INTRODUCTION II

As of today the profit margins of restaurant chains such as Ruby Tuesday’s and Cracker Barrel are 4.4 percent and 3.9 percent respectively. Wendy’s is in the red right now. These figures are available on all public companies on Yahoo Finance. I throw these numbers out there because maybe you didn’t know that turning a profit is no easy task in this business that we love. You really have to do everything right. You might say, I don’t have all the corporate overhead that those big chains have. I say to you, yes but you don’t have the advantage of buying your products at the lowest price.

There is almost no better feeling in the world than having a waiting line at the door, and having every guest tell you that everything was great as they leave your restaurant. Unfortunately, those two things do not guarantee that there is enough money in your checking account to pay the bills, and yourself. Here’s where I come in…

My introduction says 101 lessons. You may have 101 things that are broken with your operation. It is also possible to have just one single problem with your operation that is killing all of your profits. Everything can be fixed! My lessons will help you solve your problems one step at a time and will cover all aspects of operating a successful restaurant business. If you feel that you don’t have time to wait for my lessons, you may email me and I will attempt to help on an accelerated basis.

My 28 years of restaurant experience include owning and operating a coffee shop, steakhouse, and a fine dining French restaurant. I have extensive catering experience and have booked, cooked and hosted over 700 weddings. As I got a little older, I decided to move to Las Vegas where I knew I could secure a management  position, therefor reducing the hands on physical labor and replacing that with suit and tie management. While in Vegas, I worked for major casinos managing all styles of restaurants from fine dining to coffee shops to buffets. I have planned and overseen the grand openings of 6 successful restaurants. Enough about me.

INTRODUCTION

In my 28 years as a restaurateur I discovered that owners and managers tend to have big egos. People with big egos do not tend to take advice. It is a fact that the failure rate of restaurants is one of the highest of any business. If you ever had, or have, the dream of being the proud operator of a successful restaurant and your dream is turning into a nightmare, maybe I can help.

As you may have found out, turning a profit in the restaurant business is no easy task. It takes long hours of hard work, and even a little bit of luck when it comes to some things.

Very recently, I read an article about blogging.  It said, if your motive is to make money, then you might as well quit right now. The article went on to say that you must be passionate about what you are writing about.

For some crazy reason, I love the restaurant business. I am convinced that it takes a certain kind of manager to be good at this business. Intelligence is almost not a factor. I have seen arrogance get in the way of intelligence over and over. Laziness comes in a close second.

I am blogging as a hobby. My intention is to share what I have learned over the years. I hope that some of you will enjoy my lessons, and that you find some of the information useful.