Growth is back on the menu. As we navigate the exit lane from the restaurant crisis portion of the pandemic, my clients – owners of successful multi-unit independent restaurant groups – re-focus on their next big move. Dining rooms are opening up, revenue is increasing, moods are becoming more positive, and many still have a … Continued
If everyone who calls me talking about taking advantage of second-generation restaurant space moves forward with their plans, I predict second-generation space will soon be in tight supply. Remember when there wasn’t any second-generation space? Not anymore. One of the tragic outcomes of this COVID-19 crisis? The number of restaurants that have been forced to … Continued
At some point every day, think about your cash position and borrowing ability. Imagine the letters C-A-S-H in red letters 12 feet high on your front lawn. I know you have a lot of things to think about (and do), like running your partitioned and socially-distanced dining rooms, studying your newly-installed curbside to-go stations, encouraging … Continued
The COVID-19 crisis has segmented your guests into three distinct groups, each with different needs, wants, feelings, and thoughts – but all needing three meals a day. It’s like your three kids turned out so different; at dinner every night, one talks about their fantastic athletic achievements, another excels academically, and the third just wants … Continued
Today’s worker has less than zero interest in hearing what their boss wants them to do without context. Smart people sell their decision and ideas. If you don’t identify as a great salesperson but you want breakthrough results in your dining rooms, you must become a great salesperson. My best clients know this. Whatever exciting idea … Continued
A friend of mine told me she would enjoy moving every year. Wow! I had not heard that one before. But she abandoned that dream, realizing her kids need a stable home. I remembered this when my daughter asked me, “Is this our forever house?” She wanted know that her roots—the ones she had … Continued
When your restaurant concept goes to a new city, you typically go with mega excitement and hella-aggressive confidence. That’s because you know you have something special – like when you bought that gift you knew your partner was going to love. With their first bites, locals will swoon and realize your brand’s superiority. And you have a … Continued
Underperforming locations? They’re facts of life in the growth of any brand. And sometimes they’re just born that way. That’s because site selection has become more science than art, but still has some artistic qualities – and can create a maternity ward for underperforming stores. Then, when owners feed those locations, there’s pain. Nobody lulls … Continued
So you’re not an Olympic gold medalist, a musician with 20 million streams, or a Pulitzer Prize winner? Still want to leave your mark? For successful owners of independent restaurant companies growth looks like something between a hobby and an obsession that they talk about it constantly. They obsess about it because, once they find … Continued
Most successful people are comfortable with at least some degree of uncertainty. They surround themselves with people who tell them things that, at first, may not even seem true. Other people, though—who have trouble keeping up with the market, the competition, and the changing desires of their guests—become stuck in their ways and fall behind. … Continued