How to Clarify the Best Way Forward for Your Restaurants

Navigating restaurant entrepreneurship has never been more complex, and understanding where your business stands is crucial for success in today's challenging market. In this episode, restaurant business consultant Matthew Mabel reveals a strategic framework that helps multi-unit restaurant operators identify exactly where they fall among three distinct categories of performance—and more importantly, what specific actions each group needs to take to move forward successfully. Whether you're experiencing significant growth, maintaining stability, or facing sales declines, this episode delivers the entrepreneurial clarity and actionable restaurant management strategies you need to plan for 2026 with confidence. Learn how successful restaurant businesses are adapting their approach based on their current performance level, why following industry-wide practices won't cut it anymore, and discover the crystal-clear roadmap to elevate your restaurant company to the next level of business success.

Key Topics Covered

• The three categories of restaurant operators in today's market: Winners (6-8% revenue growth), Stable Companies (1-2% growth matching menu price increases), and Floundering Companies (high single-digit sales declines)
• Why knowing which category your restaurant falls into is critical for planning 2026 strategy and operations
• Specific tactical advice for Winners: maintaining innovation, continuing to listen to guests, and avoiding complacency to prevent sliding into the Stable category
• Strategic focus for Stable Companies: identifying and finally implementing overlooked improvements in service, menu, social media, manager motivation, and cost management
• Bold approach for Floundering Companies: thinking big without barriers, reimagining major moves in guest experience, brand messaging, and fiscal practices
• Why following industry-wide restaurant practices won't move a company to the next level anymore—and why your approach must be connected to your current success level
• How today's margin of error in the restaurant business is thinner than ever
• The critical question: which leap will you make and when do you start?

Links Mentioned

• Know Yourself and Create Restaurant Success In Any Market
• Boring Leads to Profits: The 2% You May Be Missing On Your Bottom Line

Resources Mentioned

• Website: www.surrender.biz
• Free initial consultation available

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

Transcript

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, we're going to talk about something that's becoming increasingly clear to me - and probably to you too - which is that guiding a restaurant company right now is different, and more complicated, than at any time I can remember.

We'll explore how knowing exactly where your business stands among three distinct groups of operators can give you crystal-clear awareness of what you should be doing now and planning for twenty twenty-six. I'll walk you through what each group needs to focus on to move forward successfully.

Let me tell you. It turns out that simply following industry-wide practices won't move a company to the next level anymore. Your approach has to be connected to the level of success that you're currently creating.

In a recent episode, I told you about the three categories of operators I'm seeing in this challenging market, and understanding which category you fall into is absolutely critical.

First, we've got The Winners. These folks are at the top of the heap. They've cracked the guest code, taken care of business, and they're enjoying revenue increases of six to eight percent.

Then you have the Stable Companies, who reside in the middle.

These operators stand still in a gale-force wind, which is actually an achievement of its own. They're experiencing revenue that's up maybe one or two points, but not more than their menu price increases. 

And finally, there are the Floundering Companies.

This bottom group has sales declines in the high single digits, and they're feeling worried - or worse.

Here's why this matters so much: knowing which group you fall into will lead you to the crystal-clear awareness of exactly what you can be doing now and planning for twenty twenty-six.

So, let's talk about what each group needs to focus on. If you're one of The Winners and you intend to stay that way, you might feel like a magician at the end of their act - like you're starting to run out of tricks.

You're competing against yourself! The pressure you feel now to continually increase six to eight percent every year in a static market might even be as high as what Floundering Companies are feeling.

So, what's my advice?

Keep listening to guests. Continue a steady stream of innovations that support the initiatives that make you a winner in the first place. If you don't, you'll be experiencing a twenty twenty-six where you fall into the Stable Companies group - up only as much as your menu prices increase, or less.

Now, if you're one of the Stable Companies trying to become one of The Winners, here's what you need to do. Identify all the things you know you ought to do - improve service, tweak your menu, update social media, motivate managers, handle cost management. These are issues you've never handled, and now you need to vow to start. The difference I see between being one of the Stable Companies and one of The Winners lines up this way because today's margin of error is thinner than that new iPhone Air.

And, if you're one of the Floundering Companies trying to become Stable, listen up. The first thing to do? Think big without any barriers. Assemble an understanding of all the major moves you could make to significantly improve guest experience, brand message, and your fiscal practices. This methodology in these times can scare people.

If you feel that way, allow me to remind you that using your imagination contains no risk whatsoever. When you do this correctly, you will see a path to implement to improve your condition.

So the big question is this: which leap will you make, and when do you start?

Before we wrap up today, I want to point you to a couple of pieces from my blog that connect directly to what we've been talking about.

The first is called "Know Yourself and Create Restaurant Success In Any Market." In that piece, I go much deeper into these three categories of operators and share some eye-opening data about what's happening in our market right now. I talk about how even the State Fair of Texas saw a twenty percent drop in attendance this year, and what that tells us about consumer confidence and spending. It really reinforces why understanding which group you're in is so critical right now.

Second, I've got a video about something that might sound boring at first, but trust me, it's not. It's called "The Two Percent You May Be Missing On Your Bottom Line."

Now, I know I mentioned cost management earlier, and it doesn't get anyone's blood pumping, but here's the thing.

When you've got the right people, the right systems, and you're consistently executing best practices, those quarter points start piling up to become two or three points on your bottom line. And that, is huge.

You can find links to both of these in today's show notes.

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.