Two hospitality veterans who’ve walked in operators’ shoes are teaming up to address one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: turning data into dollars.
Loaded, a hospitality technology platform, has partnered with The Hospitality Company (THC), a coaching and advisory firm, to deliver an integrated approach that combines software solutions with hands-on expertise.
The collaboration aims to help venue operators not only streamline their operations and translate efficiency into measurable financial gains.
Richard McLeod, CEO of Loaded and former owner-operator of a dozen New Zealand venues, including Dunedin’s Captain Cook Tavern, knows firsthand the operational headaches that eat away at profitability. His company’s platform tackles stock management, time and attendance, and reporting—the back-office functions that often consume outsized amounts of an operator’s time.
“We build the tools I wish I’d had when I was running venues,” McLeod said. “The back office can be a huge drain on time and focus. Working with James and the team at THC means venues not only get great software but the support and expertise to embed it deeply and profitably into their business.”
THC Managing Director James O’Connell has spent more than two decades studying and applying insights from world-class hospitality operators, including Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and Michigan’s Zingerman’s. His firm specialises in translating operational improvements into better leadership and stronger financial outcomes.
“Hospitality teams need systems and support that actually work in practice,” O’Connell said. “Loaded gives operators clarity and control over their numbers, and our role is to help them turn that information into smarter decisions, better leadership, and stronger financial outcomes.”
The partnership reflects a fundamental belief that technology alone isn’t enough. While Loaded’s platform provides the data and operational control that operators need, THC’s coaching ensures that information gets transformed into actionable strategies that stick.
Both companies are betting that operators facing long hours, tight margins, and complex operations need more than another software subscription—they need a partner who understands their challenges and can guide them through meaningful change.
Loaded currently serves more than 10,000 hospitality owners and managers across Australia and New Zealand. The company’s all-in-one platform is designed to simplify back-office operations while giving operators the visibility they need to control costs and improve margins.
The partnership will give Loaded customers access to THC’s coaching and advisory services, creating a pathway from operational efficiency to sustained profitability—a combination both leaders say has been missing from the hospitality technology landscape.
