Restaurant Rockstars Podcast

Episode #72 As rocking as your place may be, you can’t have too many profit centers! You may have Take-Out, possibly Delivery, even the Retail Store, but have you thought about the power of Catering? The beauty of catering is you can do it during non-busy times or even before your doors open for dinner service. There are endless businesses out there with employees wanting a great lunch, not to men...

Episode #71 - The Bottom Line is: Your restaurant Needs Cash Cows and you can’t have too many! What’s a Cash Cow you ask? Any food or beverage menu items that have a high “perceived value” with guests, cost very little to put on the plate, are very popular and most important very profitable. This is how you make money in the restaurant business folks! Not only that, but you can actually Maximize y...

EPISODE #70 Nothing is more important than your restaurant’s hard-earned reputation. Whether you’ve been in business for years or just starting out, you must know that online reviews are critically important to your restaurant’s reputation and continued success. Social media and the influence of the internet are changing daily and if your restaurant is Not engaging your customers through these cha...

Episode #69 - Many people expect that just because they’re dining in a five-star restaurant that they’re going to get great service… in contrast, you might not expect good service in a diner. Fact is, regardless of price, concept, menu or customer expectations, your restaurant absolutely must strive to offer a level of service that I call “Paramount”. I’ve always believed that great service is not...

Episode #68 - In the world of reality TV and in many real world kitchens, hot-tempered chefs attempt to extract the best from their subordinates through a combination of attitude and intimidation. Despite best intentions over the years, I’ve had my share of this type of leadership and I have to say its time has passed. Restaurants first and foremost are about the customer experience and the cultur...

#67 Could You Leave Your Restaurant? Exit Strategy Part 2 - Do you dream of changing your life and doing something different? Maybe you’ve run your restaurant for years and its time to retire. You’d like to Sell and get “Top Dollar”. Maybe you want to open another unit or even franchise your concept or you just want to work on the big picture and actually enjoy being a customer in your restaurant,...

Entrepreneurship has always captivated me… the freedom to have a dream, follow it and make it reality. Its called the path less travelled for a reason - its difficult, but true entrepreneurs persevere despite tremendous odds. If the passion burns bright and strong enough, you can achieve any dream, any goal. Today’s guest Mr. Jim Palmer is a multi-faceted entrepreneur, as well as a marketing and b...

#65 - On any given day, industry headlines are ripe with falling sales and restaurant closures, both chain and indie. No surprise with rising costs, heavy competition, staff issues, a fickle public, etc.. it just goes on and on. Point is, if you’re not staying ten steps ahead of your competition, you can be sure they are. This is a tough business, but its not about survival. Its about knocking it...

#64 - To run a really profitable restaurant, you have to pay attention to the key financial details. Problem is this can be a hassle. Many operators and managers just plain Hate the numbers and important processes like taking regular inventory and running food cost. So here’s simple solution. One of your restaurant’s biggest costs, if not “The Biggest” is your Food and Inventory. Restaurants carry...

Episode # 63 - You know this business is all about passion… the blood, sweat, tears and hard knocks that define a triumphant restaurateur. Mr. Chris Lowes or “C Lo” as he likes to be called is the embodiment of this business. He fell into restaurants because of a dream, then unexpectedly had the bottom fall out beneath him and he had a “dig deep” decision to make - Go forward or quit defeated and...

Episode #62 - When your doors open for business each day, its like the curtain going up and suddenly its “Showtime”! Think of your staff not as hosts, bussers, bartenders and servers, but as actors and actresses on stage ready to delight the customer not just with the products you sell, but the service you provide. Delivering amazing dining experiences with consistency and flair is the key to a lo...

#61 - I learned a long time ago that you have a “System” if you can leave your restaurant for a week, a month or a year or more and its just as successful if not better than before you left. How can you get such a powerful formula for your operation? Well, its all about working “ON” your restaurant Now, so you decide how or even if you work “IN” your restaurant tomorrow. I get that this business c...

Episode #60 - I’m hoping you’ve been listening to my last series of Podcasts where I’ve covered vital “Systems” to Rock Your Restaurant. If you missed any, go back and have a listen.. They all work together to put money in your bank account. In this latest episode, my friend and industry PRO Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com and I discuss why you should probably close your restaurant one o...

Episode #59 - I’m doing a series of Podcasts covering vital “Systems” to Rock Your Restaurant, so if you missed the last few go back and have a listen.. They all go together in sequence and they’ll put money in your bank account. My friend and industry PRO Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com and I are discussing simple tools you can use immediately to lower your costs, dial in your restauran...

Episode #58 - In my last few episodes we’ve been covering vital tools to Rock Your Restaurant! My friend and industry PRO Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com and I are showing you some simple systems you can use immediately to lower your costs, dial in your restaurant’s critical numbers and make more money! In my last episode #57 we calculated your Profit per Dish in every category. Now arme...

You’ve got to listen to my next series of Podcasts and this one in particular…  I’m working with my friend and industry PRO Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com and together, we’re going to Rock Your Restaurant!  In these next few podcasts, we’ll take you on a profit maximizing ride covering some simple systems you can use immediately to lower your costs, dial in your restaurant’s critical nu...

Episode #56 You’ve got to listen to my next series of Podcasts… I’m working with my friend and industry PRO Jaime Oikle of www.runningrestaurants.com and together, we’re going to Rock Your Restaurant! We’re going to take you on a profit maximizing ride covering some simple systems you can use immediately to lower your costs, dial in your restaurant’s critical numbers and make your operation super-...

Episode #55 - It's all about Service today. Your customers expect it and your restaurant has to deliver it. If not, your competition certainly will. I’ve always believed that providing superior guest service is your restaurant’s Top Competitive Advantage. Treating every guest like a regular is simple in theory, but much harder in execution - Until now. Listen as I interview Joel Montaniel, the hea...

Episode #54 - It's the Holidays and there’s no better time to sell more Gift Cards. This time of year is a literal cash injection in your business that can bring in hundreds even thousands of extra dollars in the next 3 weeks! Listen to this episode as I give you some simple and very effective marketing ideas to make your cash register ring this holiday season… you might even learn a few secrets y...

Episode #53 - I hope you listened to my earlier episode about the Uncorkd APP.  It gets even better!  Listen to part 2 as we talk about Beverage Menu Analytics and how you can use Uncorkd to boost your sales and marketing firepower. Uncorkd is a tablet based wine & beverage program that takes the intimidation out of wine & spirits for your customer. Its loaded with 100,000 different beverages, so...

I’ve always believed there are 3 very important elements to any successful restaurant - Food, Service & Ambiance and to really get the buzz going for your place, you’ve got to nail all three. I happened to visit a well-known major chain restaurant recently and the experience really knocked my socks off and my kids were pretty impressed too. They wanted to take our server home with them, but I’ll g...

You know that Labor cost is one of your restaurant’s biggest expenses alone without all the common employee abuses that happen every week in this business. When I started my first place, I had employees who’d clock in early and stand around. I had employees clock in co-workers even when they weren’t on the schedule and the list of potential losses go on an on. Until I put a stop to it! I often tal...

Whenever I come across a new system that makes a restaurant more money while enhancing the guest experience, I’ve got to tell you about it. So here goes: Uncorkd is a tablet based wine & beverage program that takes the intimidation out of wine & spirits for your customer. Its loaded with 100,000 different beverages, so I’m pretty sure you’re going to find your wine & beverage list included. Better...

Episode #49 Top Tip - Is Hospitality A Lost Art? A good friend of mine is a chef and he’s owned several fine dining places. I owned family casual restaurants.. Makes no difference we both agree that true service is a lost art. Decades ago, gas stations would wash your windshield and check your oil and restaurants would treat you like you were family. I dine out all the time and usually the food is...

A great success story from The Restaurant Rockstars Academy!