restaurant success
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KITCHEN WINS AND LOSSES
I love to watch sports, especially football. I am a true-blue fan of my team and know that their performance sets the tone for my week. I reluctantly accept that sometimes, a loss occurs and although it stings, after a… Continue reading
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RESTAURANTS – DON’T ACCEPT WEAK BUSINESS
The last few days have been slow – business is off from last week as well as the same time last year. Our weekly ad in the paper is consistent, and we posted our specials for the week on Monday.… Continue reading
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DOES YOUR RESTAURANT HAVE A CHANCE AT SUCCESS?
For generations, opening a restaurant was viewed as a fairly easy way to become an entrepreneur. Start with a concept idea (obviously, one that no one has ever thought of before-‘satire’), find a good location, invest every penny you have,… Continue reading
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RESTAURANTS THRIVING IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD
Operating a restaurant is a brutal undertaking filled with uncertainty, tough reality, highs and lows, and sometimes unwanted reckoning. If you are already running a restaurant, you fully understand this and if you hope to operate a restaurant you have… Continue reading
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A CHECKLIST TO RESTAURANT EXCELLENCE – Part One
A friend once told me that operating a restaurant is not rocket science. I’m sure he meant well, although my initial reaction was to get a bit defensive. We all know that running a restaurant is enormously difficult, thus the… Continue reading
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THE RESTAURANT ECO-SYSTEM NEEDS HELP
There are a number of reasons why restaurants fail – some are predictable and avoidable, while others can catch a business off guard. None, however, are as devastatingly out of the operators control as this pandemic. Even the best operators… Continue reading
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CHEFS – FAILURE IS NOT INEVITABLE
It seems that every time I check my email or flip through postings in social media – there is another restaurant, food business, or culinary school preparing to close their doors. It is heartbreaking to read of life visions dashed… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: HOW WILL WE RE-CREATE THE CULTURE OF DINING OUT?
There are few things in life that vividly define the culture associated with a group of people more than dining out. Food is connected to nearly every aspect of life, family, and the art of living. A culture is a… Continue reading
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OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS AND RESTAURATEURS – IT’S A NEW DAY TOMORROW
The restaurant industry has been plagued with problems for decades – this international crisis has brought everything to a head. How many times have restaurateurs and chefs proclaimed that they couldn’t simply stop their current model and re-invent themselves? The… Continue reading
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ARE RESTAURANTS FACING EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION?
Is it just another one of those cycles with a few new challenges or is it something else? It seems to me, once you start to connect the dots, you will note that the times they are a changing, and… Continue reading
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RESTAURANT OWNERS – WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?
The more I travel, experience communities, and try their restaurants – the more I scratch my head and ask the question: “What are they thinking?” The restaurant business is one that is relatively simple in concept, yet enormously complicated to… Continue reading
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THE SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH OF A RESTAURANT
The other day I witnessed, once again, one of the most gut wrenching events that may go un-noticed to others. I watched as a restaurant closed its doors for the last time, the “for lease” sign take the place of… Continue reading
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WANTED: SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT OPERATOR
Here it is – the formula for a successful restaurant – almost a guarantee. There still are many people, for some strange reason, who continue to dust off their entrepreneurial suit and turn to restaurant ownership as a way to… Continue reading
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS ACUMEN OR CREATIVITY – WHICH COMES FIRST?
Some would promote one vs. the other when in reality you can’t have one without the other. With the Superbowl behind us (a rather painful one to watch) you could easily compare Creativity to a solid offense and Business Acumen… Continue reading
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WHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT FOR RESTAURANTS TO MAKE MONEY?
This is the most important question for operators or would be operators of restaurants. This is the defining question that separates those who will be successful vs. those who are destined to fail. Unfortunately, far too many in the restaurant… Continue reading
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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHEF-PURVEYOR RELATIONSHIP
I remember a fantastic television ad years ago for a company that escapes me at the moment. The owner of the company assembled his key sales people together and said that they had a problem: many of their old, established… Continue reading
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Setting the Record Straight About Restaurant Profitability
I am on a mission today to set the record straight. There is a terrible misconception on the part of the media, restaurant customers and even many restaurant employees that food establishments make gobs of profit. “I can purchase those… Continue reading
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RESTAURANT FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE LASTING ONES
How important are the details? Make no mistake the “small stuff” does add up when building an experience for your guests. First impressions help to draw people into your business, set the tone for the experience, build guest expectations, define… Continue reading
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