity. See Commercial Catering Strategy for the full playbook. Target: £3,000/week within 6 months.
2. 📱 Pre-Order & Click-and-Collect HIGH IMPACT MEDIUM EFFORT
Let people order before they arrive. Reduces queues, increases volume during peak lunch, reduces waste (you make what's ordered). Could be a simple WhatsApp order system to start, then a proper web form.
3. 🌙 Evening Programme MEDIUM IMPACT LOW RISK
The infrastructure is already there — the bar, the boards, the courtyard. It's about driving awareness and footfall after 5pm. Wine tastings, live music, themed nights (Italian night, Manchester beer night). Regular events create regulars.
4. 🎁 Hampers & Gift Boxes MEDIUM IMPACT SEASONAL
Christmas hampers, corporate gift boxes, birthday gift boxes. Curate pantry items + wine into branded boxes. Sell online and in-store. Massive seasonal revenue (Christmas alone could be £5-10k extra).
5. 🛵 Delivery (Deliveroo/UberEats) MEDIUM IMPACT MARGIN HIT
Opens up a huge customer base but platforms take 25-35%. Works best for higher-value items (charcuterie boards, not single sandwiches). Consider own-delivery for local area to keep margins.
6. 🏪 Second Location HIGH IMPACT HIGH RISK
Long-term play. Only once the Ancoats operation is bulletproof and the systems (like AncoatsMD) can be replicated. Northern Quarter or Chorlton would be natural fits. 18-24 month horizon minimum.
What NOT to Do Yet
- ❌ Don't open a second location before the first is running itself
- ❌ Don't launch delivery until catering and pre-orders are sorted
- ❌ Don't build a new website until the ordering/catering system is proven
- ❌ Don't hire ahead of demand — grow people alongside revenue
Marketing Playbook
Practical, week-by-week marketing tactics for the team.
The Content Machine
The deli itself IS the content. Every sandwich, every charcuterie board, every bottle of wine is a photo or video waiting to happen.
Daily Content Opportunities
- Morning: Coffee being poured, fresh bread delivery arriving, display being set up
- Lunch: Sandwich being built, busy counter, courtyard full of people
- Afternoon: Charcuterie board being assembled, wine being poured, sunset in the courtyard
- Evening: Cocktail being made, event setup, ambient lighting
Platform Strategy
Instagram (Primary)
3-5 posts/week. Mix of: food close-ups, behind-the-scenes stories, courtyard vibes, customer tagged reposts. Use Stories daily. Reels for sandwich builds and wine pours.
TikTok (Growth)
2-3 videos/week. Sandwich ASMR, "day in the life" of a deli, speed builds, courtyard transformations. Raw, authentic > polished. Repurpose Instagram Reels.
Google Business (Critical)
Update photos weekly. Respond to EVERY review (positive and negative). Post updates about specials and events. Target: 100+ reviews, 4.5+ average.
LinkedIn (Catering)
1-2 posts/week focused on catering deliveries. Tag companies. "Fuelling the team at [company] today." Office managers are on LinkedIn — this is how they find caterers.
Monthly Campaigns
- January: "New Year, New Lunch" — promote the lunch deal to back-to-work office crowds
- February: Valentine's charcuterie boards for two
- March: Spring menu launch
- April: Easter hampers / gift boxes
- May-Aug: Courtyard season — outdoor dining push
- September: Back to office — corporate catering push
- October: Wine tasting season begins
- November: Christmas hamper pre-orders open
- December: Christmas parties, gift boxes, corporate thank-you packages
Development Roadmap
Technical development plan for extending AncoatsMD.
Current State (v1.0)
- Mystery Diner feedback system with editable templates
- End of Day reports with financial reconciliation
- Opening & Closing SOP checklists
- Marketing analysis and strategy page
- Owner vs Manager role-based access
- PIN-based authentication
- SQLite database for all data
- Wiki & documentation (this page)
v1.1 — Polish & Usability
- Mobile-optimised layout (managers will use phones)
- PWA support — add to home screen, works offline for checklists
- Push notifications when EOD or checklist is missed
- Data export (CSV) for all reports
- Print-friendly mystery diner reports
- Change default PINs on first login
v2.0 — Staff & Inventory
- Staff profiles with individual logins
- Shift rota / schedule builder
- Clock in / clock out with timesheet
- Basic inventory tracking (key items, par levels)
- Supplier directory with contact info and order days
- Low stock alerts on dashboard
- Waste log with categorisation
v3.0 — Commercial & Orders
- Catering order form (public-facing)
- Order management dashboard
- Auto-generated prep lists from catering orders
- Simple invoicing / quote generation
- Pre-order system for lunch collection
- Menu builder with pricing
- Event calendar with bookings
v4.0 — Intelligence & Analytics
- Revenue trend charts (daily/weekly/monthly)
- Mystery Diner score trends over time
- Checklist completion rate analytics
- Food waste cost analysis
- Automated weekly summary email to owner
- Staff performance dashboard
- Cash flow forecasting
Development Workflow
How features get built:
Request
Owner or manager identifies a need. Logged in Discord (#ancoatsmd) or directly to dev.
Design
Quick wireframe or description. What does the user see? What data is captured?
Build
Implement in the codebase. Backend API + frontend UI. Test locally.
Deploy
Push to GitHub → auto-deploys to ancoatsmd.kbot. PM2 restarts.
Feedback
Owner/manager tests. Adjustments made. Feature goes live.
Technical Architecture
Stack
- Backend: Node.js + Express 4
- Database: SQLite via better-sqlite3 (WAL mode)
- Frontend: Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS (no build step)
- Process Manager: PM2
- Reverse Proxy: Caddy (TLS termination)
- Port: 3040
- Source: github.com/liteko702/ancoatsmd
File Structure
ancoatsmd/ ├── public/ │ ├── index.html ← Main SPA (dashboard, all modules) │ └── wiki.html ← This wiki page ├── server/ │ ├── index.js ← Express API routes │ ├── db.js ← SQLite schema + seed data │ ├── ecosystem.config.js ← PM2 config │ ├── ancoatsmd.db ← SQLite database (gitignored) │ └── package.json ├── .gitignore └── README.md
API Endpoints
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
POST | /api/auth/login | PIN-based login |
GET | /api/stats | Dashboard statistics |
GET/POST/PUT | /api/mystery-diner/* | Templates and visits CRUD |
GET/POST/PUT | /api/eod/* | End of day reports CRUD |
GET/POST/PUT | /api/sop/* | SOP templates and completions |
Database Schema
6 tables: users, mystery_diner_templates, mystery_diner_visits, eod_reports, sop_templates, sop_completions. JSON fields used for flexible question/task/response storage. See server/db.js for full schema.
Changelog
v1.0.0 — 2026-03-05
Initial release
- Mystery Diner system with editable templates and public form
- End of Day reports with financial tracking
- Opening & Closing SOP checklists
- Marketing analysis with SWOT and strategy
- Owner/Manager role-based access
- Dashboard with key stats
- Wiki & documentation