I recently talked to a restaurateur who had just taken his first plane trip in 15 months – and he told me incredulously that it felt “almost like normal.” I’m taking my first one in a few weeks. Last year, the year of oddness and panic, a lot of summer vacations were canceled. Or substituted … Continued
One of my peers in my international consulting community sent me the results of a small business owner poll taken by Alignable, the small business referral network, about reasons for the hiring shortage. It was interesting…and predictable, with unemployment presented as the #1 reason and stimulus checks as #2. But then the poll’s fatal flaw flashed … Continued
Said no one ever: “Honey, I feel hungry. What corporation do you want to dine at tonight?” One of the myriad changes forced on your multi-unit restaurant company during the crisis phase of the pandemic? Spending your corporate office budget much more wisely. No sacred cows. You made smart cuts to your overhead at a … Continued
In Texas, from time to time, a bumper sticker appears that says, “Lord, grant me one more oil boom and I promise not to screw it up.” Welcome to our oil boom. Last week I dined with a group of experienced restaurateurs who I noticed walking around our private dining room in a daze. It … Continued
Attention procrastinators! There is still time to register for the webinar “Let’s Eat – How Restaurants Should Respond as Nighttime Diners Return.” This event takes place at 4 PM CDT today. Register free here. You will hear success stories about my clients and the plans I currently advise them to implement. See Ron Ruggless, senior … Continued
The latest release in horror movies our industry is part of – our three-pronged labor shortage disaster. When I speak with operators, our first words are usually the zeitgeist pleasantries about Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J, and our next words are always about staffing our restaurants. We’re starting to breathe out, having just evaded the COVID … Continued
The latest release in horror movies our industry is part of – our three-pronged labor shortage disaster. When I speak with operators, our first words are usually the zeitgeist pleasantries about Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J, and our next words are always about staffing our restaurants. We’re starting to breathe out, having just evaded the COVID … Continued
The not-so-secret formula to exceeding your 2019 revenue by double digits? Getting to see friendly faces again. With capacity restrictions on your dining room removed as if by magic, you’ll see lots of customers you recognize from a long time ago. Now that they’re vaccinated, even former guests who had been gravely concerned or … Continued
Chains beat the cr*p out of independents on technology during the pandemic. You must now have a technology adoption plan that addresses three areas – guests, unit-level operations, and your office. The only people who did not learn that in the last year, distracted themselves just coping. I used to want to take a time machine … Continued
With Texas allowing 100% capacity, the honeymoon with our guests is on. But honeymoons don’t last forever. And what about this crisis? It won’t really be over until the case load is low, we understand new post-COVID guest behavior, when the unready or hesitant guest returns – and work our way through all the … Continued