Few things are more frustrating for fish fry fans than finding their favorite fundraising site is out of food.
Carefully managing inventory is key to ensuring orders are filled and patrons are well fed, while supplies last.
St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville has instituted a new item and order tracking system via Google Sheets, a free online spreadsheet application that can store data online for access from any device with an internet connection.
Its use was spearheaded this year by volunteer Danica Popovich. She volunteered at the fish fry the past few years and saw how the amount of paperwork was impacting operations.
“Last year, I was physically taking tallies,” Popovich said. “The missing component was the phone orders. Doing this Google Sheet theoretically allows us to see how many phone orders we have and how many live, in-person orders we have. We use Google Sheets for various other events that we have. It’s just a great way for us to be able to collaborate.”
Google Sheets were used for the church’s August picnic to coordinate volunteers, and at a purse bash to track donations and purchases.
Many of the church’s men’s club members assist in the kitchen and help customers on the floor, including club treasurer Nick Jokola.
He said the menu is the same as last year. About 450 pieces of hand-breaded fish are served each week, as well as multiple pounds of shrimp and scallops.
“We’ve increased supply due to demand,” Jokola said. He recalled how in previous years, operations were briefly halted on the hour to check inventory and orders.
The new method provides a more seamless transition from taking an order to getting everything on a tray or in a to-go bag. So much so that items are selling out faster than ever.
Things worked a little too well on March 21 as the shrimp and scallop supply was marked as sold out within the first hour. The fish supply quickly followed. All that remained in the system and available for customers in the third and final hour that day were some side dishes and drinks.
Popovich said everyone was hitting their stride that day, compared to the start of the Lenten season.
“We’re on week three,” she said. “It’s been variable. It was better this week (with the new system) than it was the previous two weeks. We didn’t expect it to be perfect right out of the gate.
“We’re trying to beta test this to see if a new sales system would ultimately help us. It’s tracking data. We’re also going to track it to see where we are from a profitability perspective and if there’s something we can do on the back end to help with that.”
Popovich’s efforts are just the latest in a line of improvements to the fish fry in the past few years.
The layout changed in 2022 to improve efficiency and separate patrons getting baked goods and sweets from the main food line.
Baked goods are found by the main entrance of the banquet hall at 2110 Haymaker Road.
About $30,000 is raised each season for church capital projects, such as heating and air conditioning upgrades, roof repairs, painting and new kitchen appliances.
The menu remains the same as last year, with a few items costing anywhere from a $1 to 50 cents more.
Fish fry hours of operation are from 4-7 p.m. every Friday through April 11.
Patrons are encouraged to call in advance to secure their orders. Preorders start around noon on Wednesdays. Meals are takeout or dine-in. Call 412-372-9895 for more information and to place an order.