Restaurant Owners Success Club is a connected group of multi-unit restaurant owners who meet with me virtually to gain from my overview of what is happening in the industry, learn things to do now, compare notes on revenue and employee retention trends, and dive deeply and share stories on topics that make an impact.
The cool thing about these meetings? People get inspired, encouraged, motivated, and filled with energy to implement initiatives that improve their business and their lives.
Our motto? “Dominate. Grow. Enjoy Freedom.”
Every time I click the “end meeting for all” button on Zoom, I get fired up with an extremely positive feeling that comes from helping smart successful people.
Last week, at the end of our monthly meeting, I asked each member to share their most significant takeaways from the lists they had compiled.
Top 10 Member Learnings from May Restaurant Owners Success Club
- Increase guest count in a tepid market by focusing on incremental improvements to the experience in your restaurants.
- Build PPA and make guests happy by taking the zero-proof beverage trend seriously. Sell an $8-$12 item to guests who currently settle for your free water.
- Build revenue by getting back into the habit of making sure your menu stays way ahead of the competition. During the pandemic we shortened menus. That time is over.
- Attract guests by making sure pictures of people enjoying your food appear in your social media posts. Lifestyle images beat food images every time.
- Cater to the work-from-home crowd that no longer has structured mealtimes. Since they need to get out of the house to protect their sanity, develop a between-meals snack menu.
- Get more done by “wearing blinders” and focusing on the big things in front of you first thing every day – before you respond to any text, voicemail or email.
- Be more effective by realizing that constant annoying staff and vendor interruptions indicate that you have not educated or chosen the right people, and that your boundaries with your vendors must be murky.
- Be more efficient by realizing that the inventors of the text message did not create it with complex business conversations in mind. Consider project management software like Asana and Monday.com.
- Protect your brand and your bank account. Know the details of your foodborne Illness insurance coverage in case the worst happens.
- Schedule your summer vacation to give you as much time away as you can handle – or even more. You have earned the freedom and flexibility others dream about. Your people, if you have chosen the right ones, will get to grow and shine in your absence.
Restaurant Owners Success Club has met over 70 times and produced over 700 great ideas, directives, and initiatives. Our twice-yearly in-person dinners are special times to get to know the people we see on the screen all year. Sound interesting? Contact me and I will tell you more.
