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
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
You live your restaurant brand – treating it as your precious, much-loved baby. To you, every tiny change and improvement you make to your restaurant is obvious, just like parents notice their kids changing every few days when they are young. Unfortunately, what is great parenting turns out to be a trap for a restaurant … Continued
Give yourself credit. You made it through the past year. You will never forget it, and definitely never want to repeat anything like it. A year and a week ago yesterday, my daughter and I were at a Dallas Mavericks game, and the person who had sat in front of me for years – a … Continued
The great Texas Experiment begins next Wednesday. That’s when Governor Greg Abbott has announced he will rescind his statewide mask mandate and capacity limits on businesses. The governor also said, “Personal vigilance to follow the safe standards is still needed to contain COVID. To stay safe, Texans should continue to follow medical advice on preventing … Continued