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
At Texas Restaurant Show this weekend at the George R. Brown convention center in Houston – on Sunday, July 20, I’ve been asked to speak on two different topics. First, “Increasing Your Restaurants Performance”, presented by restaurantowner.com where I will talk about the most powerful basic strategies now – addressing people, numbers, menu, tech and growth related issues. … Continued
The “10,000-hour rule” has been debunked. Thankfully – I mean, who has that much time? But there’s another “rule” that still rings true: If you publish almost 1,200 episodes of your podcast and people continue to listen, that nails your credibility. I’m talking about Eric Cacciatore and “Restaurant Unstoppable,” where I recently made my second appearance, … Continued
In the past couple of weeks, I have had two different successful operators with exciting brands contact me because their growth plans only existed in their head. Neither one could figure out where to begin to take action. So we figured it out together. Focus on Four Things If this story seems familiar, focus on … Continued
What are the fastest and best ways to increase your restaurant’s performance these days? How do you grow your company in a flat market? What’s your plan for continuing to grow your net worth and making your successful restaurant company even more successful? We can figure out the answers to these questions together when I speak at the Texas … Continued