Over 14,000 restaurants open every year, yet women are underrepresented as managers, chefs, and investors. Should we fix that because “it’s the right thing to do” or because we’re seeking to “level the playing field” in a male-dominated industry? Why should men surrender their dominance just to make room for women…because society says so? Sign […]
We Need More Women in Restaurants! Read More »
A seasonal refresh of the drinks menu is a great way to increase beverage sales, improve margins, and drive engagement to your restaurant. However, without a solid plan, it can be a missed opportunity that fizzles on arrival, stressing out staff and underwhelming guests while failing to improve the bottom line. With some strategic planning,
Seasonal Cocktail Menus – A Six Week Guide Read More »
Kitchens are the engines that drive restaurants. They are wonderlands of food production capacity and capability. But, above all else, they are the factories in which raw materials are converted into products for retail sale. When you look at a kitchen as a production facility, you can easily imagine the need for it to run
How to Run a Kitchen – 11 Critical Systems Read More »
One of the biggest problems we find when we’re trying to help struggling restaurants is that they can’t really “see” their business. Their managers work hard, often 70 to 80 hours per week. They enact policies to cut staff when its slow or they endlessly pursue cheaper ingredients and/or portion control, but efficiency often proves
Restaurant Fiscal Calendars – The Silver Bullet Read More »
Every day, local and national news agencies report on the state of the labor market. Governments anchor their discussion on unemployment rate, citing moving average trends or comparing today to a year ago. Business owners lament generational work ethic variances. Progressives blame a lack of career advancement opportunities while Conservatives blame liberal child rearing strategies
Restaurant Gig Labor – A Solution to the Great Resignation Read More »
The service to customer-expectation cycle has been spiraling down for decades. When service goes down, customer expectations go down with it…then service-offered achieves a new low and is met again with a new lower bar to clear. Each generation blames the next for their sloth, self-loathing, and stunted ambition. I was born in the mid-sixties
The Great Restaurant Labor Shortage…Will Be Over Shortly Read More »
There are a lot of restaurant consulting companies out there and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some are good, some are not so good. Some solve your problems; some leave you with more problems. In the search for the consulting company that is right for you, look first at the company culture to
It’s Our Company Culture That Makes Us the Right Choice Read More »
“The restaurant kept running out of food.” “The manager gave us free mimosas for seating us 45 minutes after our reservation, but they never made it to our table.” “It took 25 minutes for a server to greet our table.” “Apparently water and iced tea refills are forbidden on Mother’s Day.” These are all lines
Mother’s Day: The One Day Restaurateurs Cannot Afford to Mess Up Read More »
When creating a restaurant concept, the stage I look most forward to is design. We’re not designers but instead we get to work with different designers across the country – usually chosen by the client. Each designer has their own collection of superpowers, non-negotiables, and pet peeves. During design phases (kitchen, architecture, and design) our
Restaurant Lighting – 13 Philosophies Read More »
When you think of ambience in a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter, you often consider things like music, lighting, temperature, smells, materials, and acoustics. Those are certainly components of great ambience (which, by the way, I learned can be spelled ambience or ambiance). But in our series discussing a restaurants “LAMA” (lights, atmosphere, music,
6 Pillars of Restaurant Ambience Management Read More »
