Over the years we’ve helped many restaurants and landlords work with each other and have seen ugliness on both sides. We’re often baffled at the lack of empathy each side can have for one another. For instance, Landlords have a mortgage to pay. When tenants seek rent abatement because they’re not profitable or they are starting …
5 Things Real Estate Developers Should Know About Leasing to Restaurants 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 …
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 »
In dark basements, bright garden restaurants, hotel lobbies, food courts, and all spaces in between; great cocktail programs are popping up everywhere. Everyone is getting into the cocktail business, and many are becoming particularly good at it. This phenomenon is making it harder than ever to rise to the top and gain notice for a …
Elevating Your Cocktail Program Above a Sea of Competition 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 »
A few weeks ago, the temperature spiked from the regular 40 degrees at noon to a beautiful sunny 72, and it was SUNDAY. Without hesitation my brain screamed find a patio!!! I should have known better. Few restaurants are prepared for that first warm Sunday. The tables were dirty, the plants were dead, the food …
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, …
“Check Your LAMA!” was something a colleague drilled into my head many years ago. He had worked for Maggiano’s, and it was/is a reference to the four pillars of guest comfort. It’s an acronym for Lights, Atmosphere, Music, and Ambience. I’ve always found it very easy for restaurant employees to become desensitized to these things …
The tea leaves have settled and it’s time to read them: The Pandemic has provided a Petri dish in which to test third party delivery services like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Post Mates… and the verdict is in. According to Fortune Magazine, most (71%) of consumers prefer to order and pickup their takeout food from the …
Where to Invest Your Money in Restaurants – Post-COVID Read More »