Hospitality Consulting - Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting

Becoming a Food Entrepreneur & Restaurateur: What You Should Know Before Taking the Leap

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting, Leadership / By Ray Camillo

I’m 52 and have spent my entire career (save for a stint in the US Army for training to be a Reservist) in hospitality. My first job was as a dishwasher, and I have spent time in almost every restaurant position. Cook, server, bartender, runner, busser, chef, manager, general manager, area manager, vice president, owner. […]

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What is a Food Hall, And Why Do People Love Them So Much?

Consulting, Hospitality Consulting, Random Stuff / By Ray Camillo

The first time I heard the term “food hall” I replied “…um…explain…” What I got was something similar to how a parent might describe a mall food court to a seven-year-old: “A collection of small restaurants, usually on the ground floor of a building with shopping, where typically seating is shared and no dining options

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12 Quick Tips for Opening a Restaurant

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting, Kitchen Ops, Leadership, Menu, Random Stuff, Service / By Ray Camillo

We’ve asked our top restaurant consultants what they recommend when opening a new restaurant. They provided such great feedback that we compiled it all into this all-in-one resource for you! So, below you’ll find 12 quick tips for opening a restaurant. Enjoy! Meet Our Panel of Expert Restaurant Consultants: Ray Camillo – Founder & CEO,

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A Panel of Experts: Actionable Tips for Hiring Restaurant Employees

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting, Leadership, Random Stuff / By Ray Camillo

We’ve asked our top restaurant consultants what they recommend when recruiting and hiring for various restaurant staff positions. They provided such great feedback that we compiled it all into this all-in-one resource for you. So, below you’ll find actionable tips for hiring restaurant managers, chefs and cooks, wait staff and host staff, and bartenders. Enjoy!

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4 Quick Ways Restaurant Owners in Beach Towns Can Capitalize on Summer Vacationers

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting / By Ray Camillo

We’ve all heard the term “tourist trap.” When applied to restaurants, it’s generally a negative term that refers to places with high prices serving low quality versions of foods that made the area famous. Often these restaurants thrive because their customers are lured in by flashy signage, proximity to the main attraction or campy foods

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Restaurants are Saving Retail: How to Ensure Success of Food-Driven Real Estate Developments in 3 Simple Ways

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting / By Ray Camillo

Restaurants are saving retail developments. We hear this all the time, but what does it really mean? Let’s look at it like this. Consider some common retail tenants – maybe a mattress store, or a clothing store. People buy a new mattress every 10 years or so and they buy new clothes with the change

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20 Myths About Restaurant Consultants Debunked

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting / By Ray Camillo

The term “consultant” – restaurant or otherwise – conjures images of slickster snake oil salesman preying on businesses in distress, bent on draining precious cash reserves before an inevitable failure. Indeed, there are some out there that make a living by cooking up problems that don’t exist, scaring their targets to death while holding up

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75 Food Halls in America: The Growing Mixed-Use Real Estate Development Trend

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting / By Ray Camillo

While the US food hall trend may have started in New York, it’s now sweeping across America. With major food-focused real estate developments such as Eataly and chef Todd English’s Plaza Food Hall opening in New York in 2010, food halls area launching in other US cities from Atlanta to Seattle. This gourmet, casual dining

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The 5 Biggest Mistakes You’re Making in Running Your Bar

Consulting, Hospitality Consulting, Service / By Ray Camillo

A successful bar does not happen by putting big personalities who like to talk about spirits in a dark room full of people. It requires careful crafting in it’s infancy and constantly focused maintenance every day of its life. Employee turnover, shifts in the economy, changes in neighborhoods and ever evolving trends present constant challenges.

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Why Love is the Magic Ingredient for Restaurants

Hospitality Consulting, Leadership, Service / By Ray Camillo

What’s love got to do with it? Asking the question “is there any place for love in business?” is like asking “is there any place for people who care?” We all believe relationships that have longevity are rooted in love and mutual respect. Since most businesses, including restaurants are built on groups of relationships it

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