GETTING YOUR OPERATION BACK ON TRACK

Whether you want to expand your business to more units, improve profitability, or rescue it from a death spiral, it all begins with an evaluation of your goals, needs, and capabilities.

As a restaurant owner and restaurateur, you’ve seen the TV shows, but how many episodes can you watch before you can apply what you see to your restaurant business? What can you glean from a one-hour episode that will set you on the path to more profit? Is one restaurant’s solution the same for you, or is your situation different? How is it different? What are the shows not showing you? How much is the guessing and grasping costing you? How long will your customers tolerate your penny-wise and pound-foolish approach to resolution?

Once we perform an Operations Assessment, we’ll put together a plan to change course and put your restaurant business on the right path. Hiring us to find the root causes and recommend solutions may not be enough if you lack the depth of knowledge to execute the plan. In that case, you may want us to execute the solutions side by side with you. Reach out to us for a conversation about your restaurant. We can execute the plan without hesitation or faltering. We’ll get it right and your restaurant will be on the path to profitability in no time.

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GROW

Getting from one unit to multiple units, or from multiple units to national growth, usually requires new ways of doing things. The owner cannot be in two places at once, let alone ten places. We’ll implement systems and structures tailored to your current size, capabilities and needs to take you to the next phase of your company’s growth.

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IMPROVE

Working too hard and not making enough money? If your restaurant is not generating more than 10% net income, you have room for improvement (likely significant improvement). Let us help you push more money to the bottom line.

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RESCUE

A failing restaurant can crush your soul and drain your resources as fast as any failing business out there. It’s an awful feeling and sometimes it’s hard to know what to try next since you may feel you’ve tried everything. We can identify the most sensible, value-added solutions… and help you implement them to get you back on track and enjoying your restaurant again.

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PHASE ONE - THE ASSESSMENT

DETERMINE CAPABILITIES & NEEDS     MAKE STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

Whether you want to expand your business to more units, improve profitability, or rescue it from a death spiral, it all begins with an evaluation of your goals, needs, and capabilities. From there we are able to recommend a path that gets you where you want to go including timeline, costs, and support along the way. Many companies fail, not by doing something wrong, but by continuing to do what used to be right but is now no longer viable. Other companies fail because they squander time and resources on ineffective solutions or quick fixes only to miss the correction window. Our process identifies misalignments in structure, resources and behaviors, then builds a plan to either redeploy resources to new growth strategies or refocus resources and competencies to be more competitive.

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PHASE TWO - IMPLEMENTATION

GOALS      CAPABILITIES      TIMELINE      BUDGET

Whether you want to expand your business to more units, improve profitability, or rescue it from a death spiral, it all begins with an evaluation of your goals, needs, and capabilities. From there we are able to recommend a path that gets you where you want to go including timeline, costs, and support along the way. Many companies fail, not by doing something wrong, but by continuing to do what used to be right but is now no longer viable. Other companies fail because they squander time and resources on ineffective solutions or quick fixes only to miss the correction window. Our process identifies misalignments in structure, resources and behaviors, then builds a plan to either redeploy resources to new growth strategies or refocus resources and competencies to be more competitive.

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Organization & Brand

CULTURE & GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Is your team aligned behind a set of common goals? Are you clear about how you will manage conflict, establish trust, and build a culture of accountability?Does everyone know what a “good job” means or do you endlessly chase cost reductions without celebrating successes? If your company is not unified behind a set of well-articulated guiding principles, we can get you there. Without them, any success you have is dependent on luck, instinct and muscle. That’s not sustainable.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Your managers are responsible for executing your vision and delivering your brand to the public. If you have too many managers, profits suffer.  Not enough managers, or the wrong organization structure, and your brand will never be what you intended it to be. We can help you organize manager work and routines that make your business perform at peak.

LABOR MANAGEMENT

Labor is the most expensive category to manage in hospitality, yet most businesses stick to the outdated “cut-em-when-we-get-slow” strategy. Labor needs are predictable and can be controlled with systems. We can teach you how to get your labor under control permanent.

BACK OFFICE

The fun stuff is finished. The restaurant is beautiful, the food is great, and service is impeccable. But how are you doing at managing the business side of the business? Tipshare, cash handling, income statements, inventory tracking, invoice management and employee systems can get sloppy in a hurry. Let us identify and implement the right systems and protocols for your business that will allow you to see where the money is coming from, where it is going and to give you the platform from which to control problems.

BRAND ALIGNMENT

Is your team aligned behind a set of common goals? Are you clear about how you will manage conflict, establish trust, and build a culture of accountability? Does everyone know what a “good job” means or do you endlessly chase cost reductions without celebrating successes? If your company is not unified behind a set of well-articulated guiding principles, we can get you there. Without them, any success you have is dependent on luck, instinct and muscle. That’s not sustainable.

aerial view of plates of food and people eating at Bon Ton
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Guest Experience

SERVICE STRUCTURE

Ever been to a New Jersey diner where the servers wear tuxedo shirts and pants? A little weird, for corned beef hash and eggs, no? We work backwards from customer expectations to develop service models that work. Fast casual, full service, alcohol vs no alcohol, service sequence, queuing, cashiering, impulse/add-on, front/back waiters vs. servers/server assistants, food runners, tip structures, handhelds, call ahead, reservations, and pay-first systems: the right configuration is vital for optimizing profits. Let us help you get yours right.

TRAINING SYSTEMS

Hiring great people is only part of the equation. Training them to do their jobs well is arguably much more important. We are fluent with most every job function in every conceivable food and beverage operation and can craft a training program that delivers low turnover, high customer satisfaction and higher profits.

MANUALS & HANDBOOKS

The foundation of any training program is its structure. Your guiding principles and company culture aspirations must be reflected in your position training manuals and employee handbook, whether they’re electronic or printed. The training process must be managed carefully and intentionally. “Follow Sally around for a few days until you get it” is not a training program. We work backwards from what the customer should experience to build training programs that bring your brand to life.

VIBE & FEEL

Guest sight lines, music, temperature, and smells are critical to a guest’s first impression. All too often, owners and managers neglect to seriously consider what a guest sees and feels when they enter a restaurant. Our fresh eyes can help you see your business in a new light by focusing on layouts, signage, internal traffic patterns, sounds and general stage management of your concept to ensure that your guests feel how you want them to feel when they dine with you.

MARKET POSITION

If you’re trying to sell bagels to an audience that prefers breakfast tacos, it doesn’t matter how good the bagels are. We evaluate the ability of your business to serve your intended audience while identifying your actual audience.  Then we develop a strategy that positions you to succeed. Sometimes it’s ok to offer something new that no one else offers in a way that no one else offers it, and sometimes it’s not ok. Regardless, we can get you on track to build customer count and loyalty.

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Production & Cost of Goods

MENU ENGINEERING

Restaurants are unique. They are both production facilities and retail facilities under one roof. As production facilities, the cost of ingredients and the labor used to make finished products must be organized on the front end if there is any hope of managing results after the menu launches. We create menus that reduce unique ingredients, maximize time-and-motion efficiency, and deliver profit. Our chefs are skilled at creating menus tuned to your market’s needs and we won’t launch it unless the ingredients, labor, equipment and costs line up with demand and your ability to execute it.

COCKTAIL | BAR MENUS

If food menus generally deliver margins between 68% and 73% and bar menus deliver margins between 75% and 80%, it stands to reason that you’d want a good bar program. Furthermore, with cocktail margins generally landing north of 80%, it makes sense to offer a compelling drink assortment through a quality craft cocktail program. Let us make your bar a more prominent experience for your customers and a greater contributor to your profits.

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Food and beverage commodities are the building blocks of your finished products. In restaurants, they’re often perishable, consumable, easy to steal, easy to ruin, and your employees often feel empowered to experiment with them to make new items you never asked them to make. Unlike #2 pencils for sale at Staples, the cards are stacked against restaurant business profit from the back door forward. We can help you implement best practices to control how you order, receive, store, prepare and manage your inventory to maximize profits and improve your guests’ experience.

EFFICIENCY | PROFITABILITY

Industrial engineers measure production efficiency in terms of “time and motion” or throughput: how fast can I make something that has the highest quality in the fewest possible steps. We can help you with production efficiency and quality through our evaluation of your processes, recipes and layout to find ways to help you make more money while giving your customers a better experience.

KITCHEN SYSTEMS

Computer systems are great, but if you don’t know what to do with all of that data, you’ll just drown in it and not be any closer to tight execution. We ensure that you are fluent with several key systems for managing food cost before recommending computer solutions. Production setting, invoice management, ordering / receiving practices and food handling discipline must all be mastered before you can graduate to more complex systems that rely on a sound understanding of the basics. We start there and can marry your operation to the best systems available once you master each philosophy.

ONGOING SUPPORT |MANAGEMENT

Corporate offices exist for a reason: to provide support to operators and to hold them accountable for delivering results through systems (not through being good at winging it). Blue Orbit can serve as your corporate office by inspecting your facility, systems and financials regularly. We can provide guidance and coaching to managers while being able to spot trouble before it festers into something the guest sees. Let us know if you need regular oversight and coaching to keep your restaurant in top shape.

WHAT WE DO

LANDLORD / PROPERTY DEVELOPERS

MENU DEVELOPMENT

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT

We support Landlords by evaluating prospective-tenants, performing in-depth assessments of existing tenants, and providing ongoing consulting services to optimize restauarant operations and profitability during management.

All of the design, management and site selection expertise in the world will not help you if you don’t put food and drinks on your menu that people prefer…and are willing to pay for.

We work with you to understand what your concept needs to do for you and then collaborate to create the business of your dreams while ensuring that it delivers your expectation.

When you partner with Blue Orbit, mutual success depends on the same things: profitability, longevity, and growth. Yes, we’re hired guns, and our only target is your success. We don’t make money if you don’t make money.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“Ray is one of the most highly regarded restaurant consultants in the country. He’s very organized, highly motivated and has a keen determination to make sure the job gets done right the first time”

Harold Shumacher, Owner – The Shumacher Group, Atlanta

“Blue Orbit was instrumental to my success and I enthusiastically recommend them to anyone aspiring to open a restaurant of their dreams.”

Beth Castro, Owner – Mae’s Bakery, Atlanta

“Blue Orbit listened to me and quickly understood my goals and business, then attached it. Sales are up, costs are down, and, most importantly, my customers are happy. Ray is a true partner and an ongoing resource – like a restaurant whisperer!”

Micah Serwitz, Owner – Instead of Flowers, Atlanta

“Ray is truly one of the best restaurant professionals I have come across. He understands the back and front of the house, has great communication skills, is visionary, and has a great sense of humor. He is a pleasure to work with and I hope to do so again in the future”

Glenna Hecht, Owner – Humanistic Consulting, Dallas

“Blue Orbit is truly the best of the best. We used them to help streamline one of our restaurants and to help us implement systems for our company to continue to grow. Their #1 goal is to help you reach your goals and make your day to day life easier and more efficient. We highly recommend these guys and their personal touch!!”

Ryan Pope, Owner – Gnat’s Landing, St. Simons Island

“Wow, what a creative, out-of-the-box thinker! 4 stars AJC, Atlanta’s Top New Restaurants (Atlanta Magazine Restaurant Concept Award)…enough said!”

Ford Fry, Owner – Ford Fry Restaurants, Atlanta

“Michael Maxwell said it best when he explained the restaurant business to me as a large jigsaw puzzle.  If you try to do it all at once it’s overwhelming, but if you put the most important pieces in place one at a time you end up with a beautiful final product.  Blue Orbit did a masterful job of creating and opening our restaurant one piece at a time.”

James Brearley, Owner – Floridays and Compass Hotel, Bradenton

“We reached out to Blue Orbit for their expertise and help in planning our new project. We brought a big bag of dreams and ideas and they were able to help us process them all and come up with a solid business plan to make those dreams a reality, and one that would be profitable. Ray and his entire team bring many years of experience and wisdom that we found invaluable in making critical choices in developing our concepts.”

Mandy and Kelvin Slater, Owners – Skyline Park & Nine Mile Station, Atlanta

“There is no way [to put into] how much Ray and Blue Orbit changed our lives. We moved to Atlanta from Europe with a dream of running our own business and decided that a restaurant was the ideal thing for us. Ray looked at us, what we were passionate about, and guided us through the complicated process of understanding business financials. Today, 2.5 years later, we own a very successful furniture studio where we design and fabricate furniture for clients all over the South. Ray was able to see us for who we are and guide us in the right direction. Thank you!”

Chris Demant, Owner – Reclaimed by Demant, Atlanta

“Blue Orbit has been an invaluable resource, providing solid recommendations and industry insight!”

Suzi LeBlanc, HR Director – Fifth Group Restaurants, Atlanta

“Blue Orbit is an exceptional resource for small to large restaurants looking to grow. We have greatly enjoyed working with them.”

 Marta Gomez Frey, Director – Collins Small Business Development Center, Texas

“Our restaurants had such an AMAZING experience with Blue Orbit. We worked very closely with Michael and Matt. They were instrumental in helping us make changes to our operations, menu, and service model. You can feel how much they care about you and your business through the whole process. We loved working with them so much that we continue to check in and say HI because we miss them! We feel like we made some lifelong friends out of such a great working relationship. You will not be sorry. Contact them ASAP!”

Lina Fleihan, Owner – Ghassan’s Fresh Mediterranean Eats, Greensboro

“I have worked with Ray Camillo on various investments and business opportunities in the restaurant and consulting fields over the last three years and would recommend him as a top-notch consultant and analyst”

Christian Ward, EVP –YEXT, NYC

“We have a sign in our office to inspire us to make good decisions – in big bold letters it says WWRD?… stand for ‘What Would Ray Do?'”

Carlo Rovetto, Owner – Positive Pie, Montpelier

“I had an extravagant idea with no tools on how to execute my dream…Bellina would not be what it is today without Blue Orbit’s support and coaching!”

Tal Baum, Owner – Bellina Alimentari & Oliva Restaurants, Atlanta

“Ray Camillo has an exceptional ability to read a business, attack the challenges with appropriate resources and deliver results. He is true hospitality!”

Todd Rushing, Owner – Concentrics Restaurants, Atlanta

“Blue Orbit performed an operations assessment and quickly identified several high impact areas that we have since addressed with great success. They never pressured me to take on more services than I needed and I regard them as a go-to resource whenever we need a fresh set of eyes and an injection of operational know-how!”

Tiffany Lach, Owner – Sola Cafe & Market, Bozeman

“LOOK NO FURTHER. I’ve worked with the skilled professionals at Blue Orbit on several restaurant projects. Several of the things I love in working with them is, they are operators so they are realistic and transparent. Feedback is a two way street with them. They commit and stay on track and they deliver a great end result.”

Dianna Stoffer, Brand Manager – Intercontinental Hotels Group / Hotel Indigo, USA

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