Hi, I’m Matthew Mabel (learn more about me here). Welcome to our Restaurant Success Newsletter in written and podcast forms.
Every edition of my newsletter—in both written and podcast form—shares some of the same valuable insights I share with my clients, teaching ways to improve your business while also building a flexible life for you and increasing your net worth.
While every restaurateur is unique, they all face similar challenges with these core issues: Building brand and culture; Improving management; Increasing profits; Creating a consistent experience; Optimizing operations; Staying up to date on changes in the industry; Developing a growth strategy; Maintaining work-life balance.
As a business owner, you should be in control of your own destiny and work-life balance. You own your business; it doesn’t own you. What good is expanding your restaurant business in any way that doesn’t work best for you? I’m truly excited you’ve made the conscious decision to follow my thoughts about growing your business while improving your personal life. When you grow your business intentionally, you can have both. That’s why I encourage you to “be as good to yourself as you are to your guests.”
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If you have any questions please shoot me a message, or schedule a free 15-minute conversation here.
When You Lack Experience, Add Someone Who Has It
In this episode, we dive into a crucial topic that many restaurant owners face: managing and supervising high-level positions when you don't have prior experience doing so. We'll explore why "fake it 'til you make it" isn't a viable strategy for building a multi-unit team, and I'll share some practical insights on how to effectively manage your first operations director, marketing director, or CFO.
The Greatest Alternative To Selling Your Restaurants
Today, we're diving into a crucial topic for many restaurant owners: an alternative to selling your restaurants. I'll share why Retiring in Place might be a better option than selling, how to maintain your revenue stream, and success stories from owners who've made this transition work. Plus, I'll tell you about an exciting upcoming webinar where we'll go deeper into this topic!
Your Restaurant Company's Game-Winning Focus for 2025
Matthew Mabel dives into something crucial for 2025: Your restaurant's game-winning focus. He'll explore two key areas that will help you claim more market share, and he'll talk about leadership and coaching capability. Mabel then discuss the critical importance of guest experience. He'll also share some bonus insights about promoting your success.
Making Bold Moves vs. Incremental Changes in Restaurant Operations
Veteran restaurant advisor Matthew Mabel discusses the crucial decision restaurant owners face between making incremental changes and bold, transformative moves in their operations. Drawing from his extensive consulting experience, Mabel explains why many operators default to smaller changes when bigger moves might better serve their growth and profitability goals.
The Biggest Consumer Changes Affecting You Right Now, Part 1
It used to be that a restaurant could be packed all the time even if its food and service were just OK. Not anymore. This example turns out to be a permanent change in our industry, and the sooner you accept that the days of punch-card loyalty programs, dried flower arrangements, and old consumer behaviors …
The Biggest Consumer Changes Affecting Your Restaurant Right Now, Part 2
10 years ago, I worked with a couple of burger clients, one of whom would not do delivery because of “the quality of the burgers by the time they travel” – and another who, for the same reason, did not even offer to-go orders. Flash forward to today and that thinking has vanished, like talking …
The Biggest Consumer Changes Affecting You Right Now, Part 3
At QSRs, they call it a “value meal”: a group of items bundled at a lower price than the price paid for buying each item separately. That whole concept messes with your head—because it defines value as price, and nothing could be further than the truth with the restaurants I work with. With my clients …