The great Texas Experiment begins next Wednesday. That’s when Governor Greg Abbott has announced he will rescind his statewide mask mandate and capacity limits on businesses. The governor also said, “Personal vigilance to follow the safe standards is still needed to contain COVID.  To stay … Continued

They run restaurants and are an organization’s highest VIPs. So it’s not unreasonable that my best clients are continually growing the capability of their general managers. You want them to act like they have ownership, or spend less time on task, or take on activities … Continued

At first, it was a surprise that the younger entrepreneurs I work with today – people in their 30s and 40s, building great brands and futures for themselves and their families – don’t suffer from the ego problems that obstructed their predecessors. They are much … Continued

During the pandemic, the pendulum swung in the battle between independent and chain restaurants – now favoring chains. Over time, supremacy has switched from one to the other – and back again. Like between Federer and Nadal Republicans and Democrats The Avengers and Thanos At … Continued

At breakfast before school one day last week, my eight-year-old daughter looked at me over her yogurt-covered waffles (her self-created entrée) and asked me a great question. She asked what would make COVID-19 go away. We’ve all asked the same thing. As we usher in … Continued

We now exist in the planning range for what happens to your successful multi-unit restaurant company after the pandemic ends. Write that down on a post it note, or take a picture of it on your phone and look at it every day. Take action … Continued

If you’ve watched the most recent season of The Crown on Netflix, you probably remember the episode when Prime Minister Thatcher and her husband spent a social weekend with the royal family at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle. However, even though it was supposed to be a social weekend, … Continued

For the generation of restaurant companies growing up over the past 30 years, two things remain clear today that were not so evident in, say, 1991: 1. How you master professionalization, and2. How you master culture will determine your restaurant company’s results. One way or … Continued

I’ve gone back and chosen five especially popular or meaningful posts from this year – a year when, just like you, I’ve pivoted to help people in a different way. It’s astonishing that, if you had shown me these five subjects a year ago, I … Continued

After nine months, no one wants to hear about what we’ve learned from this mess. They just want to know what to do. I can’t tell you how many times throughout this crisis I have had to quiet my brain every time I thought, “lesson … Continued

Welcome to the re-beginning. Last March, we felt shock as we walked through empty dining rooms, establishing tactics and strategy as we went along. In the background we heard health authorities warn us there would be a spike “next winter” – but we sort of … Continued

At the risk of going all Winston Churchill on you, forecasting and planning for 2021 looks like “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Increased COVID cases may have a negative impact on revenue. Availability and acceptance of a vaccine may have a … Continued

Remember the days leading up to the presidential election? And the days after it? World-championship LeBron James levels of uncertainty – like much of the year 2020. Reminds me of a telephone negotiation I just completed.  The person on the other end of the call … Continued

Earlier in the year, I expected to be writing by now about the lessons we learned during the COVID crisis. I mean, we knew going into this that it wasn’t going to be a sprint. We always thought it would be a marathon. But it … Continued

In 2020 you need all the help you can get. Here is help for you that takes next Monday at 2 PM CDT (registration link at the bottom of the page). Read below about Denny Law Group’s annual industry event, free and this year, virtual. … Continued

Last week I spoke to multiple operators who reflected on the process they used a year ago to set their goals for 2020 – and how those goals currently lie in a hundred pieces on the floor due to COVID-19. Usually around this time of … Continued

Remember your former long-time guests? The ones you have not seen since March? Think of all their names and faces now. While they may seem like just a memory at this point, they’re more than that – they represent your life’s work…and your future profit. … Continued

Restaurateurs who barely gave a thought to to-go and delivery before this year are now relying on them to help their restaurants produce any kind of revenue approaching historical norms. For that to happen, though, customers need to perceive your to-go and delivery as fast, … Continued

When you log on to your favorite news site to see that 25% or 40% or 85% of restaurants will not survive this mess, you feel depressed and downright disturbed. (By the way, I predict the lower number.) As of today here in Texas, though, … Continued

Qualifying for a potential PPP2 loan is critical to survival planning. Congress is working with a formula where  PPP2 loans, if they happen, reward people who could not (or did not) open after the shelter-in-place orders – or had central business district or tourist locations. … Continued

2020 has taken its place as the best year of our lifetimes to honor the American worker.  Like everything else, Labor Day has taken on the personality of what we got this year-not what we typically encounter.   With no experience to fall back on, … Continued

Any restaurant owners out there who want to feel better? If so, I recommend spending some time right now improving your restaurant company with the future in mind. Restaurant owners who live in the middle (or wherever we exist now) of this pandemic feel a … Continued

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