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.

This is for the people working in restaurants right now.

The ones who won't see their families enough this holiday season.

Because they’re working doubles so we can celebrate. 


While everyone else is unwrapping presents and eating dinner at home...


You're plating 300 covers on Christmas Eve.
Smiling through a 14-hour shift.
Making someone else's holiday magical.


And nobody talks about it.


I spent 20 years in this industry. I know what December feels like.


—> Double shifts that turn into clo-pens.
—> Call-outs that leave you short-staffed. 
—> Guests who don't realize what it’s like. 


The holidays aren't a break for restaurant people.


They're a marathon.


Your feet hurt. Your back hurts. You missed your kid's school play.


But you show up anyway.


Because that's what restaurant people do.


The brutal truth is this...

Most people have no idea what it takes to run a restaurant during the holidays.


They see the finished plate.
The warm lighting.
The seamless service.


They don't see the prep cook who came in at 5am.

The dishwasher who stayed until 2am.

The manager who worked 18 days straight.


It's not as easy as it looks. Not even close.


So if you're in this industry right now, grinding through the holiday rush...

—> I see you.
—> I appreciate you.
—> You're the backbone of hospitality.


And you deserve way more credit than you get.


To everyone else: Tip well. Be patient. Say thank you.


The person serving your holiday dinner is sacrificing theirs.


👊🏻


P.S. If you know someone in the restaurant industry, tag them or drop a 🙌🏼 below. They need to hear this.


Follow me at Jim Taylor for more content supporting the people who make hospitality happen. And if this resonates, repost it ♻️ because you never know who needs to see it today.


#RestaurantIndustry #Hospitality #HolidaySeason #RestaurantLife

Jim Taylor

Redefining the Future of Consulting — I Help Consultants Build Businesses That Are Profitable, Predictable, and Respected in as Little as 1 Hour Per Week | 2 x Author | Entrepreneur | Restaurateur | Podcaster

Most restaurant managers didn't plan to become restaurant managers.


You were 20. A friend worked at the cool spot. Needed cash while you "figured life out."


Fast forward 10 years—you're running a $3M operation.


How the hell did that happen? 


I'll tell you exactly how.

- You showed up on time.
- Made fewer mistakes than most.
- Took care of guests.
- Didn't do anything stupid.

Then someone asked if you wanted to "get into management." 


Your brain: Long hours. Pay cut. Managing friends. Vacation? What vacation?


But you said yes anyway.

For the paid time off.
For the benefits.
Because banks like salary over tips.


What you didn't realize? You were about to get an MBA in everything.


• HR when someone no-shows.
• Plumbing when the dishwasher breaks.
• Psychology when a guest loses their mind.
• Finance when food cost spikes.
• Marketing when sales drop.
• IT when the POS crashes.
• Engineering when the HVAC dies.


All while serving 1,000 guests on a Saturday.


People say hospitality isn't a "real job."

Those people never managed a restaurant.


Real jobs don't teach you to:
- Handle 47 crises before noon
- Turn $30/hour in sales into profit
- Keep 50 people motivated at 2am
- Solve problems with duct tape and hope


Every successful business person I know started in restaurants.


Not because they planned to.


Because restaurants teach you business better than business school.


That multi-tasking you perfected? It's called operations management now.

That angry guest you calmed? That's crisis management.

Those schedules you built? Workforce optimization.

Those stressed line cooks you motivated? Leadership.


My 20 years managing 500+ employees taught me more about business than any degree could.


Now I help restaurant managers see what they really are:

—> Some of the most skilled, resilient, resourceful business professionals on the planet.


• Running businesses that never close.
• Managing people who don't want to be managed.
• Solving problems that shouldn't exist.
• Making magic out of chaos.


Every. Single. Day.


So here's to the restaurant manager.

The accidental executive.
The midnight mathematician.
The professional plate spinner.


Your "job" is building an empire.


You just don't know it yet.


👊


P.S. That restaurant experience you think isn't "corporate enough" for your resume? 

It's exactly what every business needs. You learned to thrive in chaos. Most MBAs can't handle a lunch rush.


P.P.S. Still feeling alone in your career?  I’m here to help. Comment “SKILLS” below and I will personally send you an invite to my private community for restaurant pros. 

A place where we share knowledge, resources, lessons, mentorship and ideas. 

Oh, and we give back to charity too. 


#RestaurantManagement #Hospitality #Leadership #People

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Talks about #innovation, #leadership, #management, #restaurants, and #contentmarketing

Tuesday. 2pm. Manager meeting.

"We need to talk about food cost."


(Every operator's favorite conversation.)


CFO pulls up the spreadsheet. Points to 38%. Shakes his head.


"Industry standard is 30%."


GM nods. Already planning which items to cut.


Chef starts defending every ingredient.


Me? I'm doing math on a napkin.


$120 seafood tower → 45% food cost → $66 profit
$28 pasta special → 25% food cost → $21 profit


We'd need to sell THREE pastas to match ONE tower.


"Your highest food cost items are your most profitable," I tell them.


Silence.


Then the CFO does what CFOs do. Argues about percentages.


So I pull up last month's data:

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 "𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲" 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 (𝟰𝟬%+ 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁):
Generated $47,000 in contribution margin

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 "𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁" 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 (𝟮𝟱% 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁):
Generated $31,000 in contribution margin


We're literally hiding our profit drivers because they scare the spreadsheet.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻.

We're just measuring it wrong.


Still managing like it's 1995. When rent was 6%. When labor was $8/hour. When a POS system meant something different.


Today? Different game entirely.


That steakhouse running 42% food cost and banking 18% profit understands this.


Meanwhile, the pizza joint down the street hits perfect 28% food cost. And closes in 6 months.


Because percentages don't pay bills. Dollars do.


𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Your gut says cut the high-cost items.
Your gut says staff based on how busy it feels.
Your gut says that promotion is working.

Your gut is wrong.


Track contribution margin per cover.
Track productivity by daypart.
Track server performance metrics.


Or keep managing by feel while your competition manages by fact.


Your choice.


👊🏻


P.S. That meeting? We featured the seafood tower. Promoted it hard. Food cost went to 39%. Profit went up $8K that month. CFO still confused. Chef vindicated. Math wins.

#Restaurants #Restaurantowner #RestaurantManagement

Any restaurant still using labor % as a measurement of success is operating in the Stone Age.

I'm not exaggerating.

Labor percentage tells you absolutely nothing about whether your team is actually productive.

It just tells you what you spent relative to what you sold.

Which means when sales drop, labor % spikes. Even if your team worked exactly the same way.

You didn't get worse. Your customers just spent less.

Yet we blame the manager. Cut the staff. Tank the service.

And wonder why it gets worse.

Covers Per Labor Hour (CPLH) is the metric that actually matters.

Here's why:

Labor % = Output / Input (but the wrong output)
CPLH = Guests served / Hours worked (actual productivity)

Same 10 servers. Same 80 hours.

Day 1: 240 covers. CPLH = 3.0. Labor % = 28%.
Day 2: 200 covers. CPLH = 2.5. Labor % = 34%.

Nothing changed about your team's performance on Day 2.

Fewer people walked in the door.

But labor % says you failed.

CPLH says you need more guests, not fewer staff.

That's the difference between managing reality and chasing ghosts.

Labor % punishes managers for things they can't control.

CPLH shows them exactly what to fix.

• Slow Tuesday lunch? CPLH tells you to cut a server.
• Busy Saturday with low checks? CPLH says staffing is fine—train on upselling.
• Sales down 15%? CPLH reveals whether it's a traffic problem or a productivity problem.

Percentages hide the truth.

CPLH exposes it.

The restaurants I work with stopped chasing 30% labor years ago.

They found their optimal CPLH instead.

Some run 2.8. Some run 3.5. Depends on concept, market, service style.

But they all know their number.

And they manage to it.

Not to some percentage that meant something in 1995.

Stop using Stone Age math.

Start measuring what actually drives profit.

Your managers will thank you.

Your P&L will finally make sense.

Want to start tracking CPLH but don't know where to begin? Comment "CPLH" below and I'll send you a simple guide to calculate your number and implement it this week.

👊🏻

P.S. Still managing to labor %? You're asking your team to hit a target that moves every time a guest spends less. That's not leadership. That's a guessing game.

#RestaurantManagement #LaborCost #Restaurants #Hospitality

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20 years in restaurants taught me more than I ever could have imagined.


Starting as a bus boy in a little neighborhood pub. 


And I'm grateful for every brutal shift of it.

—> The 16-hour doubles when the dishwasher quit mid-rush.

—> The nights counting pennies to make payroll.

—> The mornings cleaning grease traps because we couldn't afford the service.


All of it.


Because restaurants don't teach you theory.


They teach you life. 


What Restaurants Actually Taught Me:


• Problem-solving at 200mph 
(when the freezer dies on Friday night)

• People management 
(turning chaos into choreography daily)

• Financial discipline 
(making 3% margins work)

• Crisis leadership 
(every shift is controlled chaos)

• Real empathy 
(you learn everyone's real story)


I learned more about business watching a line cook handle six orders simultaneously than sitting in any conference room.


More about leadership from a server who kept smiling after getting stiffed three times.


More about resilience from a dishwasher who showed up every day for $12 an hour.


The Hard Times That Made Me Appreciate: 

—> That year the economy crashed taught me systems.

—> The person who stole $30K taught me controls.

—> The rockstar who quit taught me culture matters.

—> The 2am equipment failures taught me preparation.


Every failure was a masterclass.


But it's the people I'm most grateful for.


• The chef who stayed late teaching me food costs.

• The server who showed me hospitality isn't just service.

• The owner who trusted me with their dream.

• The team that became family.


They shaped everything I know about business.


And honestly?

I wouldn't trade those grease burns, exhausted nights, and impossible shifts for anything.


Because restaurants taught me the truth:


Success isn't about perfect conditions.
It's about making magic from chaos.


Every. Single. Day.


To everyone still in the trenches:


You're not just flipping burgers or pouring drinks.


You're learning to survive anything.
Building skills nobody can teach.
Developing grit that never quits.


And that's priceless.


👊🏻


P.S. Still have the scar from that fryer burn in 2008. Still grateful for what that kitchen taught me about handling pressure.


P.P.S. If you survived restaurants, you can survive anything. That's not motivational fluff. That's fact.

#restaurants #gratitude #restaurantlife

Restaurants are not a charity.

Restaurants are a business.


I watched too many restaurants die this year. Great food. Packed dining rooms. Passionate owners.


All broke.


Because somewhere along the way, we forgot a very important rule of restaurants:


You have to make money.


Not just cover costs.
Not just break even.
Actually profit.


But we've romanticized struggle so much that operators feel guilty about wanting to be profitable.


Like caring about margins means you don't care about people.


Wrong.


This Is The Math Nobody Wants to Face:

• Average restaurant profit margin: 3-5%
• What it should be: 10-15%
• Difference on $2M revenue: $140K-$200K
• What that means: Actually surviving


I analyzed a restaurant last month. Chef-owner crying about barely making payroll.


His food cost? 42%.
His reasoning? "Quality ingredients matter."


You know what else matters? Staying open.


Quality without profit is just expensive failure.


Here's the brutal truth:

Your amazing food means nothing if you close in 6 months.

Your incredible culture dies when you can't make payroll.

Your passionate team gets nothing when the doors lock.

Being profitable isn't selling out.
It's staying alive.


And it is possible to run a successful business while also taking great care of your team and your guests. 


The operators who get it track these numbers religiously:

→ Prime cost under 60%
→ CPLH (covers per labor hour) optimized
→ Every dollar in, every dollar out
→ Weekly P&L reviews, not monthly surprises


They're not heartless.
They're smart.


Because profit lets you:

• Pay your team better
• Fix equipment before it breaks
• Take an actual day off
• Build something that lasts
• Really enjoy the business 


The restaurant across the street isn't your competition.


Math is your competition. 


And math doesn't care about your passion.
Doesn't care about your dreams.
Doesn't care about your 5-star Yelp reviews.


Math only cares about math. 


Stop apologizing for wanting to make money.


Start treating your restaurant like the business it is.


Your food can be art.
Your service can be magic.
Your culture can be family.


But your P&L better be profitable.



Or none of it matters.



👊🏻



P.S. That guilty feeling about raising prices? Your landlord doesn't have it when raising rent. Neither should you.



P.P.S. Profit isn't what's left over after everything else. It's what you plan for first. Don’t forget that. 


#restaurants #restaurantbusiness #restaurantprofit

It takes a rare breed to survive restaurants.


And I'm not talking about the ones who make it look easy.


I'm talking about you.


The operator who just worked a double because two people called out. Again.


The manager who fixed the freezer at 11pm instead of calling the $400/hour emergency repair guy.


The owner who hasn't taken a real day off since 2019.


You're still here.

Still fighting.

Still showing up.


While everyone else is complaining about how hard business is, you're dealing with:


• 75% staff turnover
• 35% labor costs
• 3% profit margins
• 100% of the stress


And you keep going.


Not because it's easy. Because it's who you are.


This Is The Kind That Survives Restaurants. 

• You solve 200 problems before lunch.
• Navigate supplier shortages like it’s chess. 
• Turn angry customers into regulars.
• Make payroll happen when it’s tight. 


You're part CEO, part therapist, part mechanic, part magician.


Running on 4 hours of sleep and pure determination.


I see you.


The one who trains the same position 8 times a year and still smiles.


The one who covers every station because you know them all.


The one who eats standing up in the walk-in because there's no time to sit.
(And nobody can hear you let out a yell) 


You're not lucky. You're relentless.


You don't survive restaurants.
You thrive in the chaos.
You make the impossible work.
Every. Single. Day.


And honestly? Most people couldn't last a single shift in your shoes.


But you're not most people.


You're the special breed.


The ones who turn chaos into choreography.
Problems into profit.
Teams into families.


While others are closing their doors, you're finding ways to keep yours open.


That's not just business.
That's warrior stuff.


So here's to you.


The operators who refuse to quit.
The managers who actually give a damn.
The owners who bet everything on themselves.


You're the backbone of this industry.


And you deserve to win.


That's also why I built “The Exchange”.


—> A place where operators like you share what actually works.

—> Where your 2am solutions become someone else's salvation.

—> Where we stop suffering alone and start winning together.


Because if you're tough enough to survive this industry, you're smart enough to master it.


You just need the right people in your corner.


Drop a 👊🏻 if you're part of this rare breed.


Or if you know someone who is.


They need to hear this today.


👊🏻


P.S. That thing you figured out last week to save 2% on labor? Someone in The Exchange needs to know about it. Your battle scars are someone else's roadmap.


P.P.S. You're not crazy for choosing this life. You're just built different. And that's exactly what this industry needs.


#restaurants #restaurantlife #restaurantoperators

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Busy Restaurants Are Going Bankrupt Every Day

Here's the hard truth: 


Being "busy" doesn't equal being profitable.


I've analyzed hundreds of restaurant P&Ls, and the most profitable restaurants aren't always the fullest. 

They're the ones with the right business model.


Here are 5 profit-driving factors you need to revisit today:


Menu Engineering:

• Cut the bottom 20% of low-margin items
• Highlight high-margin dishes
• Keep the menu small and focused
• Focus as much on contribution as cost %


Labor Optimization:

• Schedule based on cover patterns
• Cross-train staff
• Set targets by daypart
• Focus more on productivity and avg spend 


Food Cost Control:

• Track waste daily
• Standardize portions
• Negotiate supplier contracts quarterly
• Leverage industry partners.  


Pricing Strategy:

• Review competitors monthly
• Price based on value, not just cost
• Consider dynamic pricing for peak times
• Set pricing to the quarter 


Operating Hours:

• Analyze profit by hour
• Cut unprofitable time slots
• Focus on peak profitability periods
• Use the airline approach 


The math is simple:

Revenue - Expenses = Profit


But the execution is what matters.


Start with one change this week. 


Track results. Adjust. Repeat.



Follow me Jim Taylor for more restaurant profitability insights.


And if this hits home, repost it because you never know who else might find it useful. 



#restaurants #restaurantmanagement #restaurantowners #restaurantindustry

It feels really strange to see my name in an industry article about consulting innovation.


It’s true. It just does. It feels weird. 


Because 5 years ago I was googling "how to get consulting clients" at 2am.


Zero pipeline. Zero credibility. Zero clue.


Zero plan. 


Just a guy who'd helped some restaurants wondering if this could actually work.


If it could actually be a “thing”. 


Now I'm being recognized for "building smarter consulting models."


Wild.


But here's what actually matters:

Every consultant starting today deserves a clearer path than I had.


This Is The Truth About Building a Consulting Business:

I spent months perfecting frameworks nobody wanted.

Built beautiful proposals nobody read.

Created systems for problems nobody had.


Meanwhile, consultants with napkin sketches were billing $30K monthly.


The difference?


They talked to people.
I talked to myself.


Here Is What Actually Built My Practice:

• 500+ real conversations 
• Listening to actual problems
• Solving what hurt TODAY
• Building trust before templates

One conversation → $50K project
That project → Three referrals  
Those referrals → $200K pipeline


All from understanding, not frameworks.


Why I'm Sharing Everything Now:


Because hoarding information gets you nowhere.


Every "secret" that took me months to figure out?

You can have it today.


Every expensive mistake I made?

You should skip it.


Every shortcut I discovered?

It's yours. Have it. 


The consulting industry doesn't need more experts.

It needs more people willing to listen and help.


So yeah, being recognized feels good.


It’s cool. 


But watching consultants go from zero to six figures using stuff I share?

That feels better.


Because success shouldn't require suffering through what I did in my in laws basement. 


Your path should be clearer.
Your wins should come faster.
Your business should work sooner.


That's why I give it all away.


👊🏻


P.S. That article mentioned my "innovative approach." It's not innovative. It's just honest. Talk to people, solve real problems, skip the BS.


P.P.S. Starting from zero? Good. You're exactly where I was. And you'll get there faster than I did. Because you won't make my mistakes.


#consulting #consultingbusiness #entrepreneurship

Top Restaurant Chains Are Quietly Cutting 20-40% of Menu Items.


Everyone thinks it's about simplification. 


But it goes far deeper than that. 


The smart ones understand it's about overall profit model architecture.


Chipotle runs 50 ingredients. Creates millions in combinations. Dominates fast-casual.


Your 57 item menu though… It's killing you in ways you don't even see.


I worked with a restaurant group last year. 63 menu items. Proud of their "variety."


Their best seller generated $47 profit per hour.

Their mid seller COST them $23 per hour to produce.


Both had the same food cost percentage.


Here's The Math That Nobody's Teaching:

• That chicken dish with 28% food cost? Takes 18 minutes. Requires 3 specialty ingredients. Sells like crazy.


• Your burger at 35% food cost? Takes 7 minutes. Uses base ingredients. Sells 30 times daily.


One makes money. One bleeds money.


The chains cutting menus aren't just simplifying.


They're engineering profit at three levels:

1) Food Cost Architecture

 —> Not just percentages. Ingredient overlap. Cross-utilization. Waste reduction.
   

2) Operational Efficiency

 —> Fewer SKUs = faster inventory. Simpler training. Consistent execution.
   

3) Labor Model Optimization

 —> Every item requires prep time, cook time, plating time. Complexity compounds.


The New Menu Math:

→ Profit per square foot (not just margin)
→ Profit per minute (not just food cost)
→ Ingredient velocity (not just popularity)
→ Cross-utilization score (not just waste)


That "signature dish" your chef loves? If it requires 6 unique ingredients that nothing else uses, it's probably costing you $8K annually in waste alone.


A major pizza chain just cut 40% of their menu. Stock price up 23%.


Not because they saved on food cost.


Because they transformed their overall profit model.


Stop thinking menu engineering is about food cost.


Start thinking total profit architecture.


Your P&L will thank you.


👊🏻


P.S. Want to know which items are secretly killing your profit? Comment "MENU" below. I’ll share an easy place for you to start. 


P.P.S. If you're still managing menus by food cost percentage alone, you're using a calculator when everyone else has Excel.(or better) 

Time to upgrade your thinking.

#restaurants #menuengineering #restaurantprofitability

Ive Analyzed 400+ Restaurant P&Ls - Here is an invisible profit killer in 90% of them. 


It's not food cost
It's not rent
It's not even labor percentage


It's scheduling for sales instead of guest count

After 5 years analyzing P&Ls from restaurants in multiple countries, this one mistake bleeds more profit than anything else

Managers see big Friday/Saturday sales and think "we need more staff."

Dead wrong

Those big sales aren't from more guests.
They're from higher average spend

Same covers. Bigger checks.


Real example from a $3M restaurant:
• Average wage: $18/hour
• Average spend: $35 overall
• But Friday/Saturday: $42 average spend


Here's what kills them:

Tuesday: 200 covers × $30 avg = $6,000
Friday: 200 covers × $42 avg = $8,400


Manager sees $8,400 and panics.
Adds 3 extra servers, 2 extra cooks.


But it's the SAME 200 covers.


The Math That Nobody Tracks:


Target CPLH (Covers Per Labor Hour): 5.0
Actual CPLH on busy nights: 4.0


20% below target.
And it's destroying profits.


Friday night example:

• 200 covers
• Need: 40 labor hours (at 5.0 CPLH)
• Actually scheduled: 50 hours (at 4.0 CPLH)
• Waste: 10 hours × $18 = $180


One night. $180 gone.


Now here's where it gets expensive:


4 nights per week at 20% below CPLH target:

• Thursday: 150 covers, waste 7.5 hours
• Friday: 200 covers, waste 10 hours
• Saturday: 200 covers, waste 10 hours
• Sunday: 150 covers, waste 7.5 hours


Weekly waste: 35 hours × $18 = $630
Annual waste: $32,760


From just 4 nights.
Just scheduling for sales instead of covers.


But most restaurants?
They're off target EVERY busy night.


The brutal truth:

Your servers can handle 200 Tuesday covers.
They can handle 200 Friday covers.


The only difference? 
Friday guests order wine and dessert.


That doesn't require more staff.
It requires the same staff selling better.


But managers see sales spike and overreact.


Every. Single. Weekend.


Here's what this really costs:

$3M restaurant reality check:
• Labor at 30% = $900,000
• Fix CPLH on just 4 nights = save $32,760
• That's 3.6% of total labor
• Or 1.1% straight to bottom line


On $3M sales?
That's the difference between surviving and thriving.


The fix is actually really simple:

Schedule for covers, not dollars.
Track CPLH religiously.
Stop overstaffing for higher check averages.


One client fixed this:

• Kept Thursday-Sunday CPLH at target
• Cut 35 hours every week
• Saved $32,760 annually
• Service scores went UP

Because proper staffing beats overstaffing.


Every time.


Your weekend sales are higher because guests spend more.
Not because you have more guests.


Stop scheduling like you don't know the difference.


👊🏻


P.S. Drop "CPLH" below and I'll send you my CPLH Optimizer. It will change how you schedule forever. 

P.P.S. That manager overstaffing Fridays? They're paying $180 extra for people to watch guests order better wine. Math is your competition.


#restaurants #restaurantmanagement #restaurantprofit

The restaurant industry is in serious trouble. 

Especially if it keeps chasing % as success measures. 


Check it out. 


1) Chasing labor cost % often forces management to cut harder than they should. 

Causing a decline in guest spend and increased turnover. 


2) Chasing food cost % often forces management to design menus that aren’t profitable. 

Causing lower guest spend, less dollars to the bottom line, and reduced food quality. 


Rather than labor % -> Look at productivity scores in order to get the % to where you want it. 


Rather than food cost % -> Look at variance to theoretical to accomplish the cost % that is right. 


Because the business is difficult enough. 


So let’s simplify it for the people running it everyday. 


👊🏻



Ps. If the concepts around productivity or theoretical cost management sound interesting to you, drop a 🙌🏼 below and I will send you some easy resources about them. 

Because you don’t need to overcomplicate things.  

So let me help you keep it simple. 





#restaurantindustry #profit #management #hospitalityindustry

"Delivery fees are killing my margins!"

Nope, you're looking at it wrong.


Here's what I told a client yesterday who was about to quit all delivery apps:


Their Complaint:

30% commission on $1.2M delivery sales

$360,000 in fees

"We can't survive this"


What They Missed:

-> Average dine-in check: $28
-> Average delivery check: $47

That's 68% higher.


Why This Changes Everything:

Same kitchen labor.
Same cooks.
Same prep.

But 68% more revenue per order.


Their actual numbers:

-> Labor cost dine-in: 31% (on $28 checks)
-> Labor cost with delivery mix: 26% (on higher average)


$150,000 annual opportunity. 


The delivery fees? Already covered.


The Hidden Marketing Machine:

Those apps are billboards you don't pay for until someone buys.


Consider:

DoorDash: 32 million monthly users
Uber Eats: 28 million monthly users  


Your restaurant: Featured to thousands daily


Cost to reach them yourself: $50K+/month


Marketing cost per acquisition:

Facebook ads: $25-40
Google ads: $30-50
Delivery apps: $9-12 (and they already bought!)


The Real Math Is Right Here: 


$100 delivery order:

30% commission = $70 left
35% food/packaging = $35 left  
Labor already covered by volume
$35 pure contribution


$60 dine-in order:

Full price = $60
30% food cost = $42 left
31% labor = $23.40 left
Plus overhead allocation


The Volume Game:


Client's kitchen capacity: 40%
After adding delivery: 75%
Same rent.
Same insurance.
Same managers.
35% more revenue.


What The Winners Do:


Track the right metrics


• Delivery vs dine-in check average
• Incremental profit per order
• Customer acquisition cost


Use apps as marketing


• Professional photos
• Featured placement
• Promo campaigns = new customer pipeline


Drive check averages up


• Family meals
• Bundle deals
• Minimum orders


Convert app users


• Include direct ordering info
• Loyalty program inserts
• Own the customer eventually


Client Results:


Before: "We hate delivery"

$2.8M total sales
31% labor cost
Struggling

After: "Delivery saved us"  

$4.1M total sales
26% labor cost
$480K additional profit


The Truth Nobody Admits:


Those delivery customers?


They were NEVER coming to your restaurant.


It's not cannibalization.


It's pure addition.


Higher checks.


Lower labor percentage.


Free marketing until they buy.  


Found money.


Still want to quit delivery?



These are ways to turn 30% fees into 40% more profit.


Because delivery isn't your enemy.


The way you’ve always done it is. 



Follow me at Jim Taylor for more tips on how to drive profit in restaurants that actually work. 

And if you found this useful, don’t be afraid to repost it. ♻️


👊🏻


P.S. Best part? 

Delivery customers spend 2.3x more annually than dine-in only guests. 

One client tracked it: 

Dine-in only: $312/year. 
Delivery users: $718/year. 

The fees are an investment, not an expense.



#RestaurantDelivery #ThirdPartyDelivery #RestaurantProfitability #DeliveryStrategy

"My food cost is 32%"

Wrong.



I've analyzed over 500 restaurant P&Ls, and 91% of owners are calculating their food costs incorrectly.


Here's the truth: Your food cost percentage doesn't matter nearly as much as your dollar contribution.


Let me prove it:

Item A:
	•	Sells for $20
	•	Costs $5 to make
	•	25% food cost
	•	$15 profit
Item B:
	•	Sells for $40
	•	Costs $16 to make
	•	40% food cost
	•	$24 profit


Most owners would pick Item A because of the "better" food cost %.


But you're leaving money on the table.


Here's why:


#1) Dollar contribution > percentage Would you rather have:
	•	A 25% cost item making you $15
	•	Or a 40% cost item making you $24?


#2) Volume matters If you sell 100 of each:
	•	Item A = $1,500 profit
	•	Item B = $2,400 profit
That's $900 in profit you're missing by focusing on the wrong number.


#3) The real math you should be doing:
	•	Profit per item
	•	Profit per hour of prep time
	•	Profit per square foot 



Quick example:


Two burgers:
A) 28% cost, 10 min prep = $12 profit
B) 35% cost, 5 min prep = $15 profit
B is more profitable because it generates more dollars per labor minute.


Want to see exactly how we calculate true menu profitability?


Drop a "menu" in the comments and I'll send you a specific tool from my book about menu optimization.



👊🏻



#restaurants #restaurantmanagement #restaurantowner

Anyone who knows me knows that for me it’s all about people. 


I want people to succeed. 


And The Blueprint is one way that I am trying to do my part. 


To help other aspiring consultants, coaches and advisors build their own scalable, profitable consulting business. 


First it was one —> Scot 👊🏻 
Then it was two —> Michelle + Christin 🙌🏼 
Then five.  Simon, Kimberly, Guy, Kevin, Scott. 


Then it was one hundred. (You all know who you are.) 


And it keeps growing. 


I could have only imagined that so many incredible people would have trusted me to help them build their own business. 


It’s been so much fun, and such an honor. 


The momentum is only just getting started. 


And I can’t wait to meet and support the next 100. 


If you’re a solopreneur, new entrepreneur, or someone trying to build a consulting or coaching business. 


Congratulations on taking the leap. 


I’d love to learn about you, what you’re building, and where you want to take it. 



And if you’re someone who wants to, but doesn’t know where to start, I’ve got you. 



👊🏻



#Entrepreneurship #Business #Growth

"I don't know where I would be without the restaurant industry."

That line from my book Bold Operations hits different every time I read it.


Because it's one of the truest things I've ever said.

I was 19. Green as hell. Thought I was unstoppable.


The restaurant industry grabbed me by the collar and said:

"Kid, let me teach you about life."


And off we went. 


Not gently either. 


Through 16-hour shifts.
Through the doubles and clo-pens
Through the kitchen meltdowns
Through the angry customers 
Through nights counting cash till 3am w

Wondering if this was it.

But here's what else it gave me:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹.

How to read people in 3 seconds. 
How to solve 47 problems fast.
How to lead when everyone's ready to walk.
How to find calm in chaos.
How to turn strangers into family.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

That line cook who had my back
That server who covered my tables
That dishwasher who taught me work ethic
That manager who saw potential in me 

We didn't just work together
We survived together
We built something together

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗮𝗺.

• Opening 14 restaurants across the country.
• Managing 500+ people who trusted me.
• Learning that data matters more than %.
• Discovering that people-first isn't soft. 
• Building plans that turned chaos into calm

But the restaurant industry gave me something even more.

It taught me that success isn't about perfection.

It's about adapting when everything goes sideways.

It's about finding solutions with limited resources.

It's about building trust when tensions run high.

25 years later, here I am.

Writing books about the industry that made me.

Teaching others what those late nights taught me.

Helping restaurants see their true value.


The restaurant industry didn't just give me a career.

It gave me character
It gave me resilience
It gave me perspective
It gave me purpose

To every manager grinding through another double.

To every server, cook, host and dishwasher.


You're not just working in restaurants.

You're earning an MBA
You're building unbreakable relationships
You're creating memories that will last
You're becoming who you're meant to be


The restaurant industry will take everything from you.


Your time
Your energy
Your sanity
Your social life


But if you let it, it'll give you back something better:


A life you couldn't have imagined
Skills nobody can take away
Relationships that last forever
Stories that never get old

Because if you can survive a Saturday night rush with three call-outs and a broken dishwasher?

You can survive anything


I don't know where I'd be without the restaurant industry


But I know exactly where I am because of it


👊🏻


P.S. To everyone still in the trenches—what you're doing matters.

P.P.S. If the restaurant industry changed your life too, drop your story below. I want to hear it.

We reward burnout, then wonder why our industry has 100% + turnover.


I've watched this industry destroy too many good people.


—> The chef who’s hardly seen his kids awake in 3 months.

—> The GM who answers emails during her wedding.

—> The server pulling doubles while completely exhausted. 


We call it "passion."
We call it "dedication."
We call it "paying your dues."


We wear it like a badge of honor. 


I call it broken.


Here's what actually drives profit:

- Rested teams make better decisions
- Happy staff deliver better service
- Sustainable schedules reduce turnover
- Work-life balance attracts top talent


The best operator I know runs 18% profit and works 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. 


The most burned out? 2% profit and lives at the restaurant.


Maybe it's time to stop glorifying the grind and start protecting the people.


Start taking care of one another. 


If this resonates with you, let us know. Drop a 🔥 in the comments below. 


Let’s show each other how much we care. 


Because the restaurant industry is a beautiful place, when it’s not being masked by burnout. 



And we can improve the industry for the next generation. 



Who’s with me❓



👊🏻



#Restaurants #WorkLifeBalance #RestaurantManagement

Your food cost is 5-8% higher than you think it is. 

And it's killing your profit.


I've analyzed 100’s of restaurant P&Ls.


92% don't understand the gap between theoretical and actual food cost.


They're bleeding money they can't even see.


Here's the simple truth:

—> Theoretical food cost = What you SHOULD have used (based on what you sold)

—> Actual food cost = What you ACTUALLY used (based on inventory)


—> The difference = Money vanishing into thin air


Real example from last week:

$4M restaurant.

Theoretical: 28% food cost

Actual: 34% food cost

6% variance = $144,000 annually

Gone.

Just... gone.


Where does it go?


• Overportioning ("Just a little extra")
• Recipe drift ("I don't need to measure")
• Waste ("It's only one steak")
• Theft ("No one's watching")
• Spoilage ("We'll use it tomorrow")



The math is brutal:

6% variance on $3M food sales = $180,000
5% variance on $2M food sales = $100,000

Even 3% variance = Your entire profit


Most operators:

"Our food cost is 32%"

Reality:

Your THEORETICAL is 32%.
Your ACTUAL is 37%.


You're losing $10K monthly.


The uncomfortable truth:

That line cook who "doesn't need recipes"?
Costing you $30K annually.


That prep cook who "knows the portions"?
Another $25K.


That manager who "trusts the team"?
$50K+ walking out the door.


Here's what actually works:


1. Wastage Control

• Track it. Daily.
• Every onion end.
• Every burnt steak.
• Every dropped plate.


What gets measured gets managed.


2. Recipe Adherence

• Recipes aren't suggestions.
• They're profit protection.

One extra ounce per plate × 100 plates 
daily = $15K annually


3. Measurements


• Scales. Everywhere.
• Portion cups. For everything.
• Ladles. The right size.
• "Eyeballing" is expensive guessing.


The System That Works:


→ Weekly variance reports
→ Daily waste logs
→ Recipe cards at every station
→ Scales that actually get used
→ Accountability that sticks


One client implemented this system:


Variance dropped from 6% to 2.3% in 45 days.


Saved $107,000 in year one.


From measuring things.


Two types of operators:

Type 1: "My team knows what they're doing"
Type 2: "Trust, but verify with systems"
Type 1 loses 5-8% to variance.
Type 2 keeps that money.


Your move:


Keep trusting that your theoretical matches reality.

Or implement systems that prove it.

The gap between what you think and what is?

That's where your profit lives.


👊🏻


Now, if you found this useful, or you think someone else might, do these 3 things. 

1) Follow me Jim Taylor 
2) Hit the 🔔 in my profile 
3) Repost this so others can see it too ♻️



P.S. That restaurant saving $107K?


They thought their food cost was "pretty good."


Until they measured the gap.


Now they only measure variance. Because it’s what matters most. 


How big is yours variance? 


I bet it’s bigger than you think it is. 


#restaurants #foodcost #restaurantmanagement #profitability

The Dishwasher Who Became a $20M Restaurant Group CEO


Started at 16 washing dishes for $7.25 an hour.

By 38, was running seven restaurants. $20 million in revenue. 400 employees.

No MBA. No trust fund. No handouts.


Just 22 years of restaurant lessons that business schools can't teach.


Learned inventory counting boxes at 2am.
Learned cashflow when paychecks bounced.
Learned leadership when the entire line walked out on Mother's Day.


The restaurant industry gave them an education worth more than any degree:


𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Walk-in dies during Saturday service. 20 minutes, $500. Fix it.


𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: Your best server just broke up with the bartender. Both scheduled tonight. 300 reservations.


𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: Make payroll with $1,200 in the bank and $8,000 coming over the weekend.


𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻: Produce vendor ghosts you. Menu launches tomorrow.


Every shift was a masterclass.
Every problem a professor.
Every failure, tuition.


When thry opened their first restaurant at 31, banks laughed.

"No formal business education."
"Just restaurant experience."
"Too risky."

That restaurant did $2.8M year one.

Because they understood something the bank didn't:

Restaurants are the ultimate business proving ground.

You juggle a dozen things while the building's on fire.
You make magic with nothing.
Everything breaks and you fix it anyway.


The brutal truth?


Business isn't about spreadsheets and theories.


It's about showing up when you don't want to.

It's about solving problems that shouldn't exist.

It's about people trusting you when everything goes wrong.


Marcus built his empire on lessons learned at the dish pit:

• Respect everyone (that dishwasher might be your CEO someday)

• Systems beat talent (but you need both)

• Cash is oxygen (manage it or die)

• Culture is everything (treat people right, they'll bleed for you)


Today they mentor young restaurant workers.


The message: "You're not just making food. You're getting an MBA in real life."


Every ticket teaches time management.
Every rush teaches pressure.
Every complaint teaches humility.


The restaurant industry doesn't just teach you business.


It teaches you life.


And that education?


You can't buy it.
You earn it.


One shift at a time.


👊🏻


P.S. Know someone grinding in restaurants thinking it's "just a job"? 

Share this. 

They're getting the best business education money can't buy.



P.P.S. Started in restaurants? Chime in below - I'd love to hear your story.


#RestaurantIndustry #Leadership #Restaurantowner

I asked a bunch of restaurant GMs what they needed to operate at 100%.


They all gave me exact numbers. Specific schedules. Perfect plans.


Six months later, 10 of them were failing to hit their own targets.


The ones that they set. Not that came from H.O.  


And not because they were wrong about what they needed.


Because even with the "right" staffing, they couldn't execute.


One GM had 5 managers scheduled. Labor looked perfect on paper. But two were training, one was covering FOH alone, and two were stuck doing admin work that should've been done yesterday.


Literally overstaffed and understaffed at the same time.


Here's what most don’t pick up on:


We treat management labor like it's a fixed number. You either have enough managers or you don't.


But the real problem was this…  The inconsistent schedules we saw were causing invisible chaos. 

This Is The True Cost of Getting It Wrong:


𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱:

• 3% over target = $90K annually you'll never see
• Managers stepping on each other
• Tasks getting done twice (or not at all)  
• Everyone's in charge, no one's accountable


𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗱:
• Your best manager quits after 14 straight days
• $30K to replace them (if you can)
• Service scores tank while you scramble
• PPA on the decline


I watched a restaurant burn through 7 managers in 8 months.


Not because the job was hard.


Because they were set up to fail.


Monday: 2 managers for $8K in sales
Saturday: 2 managers for $31K in sales


Same coverage. Different universe.


The Saturday managers lasted 6 weeks on average. The Monday managers got bored and left.


Both scenarios killed profit. Both destroyed morale. Both were completely preventable.


Check it out. 


Your management labor model is probably built on hope.


Hope that everyone shows up.
Hope that nothing breaks.
Hope that your new manager learns fast.
Hope that nobody burns out.


Meanwhile, your competitor uses actual data:

• CPLH by daypart
• Volume patterns by week
• Task time requirements
• Seasonal adjustments
• Training coverage built in


They're not guessing. They're not hoping.


They know exactly when they need 3 managers vs 5. They know which shifts can run lean. They know when to bulk up coverage before the rush hits.


Most important ->They protect their people.


• Because a burned-out manager costs more than an extra shift.
• A broken team costs more than "high" labor.

And constantly hiring costs more than getting it right the first time.


Stop asking your GMs what they need, and watching them struggle. 


Start showing them what the data says works.


👊🏻


P.S. Want to see what your management labor should actually be? Comment "DATA" and I'll send you my management CPLH calculator. Same one that helped a client save $180K without cutting a single shift.


P.P.S. If this resonates with you, repost it for me. You never know who might benefit from it. 

#RestaurantManagement #Restaurants #Retention i#RestaurantOperations

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