Stone Valley Bakehouse
Stone Valley Bakehouse is a new bakery and café in Calderwood Village, Illawarra NSW. Owner Erin Headington chose RosterElf for its outstanding support and all-in-one platform — setting up rostering, time tracking, team chat, and payroll before the doors even opened.
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Outstanding support from day one
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All-in-one rostering, time clock, chat and payroll
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Built for bakeries and hospitality businesses
"The support made us choose RosterElf. As a new business, having everything — rostering, time clock, chat, and payroll — in one place has saved us time and improved communication across the team."
How Stone Valley Bakehouse set up for success with RosterElf
About Stone Valley Bakehouse
Stone Valley Bakehouse is a bakery and café opening in Calderwood Village, a new shopping centre in one of the Illawarra's fastest-growing residential communities. Owner Erin Headington is building the business from the ground up — and that includes getting workforce systems right before the first loaf comes out of the oven.
With early morning baking shifts, weekend coverage, and a team to coordinate, Erin needed a platform that could handle rostering, time tracking, team communication, and payroll — all in one place.
After evaluating options, Erin chose RosterElf for one simple reason: the support. Having a responsive team behind the software gave her confidence to set everything up ahead of opening day.
Challenges before RosterElf
As a brand-new bakery, Stone Valley Bakehouse had no existing systems in place — everything needed to be set up from scratch before opening day.
New business starting from scratch with no existing rostering, payroll, or workforce systems in place
Early morning baking shifts and split schedules that require careful planning and reliable time tracking
Coordinating a new team across different shift patterns — bakers, baristas, and front-of-house staff
No established communication channels for sharing rosters, shift updates, and team announcements
Setting up payroll for the first time, including correct award rates and penalty calculations for hospitality staff
Ensuring compliance with the Hospitality Industry Award from day one, including weekend and public holiday rates
How RosterElf helped Stone Valley Bakehouse
- Employee rostering built for bakery schedules — early starts, split shifts, and weekend coverage
- Digital time clock so staff can clock in and out accurately from the start
- Built-in team chat for sharing updates, shift changes, and announcements in one place
- Payroll integration to connect timesheets directly with payroll processing
- Responsive Australian support team that helped set everything up before opening day
- Award interpretation for the Hospitality Industry Award, including penalty rate calculations
What Stone Valley Bakehouse says about RosterElf
1. The support made the difference
"The support made us choose RosterElf."
When you're opening a new business, you don't just need software — you need a team behind it. Erin chose RosterElf specifically because of the responsive, hands-on support that helped her get the platform configured before opening day.
From setting up staff profiles to configuring shift patterns for a bakery environment, the RosterElf support team was there every step of the way — giving Erin confidence that the system would work from day one.
2. Favourite features: rostering and chat
"Roster and chat."
In a bakery, schedules can be complex — bakers start before dawn, front-of-house staff arrive later, and weekends are the busiest days. RosterElf's rostering tools let Erin build schedules that account for these different shift patterns in minutes.
The built-in team chat means staff don't need to rely on personal messaging apps for work communication. Shift updates, roster changes, and team announcements all happen in one place — keeping everyone on the same page without the noise.
3. Time saved and better communication
When asked how RosterElf has improved her business, Erin's answer was clear: time saved and improved communication. For a new business owner juggling everything from fit-outs to supplier contracts, every hour counts.
Having rostering, time tracking, team chat, and payroll in a single platform means Erin doesn't need to switch between tools or manually transfer data — it all flows together.
4. Setting up as a new business
Stone Valley Bakehouse adopted RosterElf before opening — a smart move that meant workforce systems were ready before the first customer walked through the door. Staff were onboarded, shift patterns were configured, and the time clock was ready to go.
For new hospitality businesses, this pre-launch setup is invaluable. Rather than scrambling to manage rosters manually during the hectic opening weeks, Erin had a proven system in place — letting her focus on what matters most: the food, the team, and the customers.
Why Stone Valley Bakehouse recommends RosterElf
Outstanding support
A responsive, hands-on support team that helped set everything up before opening day — the number one reason Erin chose RosterElf for her new bakery.
All-in-one platform
Rostering, time clock, team chat, and payroll integration in a single system — no need to juggle multiple tools when you're launching a new business.
Built for hospitality
Designed to handle early morning shifts, weekend coverage, and the Hospitality Industry Award — exactly what a bakery needs to stay compliant and organised.
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Bakery rostering FAQ
- RosterElf's rostering software makes it easy to schedule early morning baking shifts, split shifts, and weekend coverage. Staff can view their rosters on their phones, and managers can build schedules that account for the unique timing demands of a bakery environment.
- Stone Valley Bakehouse found that RosterElf saved time on roster creation and improved team communication through the built-in chat feature. As a new business setting up from scratch, having rostering, time tracking, and payroll in one platform simplified their launch.
- Yes, RosterElf is ideal for new businesses. Stone Valley Bakehouse adopted RosterElf before opening, allowing them to set up rosters, onboard staff, and configure payroll integration ahead of their launch — so everything was ready from day one.
- Yes, RosterElf includes a built-in team chat feature that lets managers and staff communicate directly within the app. Stone Valley Bakehouse found this especially useful for coordinating across early morning and daytime shifts without relying on personal messaging apps.
- RosterElf is built for Australian businesses, including hospitality venues like bakeries, cafes, and restaurants. It supports the Hospitality Industry (General) Award, calculates penalty rates automatically, and integrates with popular Australian payroll systems.