Ozan Atmar
Built by someone who lived this problem from both sides of the kitchen door.
In the summer of 2007, I was 20 years old, working the kitchen of a busy restaurant in Wisconsin Dells as part of a work & travel program from my university in Istanbul. I'd started as a BBQ chef and over four months had worked my way through every station — dishwashing, salads, prep, line. I liked it. I was good at it.
One day, a friend needed a ride to Chicago O'Hare. I told my manager I'd forgotten my work shoes at home and didn't want to ruin my good ones in the oily kitchen. He had no choice. He covered my station himself — on one of the busiest days of the summer.
I got my friend to the airport. I had a great day. And then the guilt set in — and honestly, it never really left. That manager deserved better than a panicked scramble because one person didn't show up.
Years later, I was on the other side of that kitchen door. From 2012, I was selling tableware B2B to restaurants across Bulgaria. By 2018, I'd expanded into full F&B HORECA supply — everything that goes on a table or behind the bar — distributing across Bulgaria and into the EU. Over more than a decade of calling on restaurant managers, I heard the same complaint constantly:
"Someone called in sick and finding coverage ruined the whole morning."
I knew exactly what that morning looked like from inside the kitchen. I also knew what it cost — in stress, in understaffing, in the manager having to pick up a spatula and work someone else's station.
Nobody had built a simple tool for this. Just one button. Everyone qualified gets notified instantly. First available person covers. Done before the coffee gets cold.
I built Truvex because I owe that manager a better morning.
Wisconsin Dells, Summer 2007
Background
The tool I wish existed in 2007.
One tap. Every qualified worker notified. Shift covered. Truvex is launching soon.