The Restaurant Success Podcast

It’s Been So Long - Let’s Go to the Restaurant Show!

• Matthew Mabel • Season 1 • Episode 26

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Join veteran restaurant advisor Matthew Mabel as he discusses the upcoming Texas Restaurant Show in Houston and explores critical questions every restaurant owner should be asking in today's challenging business environment. This episode focuses on the fastest ways to increase restaurant performance, grow your company in a flat market, and develop strategies for continuing to build net-worth through successful restaurant entrepreneurship. Matthew shares insights on rediscovering fundamental business practices that drive restaurant success, including attracting the right people, implementing quality information systems, creating menu items that provide value to demanding guests, leveraging technology in operations, and identifying barriers to growth. He also previews his two speaking sessions at the show, covering restaurant performance optimization and growth strategies for business owners looking to scale their operations and profits in today's uncertain economy.

Key Topics Covered

  • Rediscovering fundamental restaurant business practices that never go out of date
  • Strategies for attracting and retaining the right team members in today's labor market
  • The importance of financial literacy and quality information systems for restaurant owners
  • Creating menu items that provide real value to today's sophisticated guests
  • Implementing the right technology stack to improve restaurant operations
  • Identifying and overcoming barriers to restaurant growth and expansion
  • Growing your business, people, and profits in an uncertain economy
  • Addressing the management talent gap in the restaurant industry post-COVID
  • Capital raising strategies for restaurant entrepreneurs
  • Site selection updates and location factors for restaurant success

Links Mentioned

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Matthew Mabel

Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve:

  • Profit growth
  • Sales optimization
  • Guest count increase
  • Unit expansion
  • Employee engagement
  • Brand loyalty

How to Support the Show

  • Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter
  • Rate and review the show
  • Visit www.surrender.biz for additional resources

Hello, and welcome to the Restaurant Success Podcast. I'm Matthew Mabel, veteran restaurant advisor, coach, consultant, and speaker devoted to multi-unit independent restaurant unit, profit and revenue growth, internal harmony and ownership freedom and flexibility.

This is your weekly entree of the advice, strategy and tactics that I currently provide to my best clients.

Today I want to talk about something that's got me really excited - the upcoming Texas Restaurant Show in Houston!

But more than just telling you about the show, I want to explore the key questions that every restaurant owner should be asking themselves right now: What are the fastest and best ways to increase your restaurant's performance these days? How do you grow your company in a flat market?

And, what's your plan for continuing to grow your net-worth and making your successful restaurant company even more successful?

These are exactly the kinds of questions we're going to tackle together when I speak at the Texas Restaurant Show on Sunday, July twentieth, in two back-to-back sessions at Houston's George R Brown Convention Center.

Let me start by telling you about my first session, which focuses on rediscovering the basics in a roundtable discussion.

At twelve thirty PM on Sunday, July twentieth, I'll be presenting "Increasing Your Restaurant's Performance" on the Profit Lab Stage right on the show floor. This consultants roundtable is presented by restaurantowner.com, and we're going to discuss the basics that never go out of date.

You know, it's funny how sometimes we get so caught up in the latest trends and technologies that we forget about the fundamentals that really drive success. So let's talk about what those fundamentals are.

First, how do you work with, and attract, the right people?

In today's labor market, this isn't just about finding people to fill positions. It's about creating an environment where talented people want to work and stay.

It's about building a culture that attracts the right kind of team members and keeps them engaged.

Second, what does quality information in your organization and financial literacy look like?

I can't tell you how many restaurant owners I work with who are flying blind because they don't have the right information systems in place, or they're not interpreting their data correctly. Financial literacy isn't just about reading a profit and loss statement - it's about understanding what the numbers are telling you about your operation and how to use that information to make better decisions.

Third, what new items on your menu provide value to today's demanding guest?

Guests today are more sophisticated than ever. They're looking for value, but that doesn't just mean low prices. They want quality, they want experience, they want something that justifies their decision to spend their hard-earned money at your restaurant instead of staying home or going somewhere else.

Fourth, how does technology help you in operations?

Technology should be making your life easier, not more complicated. But too many operators either avoid technology altogether or implement systems that don't actually solve their problems. We need to talk about the right tech stack for your operation.

And finally, what barriers to growth have you identified?

This is a big one. Every restaurant has barriers to growth - the question is whether you've identified yours and whether you have a plan to overcome them.

These questions merit attention even if you stay home instead of attending the show.

But instead of deciding to figure out the answers yourself, consider joining me and five thousand five hundred of my closest friends and fellow owner operators at the show as we connect, catch up, share, and generally make life easier for each other.

Now, let me tell you about my second session, because this one really gets to the heart of what I'm passionate about. At one forty-five PM on Sunday, July twentieth, also on the Profit Lab Stage on the show floor, I'll be presenting "Give It the Gas: Growing Your Business, Your People, and Your Profits today."

Growth is in the DNA of the operators I work with every day. But growth in this uncertain economy looks a lot different than it did when the economy was more predictable.

Even though we no longer worry about a manager shortage like we did a few years ago, we're still short on management talent.

Why?

Because after Covid, we brought so many new people up in the ranks that now, five years later, they still have a lot more to learn about leadership and coaching. This knowledge gap is holding operators back, and I'm going to tell you how to correct that.

And I'm not doing this session alone.

My friends and trusted colleagues - restaurant attorney David Denney of Denney Law Group and Jeffrey Yarbrough of bigInk Real Estate - are joining me to share their perspective. David will talk about how to raise capital now, which is crucial information in today's financing environment. And Jeffrey offers an update on site selection, because location is still one of the most important factors in restaurant success.

You know what makes this show special? In our increasingly digital world, the Texas Restaurant Show gives us the rare chance to actually meet in person and catch up about our industry and your business. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to help you find the growth, profit, harmony, and ownership personal freedom you deserve - and how you will give it the gas in twenty twenty-five and increase your restaurant's performance.

There's something about face-to-face conversations that you just can't replicate in a Zoom call or an email exchange. When we're standing there on the show floor, talking about your specific challenges and opportunities, that's when the real breakthroughs happen.

That's when we can really get into the details of your operation and figure out what's going to move the needle for you.

I appreciate you reading my newsletters and blog posts and listening to my podcast. But I'm even better in person. If you're planning to attend the show, I've put my email in the show notes.

Reach out to me by email so we can set a brief time to talk in person during the show.

And, if you want to register for the show - I've put another link to that in the show notes.

Whether you're dealing with staffing challenges, trying to figure out your growth strategy, working on improving your profit margins, or just looking for that next level of success, I want to help you get there.

And there's no better place to have those conversations than at the Texas Restaurant Show.

Let me tell you about how we might work together. I work with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to grow their profit, sales, guest count, and unit count. My unique approach bonds employees and guests to restaurant brands and allows owners to enjoy the freedom and flexibility they have earned.

To schedule a call with me to discuss how to achieve your biggest goals, follow the link in the show notes. The initial consultation is complimentary, and we can discuss which big moves might be right for your operation.

Thanks for listening. If you haven't already subscribed to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter podcast, please do so, and rate and review the show. Find more information in the show notes at Restaurant Success Podcast dot com.

Also find tons of information you can use in print, audio and video form at my website, www dot surrender dot biz. Thanks again and see you next time.