Most restaurants rely on heroics. That’s why they break.
Chef calls out—everything collapses.
Staff turns over—culture disappears.
Owner burns out—nothing changes.

After 33 years in the kitchen, I’ve seen it all.
I’ve run high-volume operations, trained green teams into machines, and led groups through chaos and culture collapse.
And here’s what I know:

Culture eats talent for breakfast.
Systems beat talent when talent doesn’t have systems.

Today, I help restaurant leaders build kitchens that don’t rely on superheroes.
I work with chefs and operators to:

→ Define their way of doing business
→ Build leadership systems that teach it
→ Create operations that run consistently—even when they’re not there

It’s not theory. It’s not fluff.
One client cut turnover by 60% and grew profit by 15% in 90 days.

If your team is talented but inconsistent…
If your culture changes depending on who’s in charge…
If your restaurant falls apart when one person is out…

Let’s talk.

On the CULINARY MECHANIC podcast, I host candid conversations with hospitality's most innovative leaders. From kitchen culture to tech innovations, we blend battle-tested wisdom with modern insights that challenge 'the way it's always been done.' It's where restaurant wisdom meets real systems that work.

🎙️ Host: CULINARY MECHANIC
📩 DM me or visit culinarymechanic.com

Simon Zatyrka

At Benchmark Sixty, we know that you want to be a great restaurant operator. An operator who wants to have long-term success regardless of inflation, labor shortages, or other common challenges. In order to operate that way, it’s important to understand how data and information can improve your business.

Unfortunately, most restaurant owners don’t have time to sift through information or study data because they’re too busy running their restaurants! This can be frustrating, and it leaves so many owners feeling stuck in the mindset that, “this is the way we’ve always done it.”

Benchmark Sixty is a consulting firm that believes no restaurant owner should feel stuck or like external problems are controlling their business. You shouldn’t have to feel like you have no choice but to hope that the old ways will work. That’s why we use a holistic method of analyzing data in a way that immediately pinpoints opportunities and provides a gateway to solving your problems.

Our three-step process allows us to better understand your:

Concept. Every business is different and should be operated as such.

Productivity. We measure this using a proprietary strategy.

Data. In minutes, we’ll have answers to help us better understand your business as a whole.

With Benchmark Sixty on your side, we can work to change the way the entire restaurant industry looks at labor costs in an attempt to better protect people and profit. Reach out to us to learn more about our hospitality consulting services or to get started today.

Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services

Stop doing inventory.

It's probably wasting your time.


I know. Every consultant says weekly inventory is non-negotiable. Every owner thinks counting product is "controlling food cost."


But here's what nobody tells you:


Most restaurants don't even have recipes.


Think about that.


No standardized recipes. No portion specs. No yield calculations.


And somehow inventory is going to save you?


Here's the hierarchy nobody explains:


𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁.

They count everything. Track every invoice. Know exactly what they spent.


𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁.

They've done the menu engineering. Built the recipes. Know what each dish should cost.


𝗙𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.


And that's where the profit lives.


The gap between what food should cost and what it actually costs.


That variance tells you everything:

→ Where waste is happening
→ Where theft might exist
→ Where portioning is off
→ Where your money is disappearing


But here's the problem:


You can't calculate variance without theoretical cost.

You can't have theoretical cost without recipes.

You can't have proper recipes without menu engineering.


So what happens?


Restaurants skip the foundation. Jump straight to inventory. Count everything religiously.


And nothing changes.


Because you won't lower your food cost by counting the things you haven't sold yet.


Inventory without recipes is just an action item that sounds productive.


It's busywork disguised as best practice.


Here's the order that actually works:

1. Menu engineering (what should we sell, at what price, and why)

2. Standardized recipes (what goes in each dish)

3. Theoretical food cost (what it should cost)

4. Actual food cost (what it did cost)

5. Variance analysis (where the money went)


Skip steps 1-3?


Step 4 is a disaster.


And step 5 doesn't get you anywhere.


The restaurants that actually control food cost?


They didn't start with inventory.


They started with structure.


Everything else is just counting in the dark.



👊🏻



P.S. If you've been doing inventory for years and your food cost hasn't budged, this is probably why. Comment "RECIPES" below and I'll send you the framework to build the foundation first.


#restaurants #restaurantmanagement #foodcost

Jim Taylor

Business model & labor optimization for restaurant owners & operators | Recover $60K–$2M+ without raising prices | Advisor | 2× Author | Restaurateur

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The restaurant industry has always been this hard.

It's just taken the last few years for the world to start to see it.


• The 14-hour days.
• The burns that never quite heal.
• The knees that ache at 35.
• The missed birthdays.
• The "just one more ticket."


We've always known.


But now everyone sees what we've carried:


The server smiling through anxiety.
The cook self-medicating to sleep.
The manager who hasn't had a real day off in months.
The dishwasher nobody checks on.


This isn't new.


What's new is we're finally talking about it. Barely. But it's a start.


The cost isn't just financial.


It's the chef who can't turn off.
It's the bartender drinking their tips.
It's the GM texting at their kid's recital.
It's the prep cook who just... stops showing up.


We lose good people.


Not because they can't cook.
Not because they can't serve.


Because they can't take it anymore.


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲:

Stop glorifying the grind.
Start protecting your people.


Mental health isn't weakness.

It's survival.


To everyone still in it:

Your struggle is real.
Your exhaustion is valid.
Your mental and physical health matters.


And to those grinding through it right now:


Because it's necessary.
Because it's all you know.
Because you love the rush of a busy service.
Or because it's your only option.


I see you.


You're not broken. The system is.


👊🏻


If you're reading this, do the industry a favor.

1) Comment "I see you" below.
Let's show the strength of this community.

2) Repost this ♻️ 
You never know who might need to hear it.

#Restaurantindustry #Restaurants #Hospitalityindustry

Everything you've been taught about restaurant labor management is wrong.


After hundreds of restaurants, I'm sure of it.


The ones struggling with labor rarely have a labor problem.

They have a productivity problem.
They have a business model problem. 
They have a data interpretation problem. 


Here's what I mean:

Two restaurants. Same concept. Same market. Same menu complexity.

One runs 28% labor and prints money.
The other runs 28% labor and bleeds cash.

Same percentage. Completely different outcomes.


Because labor percentage doesn't tell you anything useful.


It tells you what you spent vs sales. 
It doesn't tell you what you got for it.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 "𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿?"

It's "how much output per labor hour?"


When you don't know that number, you're flying blind.


So you do what everyone does:

Cut hours when things get tight.
Add hours when things feel busy.
React instead of design.


And the result?

→ Burnout when you're understaffed
→ Waste when you're overstaffed
→ Chaos either way
→ Good people walking out the door


This is why I talk about the concept of “Optimal Productivity Zone.”


It's not a magic number. It's a range.


The sweet spot where your team can deliver great service, protect the guest experience, and generate profit, without running themselves into the ground.


Every restaurant has one.


Almost nobody knows theirs.


The restaurants that feel calm? 

The ones where the team isn't drowning?

They didn't get there by cutting harder.

They got there by measuring what actually matters.


Clarity beats cutting. Every time.


If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right on labor and still losing… this is probably why.



👊🏻



If this hit home, comment "OPZ" below.

I'll send you the framework I use with every restaurant I work with to find their zone.

Ps. OPZ is often the difference between profit and no profit. So please repost this so others battling the same challenges can see it. ♻️



#restaurantindustry #restaurants #leadership

Stop trying to "price your way" out of a productivity problem.

If you pass labor costs to the guest without fixing your internal systems, you aren't solving the issue - you’re just driving customers away.


#restaurants #profitability #minimumwage

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First, if you haven’t already, take a listen to one of our favourite episodes of MENU Unplugged with Tony Stortz. And, as always, a thank you to our s

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The Minimum Wage Pivot: Why Price Hikes Aren’t the Answer

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