As a young nightclub owner, I would get a physical feeling of excitement and adrenaline every year after Christmas – along with a sense memory reminding me that New Year’s Eve, the biggest night of the year, was about to happen. Now, after decades of advising successful owners of growing restaurant companies here in Texas, … Continued
Part of our DNA can also become a dilemma. In the dining room, we have the superpower of peripheral vision: a hyper-awareness when a guest is in peril. At Brinker International, they call it “GWAP” (guest with a problem). Over time, we learn how to correct the problem without that guest – or the team … Continued
I nearly spit out my cornflakes, sitting at the breakfast table on my deck recently, as I read the headline on the home page of the New York Times: “For Diners With Deep Pockets, Dallas Is the New Dubai.” First of all, Dallas is not the new Dubai. But still, it made me think. A … Continued
One of the most important and underrated aspects of success? Your ability to get away. Even before we start working together, my clients tend to already be successful beyond their wildest dreams. Together, however, we make their businesses and lives even better. Birth of the American Vacation The Puritans were not big on vacations. Idle time … Continued
The most successful restaurant owners I know use three different methods to move initiatives forward. Which one to use? That’s the question. Figuring out the answer to that question demonstrates a leader’s greatest value, since everyone and every issue has its own set of requirements, talents, disciplines, and demands. The best leaders customize their methodology … Continued
A funny thing happened on the way to the maybe-going-to-be-a-recession: Our business stabilized. My clients focus on growth again, the smell of fresh paint and carpet glue is in the air and new staffs learn in training classes. With calm soft openings being as current as a vintage concert T-shirt, guests are lining up for … Continued
Multi-unit restaurant company owners face two current compounding realities: a shortage of management talent and the need to grow multi-unit talent for the future. You must know how to excel when fighting both of these challenges. If you watched Ted Lasso last week, you learned a lot about “Total Football” – a fluid system in which any … Continued
You’d think that – when I start working with successful multi-unit restaurant companies looking to improve – matching their strengths with what they need would be easy. But experience tells me that thinking differently, along with new approaches, not old ones, make for successful growth. Just like the people who establish a concept are not … Continued
Once, at a client’s weekly operations meeting, I waited and waited to hear someone speak the word “guest.” I heard about production, maintenance, organization, policies, personnel, money, and training. Surely, one of the 10 experienced managers at this mature, legacy-brand, high-volume unit would talk about something they had done for a guest, something they had … Continued
Take a look back all the way back to the beginning of the year. With the first quarter just ending, my best clients take stock of what they’ve achieved. Then, they adjust to ensure they have a great 2023 – no matter how they started the year. Did you exceed plan? Did you fail to … Continued