No one ever came to me and said, “I’m excited about starting a restaurant company – I’ve always wanted to be average.” Still, I see a lot of average companies out there. In stark contrast to those truly activated operators who always become better, lead the pack, and dominate their segment. Fearless or Scared? This … Continued
How do you relate to your multi-unit team and managers and everyone else? How much do they depend on you? If the answer is “a lot,” know that creating such dependency isn’t a formula for building a great career. Success won’t come because you do the work of everyone else in your organization. So raise … Continued
As a teenager, I had the opportunity to work security for the Rolling Stones. It was a side hustle I had taken on for one reason. I wanted to see the band. They played for six nights; I bailed after 2. I had seen plenty. I stood in the pit at the front of the … Continued
News flash: Consumers do not feel super-excited about spending money with you right now. That’s not so much because of the current economy, but because of their concern about the future economy. One set of numbers I never thought I’d look at would be the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, which I understand to be … Continued
In a flat market, people can lose focus on profit erosion. We have all been taught that volume covers a multitude of sins. Today people learn that flat revenue can also disguise a multitude of sins. It becomes the excuse for everything. Can you honestly say your business runs better today than it ever has? … Continued
We’re seeing another mid-year downgrade on industry forecasts for the year. That this is happening for the second year in a row is unprecedented. We’ve never had to go enthusiastically into two straight years and then look in the mirror as an industry mid-year and say, “It’s not happening the way we expected.” The Veteran … Continued
I have new clients in the startup phase complaining that not all their new managers are getting the job done. I also have longtime clients worried their best people may leave for that hot new brand. The best strategy for both these clients is the same: Keep the good people you already have. There is … Continued
Break old habits. Start new ones. That first day back from vacation offers you an incredible opportunity to do both – to adopt new behaviors and see breakthrough ideas and initiatives you definitely want to take advantage of. If you tend to rush into a skyscraper-sized group of e-mails, and don’t stop and think about … Continued
At the recent Texas Restaurant Show – the biggest event of the year for the Texas Restaurant Association – I saw a lot of positive, confident, talented, and resilient restaurateurs from our state and the surrounding states. That’s a change from other times when the industry was facing challenges. Then, many show attendees seemed like a bunch … Continued
At the end of last month, while you worked your five-day week, I meditated in near-complete silence for five days with 90 other people. Voluntarily. So far, 2025 has been a very busy, successful, productive (and frankly, sometimes overwhelming) year. I needed a reset to keep my balance and filter out the noise that bombards … Continued