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
Fundamentals may look like the boring stuff of business, but in fact they are the foundation for unique and special concepts that capture imaginations of diners and build wealth for their owners. Some companies do well because they are great at the fundamentals of business. Others prosper through the magic of branding and concepts, or … Continued
Your ideas are your greatest asset. It is called intellectual property for a reason — property you don’t want to give away. It’s important to control your own life and business, and have the confidence that you can find the resources to succeed. Trinity Groves is a real estate development owned by Phil Romano, Larry McGregor … Continued
I know a restaurant manager who says,“Mistakes are unacceptable. But I do offer forgiveness.” That’s certainly one way of looking at it. Not my approach. I read a book that mentioned perfection. The author said it was the denial of humanity. We are all human, but what human can afford to make serious mistakes when they open a new business? In … Continued
Recently, I talked with the Dallas Business Journal‘s staff writer Steven R. Thompson for his article “Small Lucia eatery finds a big following.” Lucia has some of the hardest tables to get in Dallas and he wanted to know more about that phenomenon. In the article, Jennifer Uygur, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, … Continued