The Power is in you!

There has been something that has been on my mind for sometime now and I thought this would be a great opportunity to share my thoughts with my clients and other readers of this blog. 

Success in the restaurant business is like success in life; you have to own it - and not just financially!

The single biggest mistake that most restaurant operators make is that they are constantly searching for someone or something to blame their problems on. It is your business! No one forced you to open the doors - so own it. The sooner that you accept this responsibility, the sooner you can begin the road to financial recovery and ultimately business success. 

In my role as a consultant, it is the job of my company to be objective and look at the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Once we have established what those are and the areas of opportunity that exist for us taken advantage of, we develop a plan to economic recovery and assist you in the implementation of that plan. The key here however is you. If you as a business owner are unwilling to accept the reality of your position, and the hard work that is involved to get you "back on the rails", then it does not matter how solid or comprehensive the business plan is - the chances of success are slim to none! It is the old adage of "you can lead a horse to water....but (oh well you get the picture)". 

If you have issues with sales - own them. If you have issues with profitability - own them. If your issues are staff related, location related or design related - once again you need to look at yourself first.

I know this may sound a little harsh, but the truth usually is. Most consultants are good at pointing out the obvious inadequacies in systems, talking about the need for more controls and procedural changes. However, the path to real change lies in dealing with the root of the problem and not just putting nice decorations on it. This is where we can really help - if you are ready to affect real change.

The definition of insanity is doing the sane things that you have always done and expecting a different result.

When you hire a consultant they need to not only be able to point out the obvious needs of your business, but also have a detailed understanding of what lead you to this point and how to guide you out. They need to be able to work together with you "hand in hand" to develop a long-term solution, which will put you back on the path to the personal and professional rewards that you were seeking when you first got into this business.

Own your business...

Be open to solutions...

Be willing to work together towards affecting real change.

Unlock your restaurant's potential from within - the power is in you!

Welcome!

This is a very exciting time and I am thrilled to hopefully be able to reach out to business owners and provide some encouragement, some support, some guidance and who knows (maybe even a miracle or two)....well that might be a stretch. At the very least I hope to have some fun.

The restaurant business is a fun business, and one that I can honestly say I have been blessed to be a part of for over 30 years now. Over the next few weeks, months and perhaps even years I plan to post questions, comments, anecdotes and case examples of what TO DO and what NOT TO DO to make your restaurant a success.

Success, a word that means something different to each and every person who may read these postings - hopefully I am not just writing to myself. But, if I am then so be it - I will still enjoy the process. But back to success, most people judge success by financial results and restauranteurs are no exception. I certainly fall into that category and would never consult anyone otherwise. However, there is another measure of success that is often overlooked.

Do you enjoy what you are doing? It is a very simple question and often not with a simple answer. For me the answer is undoubtedly - YES! If you cannot answer the same, perhaps this is the wrong business for you.

The restaurant business is one of the greatest businesses in the world. It is full of interesting people, tremendous team building, long lasting relationships and yes...even money. For some, a lot of money. It is also the fastest way to lose $1,000,000 that has ever been invented!

This is what we will explore through these postings, as I believe strongly (and no one will be able to convince me otherwise) that 95% of all problems that most restaurants and bars experience can be solved by looking after the business within their 4 walls!

So I look forward to the topics, the discussion, the expression of my thoughts and the conclusions that will be drawn. This is a very simple business and we are going to keep it that way. Sometimes the easiest solution to your problems is the one that is staring you in the face!!

I am looking forward to the challenge.....