Blog

Welcome to the Surrender News/Blog.  Get the latest news, trends, tips and information to help you succeed and thrive in the workplace. For older blogs click the Archives or a Category.

  • How to Get Unstuck and Dominate in Today’s Market
    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 four most important things to focus on in your restaurants now – … Continued
  • How to See What is Holding Your Company Back
    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 challenges an owner becomes problematic to the company.  The Human … Continued
  • Is Profit from a Credit Card Surcharge Right for You?
    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 surcharges. And, once they start feeling better about restaurants too, … Continued
  • Three Ways Fantastic Bosses Make Restaurant GMs Great
    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 employees and guests by launching an inspiring and authentic culture … Continued
  • How Top Operators Follow Through to Increase Results
    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 siren song of day-to-day restaurant operations – sucks the attention … Continued
  • How to Clarify the Best Way Forward for Your Restaurants
    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 create.   Last year I wrote to you about the three categories … Continued
  • The Key to Fantastic Growth?  Knowing What You Don’t Know
    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 with many extremely admired companies. These are businesses with sales … Continued
  • How to Actually Increase Guest Count and Lead the Industry
    Everybody in the restaurant business wants to master the art of increasing guest count. Here’s how to do it. In today’s market, the difference between a flatlined guest count and a guest count (as well as revenue and profit) that’s significantly higher is the domino effect of a ton of little pieces. With guests more … Continued
  • Six Beautiful Improvements Can Happen When You Take a Break
    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. Unless you have a fantastically good reason for working, like … Continued
  • Remembering Ed Murph, America’s Only Cafetuer
    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 You may know Ed Murph for his success in our … Continued
  • Why Avoiding Risk Isn’t Actually a Great Strategy
    So, you’ve been riding the wave of today’s challenging market – and you feel pride that yours isn’t one of the restaurants near you that has recently succumbed to tragedy. Your sales have continued to increase one or two percent a year – a little less than your menu price increases. So you experience stability, … Continued
  • Increase Guest Count Now by Doing These Five Things
    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 (or open their app) and have great experiences with your … Continued