Analysts who read kitchens before they read spreadsheets

Origin and history

Poplar Way Analytics began in 2017 when Han Seongmin, formerly a regional operations manager for a Gyeonggi-do cafe group, found himself rebuilding the same weekly sales summaries by hand for six locations. Colleagues at other chains asked for copies of his tabular layouts. He registered Poplar Way Analytics that autumn and hired two analysts from hospitality accounting backgrounds.

By 2019 the practice served fourteen chains across the province. We moved to our current office on Pyeongnae-ro in Namyangju-si to accommodate bindery equipment and archive storage for client source files. Today we prepare roughly 120 reporting cycles per month for operators ranging from single-concept fast-casual brands to multi-kitchen franchise groups.

We remain a reporting and analytical practice — not a software vendor. Every figure in our binders traces to a file you provided or a visit we made to your pass.

How we work

Intake happens on Tuesday for Friday delivery on standard cycles. Analysts reconcile before they chart — discrepancies are flagged, never smoothed. Reports use a consistent engraved tabular style so managers can compare cycles without relearning layouts.

Site visits are scheduled when source data is ambiguous: a waste log that does not match delivery receipts, a labour spike that needs floor context. We do not substitute industry benchmarks for missing records.