News flash: Consumers do not feel super-excited about spending money with you right now. That’s not so much because of the current economy, but because of their concern about the future economy. One set of numbers I never thought I’d look at would be the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, which I understand to be … Continued
In a flat market, people can lose focus on profit erosion. We have all been taught that volume covers a multitude of sins. Today people learn that flat revenue can also disguise a multitude of sins. It becomes the excuse for everything. Can you honestly say your business runs better today than it ever has? … Continued
We’re seeing another mid-year downgrade on industry forecasts for the year. That this is happening for the second year in a row is unprecedented. We’ve never had to go enthusiastically into two straight years and then look in the mirror as an industry mid-year and say, “It’s not happening the way we expected.” The Veteran … Continued
If it’s not going great now, why would you want more of not-great? My brother once asked me, “Has anyone ever opened a restaurant in Dallas they didn’t intend to be a prototype for expansion?” Well, yes, but he made his point. For many restaurateurs, growth is inspiration. Most would view having one restaurant – … Continued
I have new clients in the startup phase complaining that not all their new managers are getting the job done. I also have longtime clients worried their best people may leave for that hot new brand. The best strategy for both these clients is the same: Keep the good people you already have. There is … Continued
Break old habits. Start new ones. That first day back from vacation offers you an incredible opportunity to do both – to adopt new behaviors and see breakthrough ideas and initiatives you definitely want to take advantage of. If you tend to rush into a skyscraper-sized group of e-mails, and don’t stop and think about … Continued
At the recent Texas Restaurant Show – the biggest event of the year for the Texas Restaurant Association – I saw a lot of positive, confident, talented, and resilient restaurateurs from our state and the surrounding states. That’s a change from other times when the industry was facing challenges. Then, many show attendees seemed like a bunch … Continued
At the end of last month, while you worked your five-day week, I meditated in near-complete silence for five days with 90 other people. Voluntarily. So far, 2025 has been a very busy, successful, productive (and frankly, sometimes overwhelming) year. I needed a reset to keep my balance and filter out the noise that bombards … Continued
At Texas Restaurant Show this weekend at the George R. Brown convention center in Houston – on Sunday, July 20, I’ve been asked to speak on two different topics. First, “Increasing Your Restaurants Performance”, presented by restaurantowner.com where I will talk about the most powerful basic strategies now – addressing people, numbers, menu, tech and growth related issues. … Continued
The “10,000-hour rule” has been debunked. Thankfully – I mean, who has that much time? But there’s another “rule” that still rings true: If you publish almost 1,200 episodes of your podcast and people continue to listen, that nails your credibility. I’m talking about Eric Cacciatore and “Restaurant Unstoppable,” where I recently made my second appearance, … Continued