How a 22 site aged care provider centralised purchasing, empowered chefs and kept dignity and joy at the table.

For more than 20 years Dinesh Kumar Subramani has been reshaping how food brings dignity, comfort and connection to residents in aged care. As Head of Hotel Services at mecwacare, he leads kitchen, laundry and cleaning across 22 residences and six retirement villages - all united by one mission: meals that feel like home.

What began as a part-time dishwasher role has grown into a career defined by transformation. “When it comes to residents … you are feeding them, you are looking after them, and it’s the most important thing we do,” Dinesh says.

That philosophy underpins mecwacare’s evolution from a single facility into a digitally connected network powered by innovation, data and care. At the centre of that shift sits FoodByUs, the wholesale procurement platform helping age care kitchens source smarter, save time and deliver higher quality at lower cost.

The procurement challenge

Managing multiple suppliers and ordering systems across dozens of sites meant duplication, variable pricing and limited visibility.

“We had chefs using seven different platforms to order from seven different suppliers,” Dinesh recalls. “We didn’t always have a view on who was offering the best value.”

As mecwacare expanded, sustainability depended on digitisation. Dinesh wanted a single platform to centralise purchasing, strengthen cost control and give chefs realtime insight without sacrificing the personal service residents depend on.

The solution: a single, realtime view

FoodByUs brought all suppliers under one login, one dashboard, one purchasing engine. Existing suppliers were loaded alongside new options, enabling instant price comparisons, spend visibility and agile switching when appropriate.

“Sometimes one supplier sells lemons for 60 cents and another for a dollar. Now we can see that straight away,” Dinesh says.

The platform did more than trim costs: it freed up time, empowered chefs and integrated with mecwacare’s broader digital ecosystem - FoodByUs integrates with many other technologies. Ordering became centralised, tracked and transparent - exactly what health and aged care hospitality teams need.

From cost control to resident experience

With procurement streamlined, the team could focus on what matters most: the resident experience. Monthly fine dining evenings across multiple sites embody this shift. One resident told Dinesh her last fine-dining experience was 54 years ago, a reminder that foodservice is as much about dignity and delight as nutrition.

Savings from smarter purchasing have been reinvested into ingredients, presentation and choice. Chefs have the headroom (and budget) to deliver; residents have clearer options, including visual menus that support people with limited English; and managers have data to back change.

The next frontier

Dinesh sees the future of aged care foodservice as deeply technology enabled - not replacing people but enabling them.

“Once the menu is loaded, the system will automatically prepare the orders … that’s the direction we’re heading.” The vision is a connected workflow where ordering, menu planning, compliance and presentation work in sync so chefs can focus on cooking and connection, not paperwork.

Key takeaways on using FoodByUs in aged care:

·       Centralised purchasing = more headspace for service: One system, one login, clear accountability.

·       Link savings to resident value: Cost control should fund choice, quality and presentation.

·       Let tech enable the team: Use platforms to reduce manual tasks while building skills, culture and care.

At a time when the Aged Care Quality Standards put food, nutrition and the dining experience firmly centre stage, this case study shows how procurement and digital tools can enable the delivery of great foodservice.

As Dinesh puts it: explain the why. “If you don’t give the resident choice, what are they going to eat?”

About FoodByUs

FoodByUs is Australia’s leading wholesale foodservice procurement platform for chefs, venues and aged care operators. By aggregating supplier offers, enabling realtime price comparison and centralising ordering, it gives hospitality teams transparency, control and time to focus on what they do best: cooking great food. Learn more at foodbyus.com.au