One of the goals I have for restaurant owners is to get them to a place in their business where they work on bigger strategic projects, such as restaurant marketing, and to do it in a strategic and thoughtful way. Since in my work with restaurant owners, I focus on systems for operations, I like...
Have you seen the reality TV shows that promote a BS restaurant pricing strategy that has been setting our industry up for failure? Shows like “The Profit” with Marcus Lemonis? I used to like that show a lot, but I also had some problems with it. I watched several episodes where he...
For those who've been following me, by now you should know that I refer to the major key performance indicator (KPI) called prime cost as the one number you must know to have any chance of making money in your restaurant. Today I'm going to talk about mastering restaurant prime cost, the key to...
The restaurant business is one that is full of daily distractions that make it easy to avoid working strategically. Sometimes it feels like it takes more work to be strategic than it does to just get the work done. And what does working strategically even mean? In this episode of my podcast, The...
The magic pill to restaurant success has always been increased your sales. Well, at least that's the adage, right? You can cure all ills with sales. Increase sales and if you're losing money, you're going to make money. Well, there is some truth to and there's some fallacy to that, but we're not...
To say the years 2020 through the first quarter of 2023 has been a real dumpster fire is a real understatement. If you're a restaurant that is not changing with the times you're probably in trouble. What does a future look like for you? Let’s talk about the future of the restaurant...
Just about every week during my group coaching calls with restaurant owners someone asks for tips on finding and hiring great employees. Restaurant owners share their successes with things like how to write job descriptions to attract employees who want to work in a great culture, suggestions for...
In today's marketplace, showing that your restaurant is becoming environmentally conscious or going green isn't just a social issue, it's a form of marketing and can actually save you money. In this video, I'm going to share with you sustainable practices for restaurants: how to go green and save...
Have you ever heard the phrase that which you measure improves? It's really one of the most powerful pieces of advice any restaurant owner should follow. The value of your restaurant’s numbers, data and metrics can mean the difference between you making money and going out of business. The...
I am sure you’ve been told you need to calculate your food cost. Heck, you’ve probably heard from several experts that your food cost target is a 34% food cost, or that you’re supposed to mark up each of your food items on your menu 3 times. Well, neither of these methods are...
Years ago I read some statistics put out by the National Restaurant Association that said a typical restaurant makes 5–8 cents on every dollar in sales. Who wants to work that hard for a nickel? My goal for the restaurant owners I work with in my group coaching program is 15–20%! To...
Are you tired of high food cost? Do you wish every cook made your food items the same way each and every shift no matter who's cooking? Have you ever rehired a cook and heard them say, “That's not the way we used to make this”? What kind of impact does an inconsistent kitchen have on...
