Restaurant Unit & Revenue Growth

Restaurateur’s Investment that Consistently Out Performs New Units Every Time

July 2, 2018

Building restaurants is sexy. It is fun. It represents all possibilities. It gets your employees and your customers excited. Oh yeah — and it gets you and investors excited, too. And, if you invest all your money into new units, you will end up making … Continued

How Creating a Culture of Trust Benefits Top Restaurateurs

June 16, 2018

To be truly successful, owners of multi-unit independent restaurant companies must feel free to leave the office and their restaurants — either for a vacation or simply for a day for some creative brainstorming time — without worrying. They need to know that the people … Continued

Why Restaurateurs Need Strategy and Laugh at Themselves When it is Missing

June 15, 2018

Not long ago I had lunch with a respected industry leader who is well known in his market for his career-long success in restaurant ownership over two different brands. Over that time, he has experienced more than his share of peaks and valleys. We were … Continued

Does Your Independent Restaurant Company Really Have Opportunity to Grow?

June 14, 2018

Opportunity allows you to have a chance to successfully grow the multi-unit independent restaurant company you own, building your net worth and the quality of your life. When your organization is surrounded by opportunity, an element of excitement about the future permeates your organization. The … Continued

Why Capability is the Door Opener to Successful Restaurants

June 13, 2018

Capability is the first key factor to having a business that allows you to maximize its value, your net worth, and the quality, flexibility, and enjoyment of your life. My research shows that when you add capability to the other key factors, opportunity and strategy … Continued

How Restaurateurs Use Transformational Questions to Grow Beyond Their Wildest Dreams

June 12, 2018

People often ask me to explain the many issues that face owners of successful multi-unit growing independent restaurant companies. If I had to distill all the conversations I have had with restaurateurs over the years down to one question, my choice would be obvious: “What … Continued

How Restaurateurs Get Incredible Results When They Stop Procrastinating and Start Improving

May 30, 2018

Now is always the right time to put together and start acting immediately on a great plan to increase revenue, profit, and the overall value of your successful multi-unit independent restaurant company. You know what would make a huge impact in your business, because it … Continued

Words Smart Restaurateurs Don’t Use to Describe Their Guests

May 15, 2018

“Butts in seats”. There are a lot of things we don’t say any more. We don’t say “waitress,” we don’t say “smoking or non-smoking,” and we certainly don’t say “cash register.”  Nevertheless there are people out there who still say, “butts in seats,” as in, … Continued

Don’t Let Fear of a Restaurant Bubble Divert You From Success

April 29, 2018

People always talk about a possible restaurant bubble. It is human nature to worry about things that may impact our livelihoods. Owners of independent restaurant companies wonder, “Does the bubble exist? Is it about to burst? What happens when it does?” A couple of years … Continued

How Restaurateurs Create Superior Results Through Understanding Their Segment

April 28, 2018

Every night, before my daughter goes to sleep, I tell her, “Always be yourself.” I know that — when she knows who she is — shiny objects will not distract her. I deliver a similar message to independent restaurant company owners. Oprah Winfrey made billions … Continued

Alert! Four Issues Impact Your Restaurant’s Growth

March 14, 2018

My brother from Seattle, visiting me in Dallas, once asked me, “Does anyone in Dallas ever open a restaurant that is not a prototype for expansion?” He was being a little critical, a little incredulous, and also, I think, just really wanted to eat at … Continued

What Restaurants Focus on to Ensure Annual Revenue Growth

February 28, 2018

There are always concepts that are growing, prospering, and building impressive results, outpacing the market. Yours ought to be one of them. For some others, something changed. Many long-time operators who had felt it was their birthright to see 4-5% annual increase every year got … Continued

Secrets the Smartest Restauranteurs Know About Targeting Guests

February 23, 2018

When you are the best choice for the guest’s occasion, your guest counts increase. But who is your guest? And what is the occasion? Why You Shouldn’t Panic When you think about how much competition is out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But don’t … Continued

Until infrastructure is in place, you can’t afford to grow.

June 25, 2015

Recently, a partner in a startup chatted with me in the dining room of his first unit. He has aggressive goals for growth and wanted to discuss his second unit. He asked, “What are the biggest mistakes you see groups like mine make at the beginning of their … Continued

Grow at your own pace. But GROW!

February 17, 2015

Growth. It is the impetus of capitalism. So how do you know you are growing at the right pace? Every restaurant company we work with has a growth plan and a growth strategy. There is no one out there standing still that we know of. … Continued

Want to know more about the industry? Ask the suppliers.

May 15, 2013

Growing sales? Growing units? Every entrepreneur I have ever known thinks about these things every day. And it turns out the people who sell to them are thinking about the same things on their behalf. In the B to B world, vendors and suppliers come … Continued

Beware success on a shoestring

February 2, 2012

The good news?  There’s a low barrier to entry in the restaurant business. The bad news?  Well, you know. Most people think inferior locations, service, food or atmosphere are the factors that most often doom a restaurant.   While those are all important, having enough cash … Continued

Good Basics Make Great Habits.

December 23, 2011

The keys to building revenue in every business are understanding the lifetime value of a customer and learning how to turn occasional users into habitual ones. So I was glad to contribute to a discussion of that kind of success for the cover story in … Continued

The Sky is Falling? The Sky’s the Limit!

October 24, 2011

I recently read a great article in The New Yorker about declinism, the idea that things are getting worse and are about to get even more so and we are all going down the drain. It pointed out that the ability for this pattern of … Continued

What tasted good in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.

October 20, 2011

You may have seen Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Vegas. Now, it’s coming to North Texas. The Dallas Business Journal recently wrote about their entry into the market. Staff Writer Steven Thompson asked me about its prospects. The sandwich restaurant segment is becoming focused on menu … Continued

To franchise? Or not to franchise?

October 17, 2011

Many of our clients have asked me about franchising the brands we are helping them to grow. Who wouldn’t think about that? The idea of plenty of mail-box money and growing a business through capital from franchisees is very attractive. My advice is clear. The … Continued

Crazy? I call it conservative.

October 7, 2011

Red Mango to grow by up to 100 stores by Steven R. Thompson / Staff Writer Dallas Business Journal 8/26 – 9/1/2011 Last week, Steve Thompson at the Dallas Business Journal quoted me in his story about Red Mango‘s plans for expanding by 100 stores … Continued