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...

Labor costs are a real challenge for restaurants that want to make money. Restaurant owners have to battle with a lot of variables to control their labor cost and create success from things that are out of their control. For example, there is rising minimum wage – going as high as $22/hour...

The restaurant business can eat you alive. For example, Ohio State University did a study many years ago that showed 59 percent of all restaurants fail in the first three years of business. The National Restaurant Association once reported that the average restaurant makes a nickel to 8 cents on...

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...

Challenges in the restaurant business are a given, but sometimes there are so many in a month, a week or even a day, that you find yourself feeling fed-up and burned out. Losing your passion for your restaurant is the worst thing that can happen to it and everyone involved. If you feel like you...

Training your restaurant team members and management is critical to your success. But in a busy restaurant environment, who can you spare to do the actual training? I’ll give you a hint: it’s probably not your best employee and it shouldn’t be you. Watch this video, and...

Do you ever walk into your restaurant and think to yourself, who's the idiot not doing their job? It’s so simple, it just takes common sense, right? While it’s frustrating when people don’t do the job you want them to do, I want to share with you why common sense is a myth in...

Do you wonder how you can work less in your restaurant business? It’s a common question I get and it has many layers. But for the purposes of this tip, I want to explain how the restaurant owners I coach have a minimum of two days off in their restaurants, have time with their friends and...

What is a pre-shift meeting for restaurants and why is it an indicator of a successful restaurant? And how are you supposed to run a pre-shift meeting in your restaurant, especially when not everybody comes in at the same time? Let’s talk about when to hold a pre-shift meeting in your...

 I don't need to tell you that running a restaurant has always been full of challenges. You’re living it. Right now you’re dealing with costs increasing at a record pace and a real labor shortage. You already know you can't keep doing what you've always been doing. Something must...

Did you know the key to building consistent restaurant management systemS starts with a simple group of spreadsheets that only take about 15 minutes a day to complete? And did you know that if you don't track this data, you're most likely losing money? Let’s talk about these spreadsheets...

Managing a restaurant as an independent is difficult, especially when you are surrounded by a sea of chain competitors who seem to be successful without even trying very hard. What are they doing that makes them so successful? Why does it look so easy for them? Is it because they have a corporate...