Goodbye, black book.

John O’Reilly served his time with Eugene Doyle on Deerpark Road in Mount Merrion. In 1972 he took over the shop himself, and soon moved it down the road to number 67, where it has been ever since. The butchering is still done the traditional way: full sides of beef and whole lambs, broken down in the shop.

For decades, Christmas ran the traditional way too: orders by phone, written into a black book. And in Christmas week, a queue around the block, with hours of waiting to collect your order.

Orders in pen. Amendments scribbled alongside. Then the whole lot copied out into lists the team could work from. Every copy brought doubt, and another chance for a mistake.

Now customers order and pay in advance with Tenvito. And the regulars who’d rather not order online? They still come into the shop, where the team places their order with them on a tablet.

Every order and every amendment sits together, found in seconds. Clear cut-off dates and itemised lists changed the prep completely: fewer staff needed, less hassle, and no more mistakes from copying out the book.

The admin looks after itself: order confirmations, packing slips and reminder emails, with every delivery or pickup time confirmed.

Then there’s collection day. The queue around the block is gone. In its place: a paced day, more time to chat with every customer, and bigger baskets.

The black book retired. The admin handled. Time for the customer.

In David’s words