Is it better to hire a chef as a restaurant manager in the kitchen? The short answer is that there's only one difference between a chef as a manager in the kitchen and a manager with general kitchen knowledge. Regardless of which type of restaurant manager you hire for the kitchen, here are the skil...
After coaching restaurant owners since 2003, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what almost every restaurant owner wants to know is how to control food cost. It doesn't matter if they’re brand new to the restaurant business, or they’re a seasoned veteran, food cost challenges present themselves...
I have been coaching independent restaurant owners since 2003 and I can tell you with 100% certainty that what almost every restaurant owner wants to know is how you can control your food cost. It doesn’t matter if you're brand new to the restaurant business or you’re a seasoned veteran. Food cost c...
Here's your restaurant owner reality check. If your food cost is higher than you think it should be, I’m willing to bet you're not managing your kitchen correctly. It means you don't have the right systems in place to control your food cost and if you have recipe costing cards, you don't know what t...
How can you make your restaurant stand out in the sea of competing restaurants – other independents and the overbearing chain restaurants? The restaurant business is hard, and all the competition can make it downright scary. If I were to count the number of restaurants, just restaurants – fast food,...
When I first started developing operational systems in restaurants, I relied heavily on spreadsheets. Excel was revolutionary, and I pushed that program to the max. Spreadsheets were the best way to organize the systems, track numbers, track inventory and do all kinds of operational tasks in the res...
Running a restaurant by the numbers can be a challenge if you don't know what numbers you need to know in the first place. Off the top of your head though, I bet you can name three without even thinking: food cost, labor cost and your profit loss. While there are many more numbers to know, I want to...
Restaurant accounting… do I really need to say more? It's a challenge. No matter if you're doing it yourself, or you're farming it out, most of the numbers and reports you have are worthless when it comes to running your business. Don't get me wrong. You’re getting your taxes paid, but I want more f...
If you’re interested in learning how to own a restaurant with a great atmosphere for guests and employees, I want to introduce you to Gina Sidebottom, my guest for this episode. Gina's family has owned Maria's Mexican restaurant, which was started by her mother, Maria, in 1992. They love serving the...
The beautiful part about a new year is the excitement about the opportunities that present themselves in the restaurant business. And this new year, we’re putting 2020, 2021 and 2022, three of the roughest years to be a restaurant owner, in the rearview mirror. Let’s talk about how to do it and impr...
A key component of becoming an employer of choice in the restaurant industry is developing your team members. When you provide opportunities for your employees to develop and grow their skills, you give them a path for growth in your restaurant, among other things. In this video, I explain how to de...
I talk about the importance of restaurant budgets all the time. One of the best parts of my job as a restaurant coach is completing a budget with a member. It fills my heart with joy to see the hope they feel with a real-life plan to achieve their restaurant goals. Completing the budget process is t...
