As an independent restaurant owner you have the luxury and power of writing your own story in a way that many people envy. To not take advantage of that looks more like a wasteful tragedy than missed opportunity. In the restaurant industry, we all know our ticket times and we cancel a reservation on a … Continued
Recently, a partner in a startup chatted with me in the dining room of his first unit. He has aggressive goals for growth and wanted to discuss his second unit. He asked, “What are the biggest mistakes you see groups like mine make at the beginning of their development?” The first thing that came to mind was failure … Continued
Quick! Pop quiz! What are the weak points in your organization? Quick! Another pop quiz! What could you build to make your company stronger? It’s great to know what to do. The truth is that most people know what to do, but they don’t know why they have not done it. Just like a human … Continued
In successful businesses, if you stop any team member and ask, “What are you focused on right now?” you are likely to hear the very same answer from everyone. Next . . . you meet the business owner and ask, “How does your business fit into your life?” Not only do you get a clear answer, but it is delivered with excitement, happiness and … Continued
Conventional wisdom often spouts off about razor-thin margins in the restaurant business. Our industry is perennially found on the list of the least profitable businesses, and media accounts are filled with information on how unprofitable restaurants are compared to say, law firms. In their 2015 Issues and Advocacy Agenda, the National Restaurant Association leads with this, saying, … Continued
If you own successful restaurants, you should be having fun with your business and be able to live your life with a great deal of freedom. Restaurateurs are idolized. To the outsider, owning restaurants does not really look like a job. It’s easy for people to fantasize about what it would be like to live that … Continued
Growth. It is the impetus of capitalism. So how do you know you are growing at the right pace? Every restaurant company we work with has a growth plan and a growth strategy. There is no one out there standing still that we know of. That is a function of the mind of the entrepreneur … Continued
“What is our company culture?” If you stopped five members of your organization today, would you get five different answers? Maybe something similar but, well, imprecise? Or, confused silence? What if you asked them to tell you what they did today to uphold that ethos? At the most successful businesses, you will get the same answer, … Continued
Management is not about doing things, it’s about growing people and leadership. If you call yourself a manager and you find yourself in the doing mode, stop. Julie Dickson, the managing director of Black Sombrero in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia recently wrote me. That’s right . . . she operates a “Taqueria and Tequilaria” in … Continued
The best companies make strengths out of their weaknesses. If you want to get the most from your business, you really don’t have any choice. Yesterday I was on the phone to a frankly excellent customer service department of a consumer electronics company. The phone was answered quickly, the person who answered was smart, funny, and … Continued