If there's one thing I've heard time and again from restaurant owners, it's, “I love your stuff, David. I've read your book, seen you speak, listen to your podcast and watch your YouTube videos, but I just don't know where to start.” If you want to take action and start to improve your restaurant and your life, and you’re asking the same question, you're in exactly the right place. For this episode of my restaurant podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I’m tackling that very question, laying out a clear and actionable road map to not just start but to thrive. To make it easy to follow an ..read more

Four years after the pandemic, I’m working with restaurant owners who are still suffering whiplash and struggling to find a path forward for their restaurants. I don’t have to tell you, but it was an intense time. Restaurant owners went from a complete shutdown of their restaurants and sending employees to the unemployment office to the frantic offer of money from the government and the incentives offered to employees to work through the unknown challenges. These days restaurant owners are working through the long-term consequences of taking that money and how to run their restaurants in this ..read more

I recently had a coaching call with a restaurant owner whose business was struggling. He and his wife needed an outside perspective, and they turned to me to help them review their options. The call we had highlights the transformative power of resilience, strategic planning and the courage to embrace change. In this episode of my restaurant podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, learn more about what exactly was challenging their establishment, the discoveries we made and the next steps I recommended they take. The situation the restaurant owners are in isn’t uncommon but the resources t ..read more

As a restaurant owner, there are many things you have to do right to be successful. It really is a business of spinning many plates at once. One thing I’ve found in the most successful restaurant owners I know is how they approach their role as a leader and how their mindset makes all the difference. In this episode of my restaurant podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I’m sharing 10 critical mindset questions that serve as reflections into how your leadership is shaping your team's environment. Reflecting on these questions and engaging with the answers can be a game-changer for restau ..read more

A successful restaurant is one that delivers on the promise to it guests. That's hot food hot, cold food cold, a clean safe work environment for your guests and employees, WOW customer service and providing an incredible product. That's what restaurant owners are put on this earth to do, right? To create memories. We have the pleasure and the privilege to create memories in people's lives. In this episode of my restaurant podcast, the Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I focus on Restaurant 101, exploring the alchemy of perfect meal temperatures, the sanctuary of our dining havens, the ballet of e ..read more

I tell restaurant owners all the time that their POS system is the most important piece of equipment they will ever purchase for their restaurant. The POS system is much more than a glorified cash register; it’s data central. It holds the key data you can use to change your business, prevent theft and make meaningful changes to your operations. In this episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I review some of the most powerful and little-known reports your POS system has to offer. This includes four underutilized, yet essential, reports that are critical to harnessing the powe ..read more

There’s a little known and underutilized tool that can reduce a restaurant’s food cost by potentially 3% or more. All that is required is for a restaurant to gather some simple data and take a little action. How would you like to reduce your food cost by simply gathering data? Does this sound too good to be true? I promise you, it’s not. In this episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity Formula, I explain what kind of information you need to gather, where to get the information, what to do with it and what you can expect when you use it the way I explain. By the end of this lesson, you ..read more

When it comes to following restaurant systems every day, restaurant owners are notorious for falling down on the job. They are just too busy in other areas and they lose sight of the daily routine things that are required to keep systems working properly. Besides, the job of a restaurant owner isn’t to be buried in the day to day; it’s to be strategic and to think bigger than daily tasks. If it’s not the restaurant owner, then who should it be? Restaurant owners must appoint someone who gets stuff done, who loves the restaurant and wants to support the owner. I call this person an implementer ..read more

Jesi Cline is a restaurant owner who started her business as a bakery specializing in cupcakes and custom wedding cakes. While she found success, she was working endless hours to keep up with orders and had no time to be strategic with her business. When COVID hit, she needed to pivot and rebranded as Rosé Café, a fast casual breakfast, lunch and dessert cafe. And recently, she expanded her restaurant and doubled her square footage. With six years in business and eight years as a wife and mother, her life has been nothing short of busy. In this episode of my podcast, The Restaurant Prosperity ..read more

What might be second nature to a seasoned chef, a manager or owner with decades of experience can be a revelation to someone just embarking on their restaurant journey. It's essential to remember that our industry, with its vast array of roles and responsibilities, doesn't have a universal baseline of “common sense.” In the restaurant industry, “common sense” is a relative term. For some veterans, certain practices and insights might seem obvious, but for others, these are the essential skills and knowledge that lay the groundwork for their future success. Each piece of advice, no matter how s ..read more