Secret Recipe started as a small family-run bakery café and quickly became a familiar name in Malaysia and Singapore. From a single family-owned bakery café to a regional household name, Secret Recipe earned its place in people’s lives by being the go-to destination for celebrations, comfort meals and everyday indulgence.

Today, Secret Recipe operates over 500+ outlets across the region, including Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Maldives and Bangladesh. But as the world changed after Covid, so did the expectations of diners. Customers' taste and preferences were changing rapidly. Employees needed clarity. Stores needed consistency.

Secret Recipe faced a pressing question: How do you honour tradition while embracing transformation? To keep their legacy alive, the team realized the answer was not to change who they were, but to change how they worked.

Why change was necessary

Secret Recipe had a vision for its next chapter: protect its legacy while embracing transformation. But behind the scenes, operations were slowing them down.

• Most processes ran on paper — sourcing requests, product testing forms, audit checklists.

• Teams had to manually transfer handwritten notes into spreadsheets, scan forms into emails, and chase for updates.

• Information was easily duplicated, misplaced, or outdated before reaching decision makers.

• Manual data transfer led to frequent errors and slowed decision making.

On top of that, tools were fragmented

• WhatsApp for frontline communication

• Microsoft Office 365 for HQ collaboration

• Teachmebiz for training

These disconnected systems made it difficult for Secret Recipe to move with the speed and confidence required in an industry where customer tastes and preferences were evolving rapidly.

Secret Recipe wanted to stay modern and ahead of consumer demands. But how could they do that if their operations were still anchored in paper and their tools were not enabling fast, decisive action?

Enter Lark

Instead of stitching together separate tools for communication, training and operations, Secret Recipe found in Lark a platform where everything lives in one place. Forms, approvals, workflows, audits, training wikis and chat all sit within the same workspace.

With everything integrated into a single app, adoption happened naturally. Teams no longer had to jump between apps, learn multiple systems or rely on paper trails. They open Lark, and everything they need is already there.

Today, every function from finance to audit to learning and development operates with faster turnaround and complete visibility.

Eliminating paper processes increased efficiency and accuracy manyfolds

Secret Recipe made the bold decision to eliminate paper processes and to move entirely digital; starting with the processes that required the most paperwork: Finance and procurement approvals, and audit processes.

Daily audit and cash collection processes

Auditing - whether it's food safety, operational efficiency or regulatory compliance - and cash collection process are part and parcel of the day-to-day operations of every F&B business. Secret Recipe's paper-based audit processes were slow, inaccurate, and did not give management an overview of audit data to make informed decisions.

Before Lark

• Printed audit forms, photocopying, scanning, and emailing results manually.

• Data submitted in inconsistent formats, prone to duplication and human error.

• Manual comparison of audit findings — auditors downloaded each form and reviewed results one by one.

• Sharing results required copying, pasting, and drafting separate emails to outlets.

• Cash collection scattered across chats, challenges to track and verify between different outlets; Finance spent significant amount of time verifying data from messages and compiling onto spreadsheets.

After Lark

• Audit forms are digitized using Lark Base + Forms — completed directly on mobile.

• Data automatically updates into one central dashboard for tracking and reporting.

Impact:

• Standardized format eliminates human errors and inconsistencies.

• Results are generated instantly using Base formulas and sent automatically to outlets and area managers.

• Centralized collection of finance data: Each outlet now submits daily cash sales through a Lark Base form, entering total sales, cash received, and proof of bank in slip.

Finance & Procurement

The Finance and Procurement teams process multiple approvals daily. Procurement alone handles up to 10 requests a day—just one of many workflows they manage.

Before Lark, approval of one finance or procurement request typically took 2-3 days.

• Sourcing requests, sample testing forms, and purchase requisitions were done using printed paper forms.

• Forms needed physical signatures, then had to be scanned and emailed to multiple stakeholders.

• Status tracking was manual and unclear, often resulting in delays or misplaced documents.

After adopting Lark, an end-to-end approval process now takes no longer than a day.

• All requests are submitted digitally via Lark Approvals.

• Approvals are automatically routed to department heads, purchasing, and finance.

• Teams track request status in real time, with zero paperwork and minimal need to chase for follow-ups.

Impact

• Eliminated 40+ paper forms every month.

• 480 man hours saved per day on approval workflows, 66% efficiency improvement.

• Single source of truth for Cash Collection, Audit, Operations, and Management; improved accuracy of data and information.

Adopting a modern knowledge management system

What makes an organisation agile, innovative and empowered? It starts with employees working from the latest information that is easy to find, understand and apply.

Secret Recipe realized that their previous platform, TeachmeBiz, was not enabling that. Engagement between teams was low, the interface felt outdated, and it existed outside their primary collaboration tools. New and experienced staff were not excited to learn or use it, and important knowledge stayed hidden instead of being shared.

By adopting Lark, they simplified content management but also empowered operations teams, improved learning engagement, and strengthened internal communication across the organization.

Training resources, SOPs and updates are accessible through a single, mobile-first workspace. Content is easier to manage, employees are more engaged in learning, and every outlet now operates with clarity and consistency.

Lark announcements: Consistency begins when communication is clear

Previously, Secret Recipe shared announcements through group chats, but once messages were sent, they quickly disappeared into daily conversations. With constant chatter, leaders had no visibility into who had actually seen or read the information, and important memos were easily buried. New joiners struggled to locate past updates, which made onboarding slower and led to inconsistencies across stores.

With Lark, communication is structured and trackable. Leaders can now monitor announcement reach and engagement in real time through Subscription statistics, giving them clarity on who is informed. Dedicated channels separate announcements from everyday discussions, making it easy for employees to find critical updates and for new joiners to catch up immediately.

The announcements also spotlighted great work from different business units and outlets, Lark also brings recognition and visibility across the organisation. Employees feel more connected to the wider Secret Recipe community, boosting morale and strengthening a shared sense of purpose.

Ready for the next chapter of growth

Secret Recipe’s journey shows that modernising a legacy brand is not about replacing what made it special. It is about protecting the heart of the business by elevating the way work gets done. By moving from paper to digital workflows, consolidating communication, and empowering employees with clarity and knowledge, Secret Recipe kept its traditions alive while enabling the organisation to operate with greater speed, alignment and confidence.

With Lark, they did not have to choose between heritage and progress. They now have both — the same beloved recipe, powered by a smarter way of working.