Welcome to a new phase of dealing with the pandemic. More and more lately, owners of multi-unit restaurant groups tell me about how they spend their time – and what that time yields right now.  When this all started in March, restaurateurs were shocked into … Continued

TRA Marketplace started yesterday. If you missed the first day, don’t panic! This year, it runs for six days – and, even better, it’s virtual and free. You can still register here so you get to log on, explore, and learn. Participate this year – don’t be a … Continued

If you could take a time machine back to early March, you probably wouldn’t recognize yourself, your guests, or your employees. Remember that carefree childhood? The COVID-19 crisis has changed us all. We are living through one of the toughest times we will ever face … Continued

You may have heard the opinion that, when this crisis ends, chain restaurants will still be standing, but independents will be gone. That idea is supported by the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), which says 85% of independent restaurants will fail.   That 85% number may … Continued

You’ve just finished the weirdest July 4 of your life. In a normal year, all you would have had to deal with was Independence Day falling on a Saturday – something that wreaks havoc with your sales even in a good year. But on top … Continued

The pandemic has completely changed the mindset of restaurant guests. It’s like you went to sleep on a beautiful summer night and woke up in the middle of the winter and there is frost on the ground.  The restaurant groups that listen to and react … Continued

These days, owning restaurants feels like the scene in the horror movie where the most dangerous demon has been vanquished. For the first time, the protagonist sees an inkling that better days are coming. But they just can’t forget about that demon. An essential aspect … Continued

Some of my friends were asking me about the restaurateurs who have joined my Restaurant Survival and Success Club – the group coaching offering I started to make sure restaurant owners can survive, stabilize, and dominate their segments when this mess is all over. “How will … Continued

Quick, what does a square foot of restaurant space in a major market in America lease for right now? Bet you never thought you would be unable to answer that question – but no one knows. But everyone will find out soon. Just another one of … Continued

This COVID-19 crisis constantly throws new things at you that you’ve never even thought about. The most successful operators – the ones who will navigate through this and dominate their segment – listen to employees and guests every day to understand the smart next move.  … Continued

Restaurants that were just doing OK (or worse) before the COVID-19 crisis will probably end up closing for good – and I don’t think we can save them. It saddens me to write that. Conversely, restaurants that entered this crisis producing great results, and had … Continued

COVID-19 has exposed weaknesses in our society: the lack of a coordinated national health care policy, no national sick leave program, and two political tribes that don’t even see the same facts – let alone work together on solutions to our problems. Similarly, if you … Continued

What will the rules be when our dining rooms, partially at first, open? We don’t know. But we’ve got to be ready. Whoa! Looks like an exercise in planning from business school. Correct. This pandemic schools you.    Public Health Comes First I watch California … Continued

During this crisis, how well you connect to your active and furloughed employees will define your culture for years.  It will make the difference between having a bonded and enthusiastic workforce rather than one that feels bitter and neglected – and then looks elsewhere for … Continued

When the day comes – when you can legally operate your dining room again – you’ll be relieved, exhausted, and excited. Focus on that day now. Really. Now.  The Opportunity of a Lifetime  How you re-open your restaurants will dictate how much success you experience … Continued

It started with the feelings we share with people around the world about the COVID-19 threat: shock, grief, disbelief, and fear. And it continued with the undercutting of our belief that working hard, staying smart, and continually improving our businesses would mean continued success. It … Continued

Here is what I am telling my clients now about surviving this crisis and keeping people working when it passes.  If you operate in an area where you can only offer to-go and delivery, take a short period of 10 days (over two weekends) to … Continued

In normal times, we avoid talking about safety. After all, why would we want to take guests’ mindset away from the positivity of their experience in our restaurants? But now, with no basketball games? No flights to Europe? And your college kid learning online because … Continued

I have never met a restaurateur who does not want people to take more ownership, action, and responsibility. But I have met plenty who sabotage themselves every day by actively working against that goal. Many owners of successful independent multi-unit restaurant companies do not yet … Continued

You don’t win an NBA championship without superstars. You don’t expect a movie to open strong and gross $500 million or more without the most popular actors. And you won’t ever own the best restaurant company without a few superstars of your own. Only the … Continued

The best way to run your second (or third of fourth) concept? Not the way you ran your first. The number one thing restaurateurs get wrong when operating multiple concepts? They superimpose their original concept’s corporate team onto their new one – when maximizing the … Continued

In our industry, there’s a lot of talk about brands that grow too fast. I recently wrote about that here. Meanwhile, we don’t talk nearly as much about brands that have the opportunity to grow, but grow too slowly – or don’t grow at all. Those … Continued

When I was growing up, my family ate in a lot of restaurants. A lot. And to me, those restaurants were organized and efficient businesses where everyone knew what to do and things ran smoothly.  Like where my father, an officer in a Fortune 500 … Continued

What is it that kills great plans? Organizations with a lack of accountability. Restaurateurs often start off with big and exciting ideas, fantastic talent, and a great grasp of what they need to grow their business. Ideas, plans, and programs become the wish/vision/dream boards of … Continued

Since the Great Recession, we’ve seen over 10 years of economic expansion. That means there are a lot of successful operators out there who have never known anything but good financial times. But they’re like the doctors who graduate from medical school without a business … Continued

“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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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. … 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, … 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 … 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 … Continued