Some people turn out to be better at starting projects than finishing them.I see it all the time both as a student of personality types and advisor of restaurant companies.Initiatives begin and then get sidetracked when another shiny object – or simply the siren song … Continued

Turns out that guiding a restaurant company today is different and more complicated than at any time I can remember. Today, simply following industry-wide practices won’t move a company to the next level; instead, your approach is connected to the level of success you currently … Continued

Success and growth makes a first-time multi-unit owner seem like a first timer forever – even after decades of operations. This happens when the owner spends their life building a company and has no ownership experience with other brands or organizations to fall back on. I collaborate … Continued

It’s Spring Break time in Texas now. I trust you have great vacation plans! If you’ve already left, congratulations! Enjoy a wonderful week off, and I’m glad you’re taking good care of yourself. But if you don’t have plans, I would like to know why. … Continued

Ed Murph, of Norma’s Café fame, led an exemplary life. One of those “you’ll never forget him” people, Ed always had an incredible funny, and memorable story to tell.  My friend and client passed away on February 23. I miss him already.   Ed Murph’s Career Story … Continued

Believe it or not in this flat market, some operators are still enjoying 6-8% comp sales. How? By figuring out how to increase guest count. You can do the same if you’re hyper-committed to doing whatever it takes to get more people to swing the door … Continued

When guests think about your restaurants, do they end up feeling sleepy because your brand looks tired? Independent restaurant groups that lack the focus or wherewithal to update brands fall behind their competition. One of my clients told me, “Things changed so much in the last … Continued

“Don’t bother to look over there; that’s all fine!” I’ve heard that from many clients who had brought me in to address specific issues. When I start roaming and nosing around their restaurants to find other opportunities to address, they try to shut me down … Continued

Do your guests smile, feel happy, enjoy their meals, and tell their friends about that? Do your financial statements appear predictable and healthy – making you proud? Does your culture deeply permeate your restaurants every unit, every shift, every table, every time? Do your people … Continued

If you want to really improve your restaurants and your restaurant company, act like you just bought it.  Instead of looking at it like the founder, developer, and shepherd you have been for years (or decades), look at everything with new eyes. When I begin … Continued

For my best clients, it doesn’t matter what curveballs life throws at them. They stay on a strong growth curve regardless – remaining in control of their destiny and putting the right information to work. And when you do that, great things happen, like jumping … Continued

The most representative moment of my year took place at the Texas Restaurant Show. As I was giving one of my talks, a hand went up in the standing-room-only crowd. The speaker looked around 30 – not that young, but maybe new to the industry. … Continued

I’m often asked whether people seek my help more when the market is up (to support rapid growth) or down (because everyone’s trying feverishly to correct deficiencies). The answer? Neither. In this flat-as-a-pancake market, I’ve never been busier.  Today, no one can afford to sit … Continued

Have you set up your company properly to track financial success related to your management development efforts, value of the guest experience, and branding and cost management initiatives?  Do you share accurate information freely, presented in a format and cycle common to the industry?  Do the … Continued

Turns out that guiding a restaurant company today is different and more complicated than at any time I can remember. Today, simply following industry-wide practices won’t move a company to the next level; instead, your approach is connected to the level of success you currently … Continued

Navigating this challenging market – as well as kicking off the holiday season – might make it seem like planning a holiday break is the last thing you ought to be thinking about. But that break turns out to be one of the most important … Continued

Those of us with decades of industry experience have become accustomed to up markets with a few down markets layered in. But none of us is accustomed to a flat market lasting this long.  A flat market taunts you – begging you (or even forcing … Continued

Maybe you already have multiple units and you’re building more in another part of town or embarking into multi-city. Or maybe, in addition to multi-city, you’re adding a second concept. Either way, if you want to sleep better – plan, organize and import knowledge from the … Continued

So, let’s imagine you’re on the leadership team at Cracker Barrel (I know: Right now, even the idea is giving you a headache). You had a great plan: That did not go well. The resulting firestorm of public opinion – or manufactured outrage driven by … Continued

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 … 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 … 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. … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … Continued

It’s June…already! People don’t have to wake up early to take the kids to school, they struggle to keep them doing anything other than looking at a screen, and your Q2 has just a few weeks to go.  2025 has thrown some challenges the industry’s … Continued

Before, I never thought of myself as a group person. Sure, you could have even called me a loner. So I never expected that the groups I belong to would be some of the most significant contributors to my success. Now I know better.  Join … Continued