Here in Texas, the high temperatures have finally dipped all the way down to the eighties. That means October and the State Fair, pumpkin spice, and a countdown to the holidays that’s shorter than any reasonable person would expect.If you pay attention you know to … Continued

A lot of restaurant owners have that tired old American dream: Work your whole life, then sell your business and retire for good. When my clients figure out the high cost of selling now, many see that dream as a nightmare. You have another option. … Continued

I’m fascinated by Starbucks and their journey. Mature brand, created a segment, once a hero to all, lost its way, now back on good footing. Two years ago, CEO Brian Niccol took over and announced his “back to being Starbucks” program. I wrote to you … Continued

How do you relate to your multi-unit team and managers and everyone else? How much do they depend on you? If the answer is “a lot,” know that creating such dependency isn’t a formula for building a great career. Success won’t come because you do … Continued

My younger clients – those successful multi-unit independent operators in their 30s, 40s, and 50s – very excitedly commit to building their net worth by developing their concepts, brands, people, and operational capabilities. But my clients in their 60s and 70s? They’ve been there, done … Continued

So here we are, Labor Day.  The psychic end to the summer, even our triple digit temperatures here in Texas seem to be over.  The beginning of the home stretch for the year and time to focus on the chance to have a great 4th … Continued

Finally finding “the one” – the person your company has missed for its entire life – makes an incredible difference. This missing piece allows you to overcome the barriers between reliable and exceptional success.   It’s like a business version of a romance novel, but … Continued

My daughter just started high school. The most important message her new school is communicating to parents? “Stop solving your kid’s problems.” The school is requesting that, when our children come to us with a problem about school – whether their grades, schedule, or whatever … Continued

Pop quiz: What did you learn last week from your guest count tracker, the one that compares each day in each unit with their counterpart last year? When restaurant owners start to think about guest count first – and they see it either holding, eroding, … Continued

It may seem like “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma” (thank you, Winston Churchill, for the quote), but one of the great advantages you have as an owner of a small (or even medium-sized) business remains making big moves quickly. And in … Continued

Do you think your level of re-investment is too high, too low, or just right? Independent restaurant owners who understand the critical value of re-investing know that their real margins come from smart investments that help them keep up with guest expectations as well as … Continued

Operators succeed in this challenging market by understanding the difference between a meal and an experience. Not by being like the operators who offer bundles and discounts. That’s a one-way ticket to nowhere. When you begin to understand that you no longer just sell meals, … Continued

I returned from the recent Texas Restaurant Show reflecting on the fact that people I have known for decades, as well as people I have just met, have at least one thing in common: They don’t walk around with PTSD after enduring an industry wide … Continued

“Fake it ’til you make it” is a horrible strategy for developing a multi-unit team, building a restaurant company, or come to think of it – anything else.          So how do you supervise your first operations director or marketing director? Or business manager or CFO? Or learning-and-development … Continued

To be a front-runner restaurant brand in 2026, your business needs to have three solid pillars: Learn how to be strong in all three on Sunday, 7/12 at 11 AM at the Profit Lab,at my upcoming Texas Restaurant Show session “The Experience Economy: Crafting Your Concept to … Continued

Let’s take a vacation from focusing on issues (aka “opportunities”) you might have at your restaurants and ask you, “What’s your latest victory?” Does anything come to mind quickly? Hopefully – after a day spent dealing with the competition, workforce issues, beef prices, renewing your … Continued

Today’s workforce operates in so much more balance than my generation. They don’t buy into the idea of delaying gratification and quality of life until some vague point in the future.   Admirable, for sure. But also, annoying when my generation thinks we need them to … Continued

The Economist recently cited two surveys about artificial intelligence. The upshot? The average person believes there’s a 20-22% chance they’ll lose their job in the next five years due to AI or automation. 20%! Thinking about being replaced by a machine feels uncomfortable and disheartening at best. … Continued

Be honest with yourself: Are your restaurants continually getting better, or are they ever so slowly deteriorating? Do you have evidence for your answer? What are your guests saying? What do the numbers say? A longtime client brought me back after a 7 year absence. … Continued

It turns out that the barriers holding your results back aren’t unique to you. Sure, you are special, but not that special.  And today’s flattish restaurant market does not do the work for you. You have to do it yourself. Even though I write consistently about the … Continued

It can feel lonely at the top – especially because being there forces you to take a long, hard look at yourself every day. Every entrepreneurial independent restaurant company reflects its owner. Whatever the owner does well and values, the company does well and values. Whatever … Continued

My daughter’s pediatrician adds a surcharge to credit card payments. So does the insurance company – the one that accepted my auto premiums for years without one. Even a mom-and-pop upholstery service I used recently added a credit card surcharge. People have become accustomed to … Continued

We spend more time developing general managers than we do developing their leaders. When companies extend that development focus to GMs’ bosses, great things – things that people thought would never happen – start to materialize. Like raising guest count in this flat market, enrolling … Continued

Some people turn out to be better at starting projects than finishing them. I see it all the time both as a student of personality types and advisor of restaurant companies. Initiatives begin and then get sidetracked when another shiny object – or simply the … Continued

Turns out that guiding a restaurant company today is different and more complicated than at any time I can remember. Today, simply following industry-wide practices won’t move a company to the next level; instead, your approach is connected to the level of success you currently … Continued

Success and growth makes a first-time multi-unit owner seem like a first timer forever – even after decades of operations. This happens when the owner spends their life building a company and has no ownership experience with other brands or organizations to fall back on. I collaborate … Continued

It’s Spring Break time in Texas now. I trust you have great vacation plans! If you’ve already left, congratulations! Enjoy a wonderful week off, and I’m glad you’re taking good care of yourself. But if you don’t have plans, I would like to know why. … Continued

Ed Murph, of Norma’s Café fame, led an exemplary life. One of those “you’ll never forget him” people, Ed always had an incredible funny, and memorable story to tell.  My friend and client passed away on February 23. I miss him already.   Ed Murph’s Career Story … Continued

Believe it or not in this flat market, some operators are still enjoying 6-8% comp sales. How? By figuring out how to increase guest count. You can do the same if you’re hyper-committed to doing whatever it takes to get more people to swing the door … Continued

When guests think about your restaurants, do they end up feeling sleepy because your brand looks tired? Independent restaurant groups that lack the focus or wherewithal to update brands fall behind their competition. One of my clients told me, “Things changed so much in the last … Continued

“Don’t bother to look over there; that’s all fine!” I’ve heard that from many clients who had brought me in to address specific issues. When I start roaming and nosing around their restaurants to find other opportunities to address, they try to shut me down … Continued

Do your guests smile, feel happy, enjoy their meals, and tell their friends about that? Do your financial statements appear predictable and healthy – making you proud? Does your culture deeply permeate your restaurants every unit, every shift, every table, every time? Do your people … Continued

If you want to really improve your restaurants and your restaurant company, act like you just bought it.  Instead of looking at it like the founder, developer, and shepherd you have been for years (or decades), look at everything with new eyes. When I begin … Continued

For my best clients, it doesn’t matter what curveballs life throws at them. They stay on a strong growth curve regardless – remaining in control of their destiny and putting the right information to work. And when you do that, great things happen, like jumping … Continued

The most representative moment of my year took place at the Texas Restaurant Show. As I was giving one of my talks, a hand went up in the standing-room-only crowd. The speaker looked around 30 – not that young, but maybe new to the industry. … Continued