“Why isn’t my restaurant making 20 percent?” I hear this plaintive cry from many frustrated restaurateurs who have heard about that number and – since they’ve heard about it – think they must be entitled to it. Some of my clients’ own restaurants make over 20 percent, or even 25 percent or more. They achieve … Continued
You’re out over your skis – going too fast and getting ahead of yourself. You own a successful independent multi-unit restaurant group and your ability to sign leases is outpacing your organization’s ability to perform. Future projections? Dazzling. But you have zero track record at the forecasted level to support them. The Difference Between Praying … Continued
Welcome to the 2020s! If you want to make outstanding business decisions, you need to know what’s coming next. So, what will we be dealing with over the next 10 years? I have a few predictions. 1. Rent and Food Delivery Expenses Will Go Down The 2010s will be remembered as the golden age … Continued
I’ve gone back and chosen five especially popular or meaningful posts from this year – the ones my clients, owners of successful multi-unit independent restaurant companies, said benefited them the most. So, as 2019 turns into 2020, take a moment to see how they apply to you and your business. 1. The Biggest Restaurant Company … Continued
My clients’ DNA must be filled with a longing for growth. At best, this growth adheres to a plan. At worst, owners act like hungry, unruly, science-fiction monsters who can never be satisfied, and grow haphazardly because of it. All of the best restaurateurs I work with – owners of successful multi-unit organizations – focus … Continued
Restaurateurs often contact me, thrilled they have one or two promising-looking units. In their mind they have made a fantastic leap toward having a national group of franchisees that provides them incredible mailbox money with lots of zeros they no longer have to work for. Sure, their franchising dream looks attractive, but even if you … Continued
Compared to where restaurateurs from my generation were when they were in their 30s and 40s, today’s restaurateurs at that age are crushing it! When I work with them, I convince them to move with higher velocity and take advantage of all their ideas, experiences, information, and possibilities. That contrasts with my general advice when … Continued
If the only way you prove your restaurant’s continued success and competitive advantage comes through using data, that’s perilous. That’s because the most important things in our industry are hard to measure: Culture Morale Guest happiness Service Sure, we have spent a lot of time creating metrics for each of these topics – honestly, … Continued
The thing about procrastinators, commitment-phobes, and last-minute people? They don’t know what they are missing. Many of my clients – successful owners of independent restaurant companies – take more than their time in making decisions. Some of them simply hate to make decisions, because making a final decision eliminates all those other amazing options they … Continued
Your grill cook – the person who prepares that steak exactly to temperature – has a better sense of balance on the grill than you do on accountability in your restaurant. To the visionaries who start their organizations and become the successful multi-unit independent restaurateurs that I work with, accountability does not usually come naturally. … Continued