The Five Best Things I Told You This Year…and Why

In this special year-end episode, restaurant business advisor Matthew Mabel shares the five most impactful articles and episodes from 2025 that helped independent restaurant entrepreneurs achieve success in a challenging flat market. Matthew reflects on how multi-unit restaurant owners can navigate unprecedented business conditions by identifying whether their company falls into the Winners, Stable, or Floundering category—and taking strategic action accordingly. From avoiding the "Superhero Trap" that keeps restaurant operators overworked and stuck, to proven profit growth strategies and the importance of hiring experienced leadership, this episode delivers actionable entrepreneurship insights to help you prepare your restaurant business for breakthrough results in 2026.

Key Topics Covered

• Understanding the three tiers of restaurant performance: Winners, Stable Companies, and Floundering Companies
• How to identify which category your restaurant business falls into and what actions to take
• Avoiding the "Superhero Trap" and empowering your team to create solutions
• Strategies for increasing restaurant profit during a flat market
• The value of adding experienced leadership to accelerate business growth
• Preparing your restaurant operation for success in 2026

Links Mentioned

• Know Yourself and Create Restaurant Success In Any Market
• How to Clarify the Best Way Forward for Your Restaurants
• How To Avoid the Deceiving Restaurant "Superhero Trap"
• How To Increase Your Restaurant Profit with No Excuses During This Flat Market
• Restaurateurs: When You Lack Experience, Add Someone Who Has It

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

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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 doing something a little different.

As we close out the year, I want to share with you the five most popular and meaningful posts and episodes from 2025. These are the messages that resonated most with the people who read my newsletter, listen to this podcast, and the clients I work with.

They told me these ideas made a real difference in their companies, providing the impetus for action and success.

Before I get into those, let me share a moment that I think captures this entire year perfectly. I was at the Texas Restaurant Show giving one of my talks to a standing-room-only crowd when a hand went up.

The speaker looked around thirty years old, maybe new to the industry. He said, You keep saying that the market looks flat.

When has the market not been flat?

My response? "My entire career! Up to now, the market has grown steadily and cycled through an occasional downturn."

That question really struck me.

The waters we've been sailing were previously uncharted, until, this year, we saw clearly what to do.

Those of us with decades of industry experience have become accustomed to up markets with a few down markets layered in. But none of us is accustomed to a flat market lasting this long. A flat market taunts you, begging you, or even forcing you, to be willing to change so you can stand out and become an exceptional success.

So, let's get into the five greatest hits that will help you prepare for twenty twenty-six. I've linked all five articles in today's show notes. 

The first piece I want to share actually became a two-part presentation. By November, something had really hit me. Every restaurant is in one of three groups: Winners, Stable Companies, and Floundering Companies. Once you identify your slot in that three-tiered hierarchy, you know exactly what action to take. That felt so powerful that I made it into two episodes.

Here's what those three groups look like. The Winners are successful groups slowly building guest count with revenue increasing over and above their menu price increase, up to six to eight percent higher.

Stable Companies are ones that remain flat, or are just experiencing revenue increases at about the level of their menu-price-increases, say one to two percent higher.

And Floundering Companies are struggling, significantly down in the single digits even though they have kept up with menu price increases.

The reason this message resonated so strongly is that knowing which group you fall into leads you to crystal-clear awareness of exactly what you can be doing now and planning for twenty twenty-six. If you're one of the Winners, you need to keep listening to guests and continue a steady stream of innovations.

If you're a Stable Company trying to become a Winner, it's time to identify all the things you know you ought to do but haven't handled yet. And if you're Floundering, you need to think big without any barriers and assemble an understanding of all the major moves you could make to significantly improve guest experience, brand message, and your fiscal practices.

Now, let me tell you about my most read and most shared post of the year called "How to Avoid the Deceiving Restaurant Superhero Trap."

A lot of people saw that dreaded Superhero-in-the-mirror when they read this one.

You know what I'm talking about. People think their job comes with a blue body suit, red boots, a red cape with a yellow-and-red "S" emblem on their chest. But that kind of thinking is a trap.

Success won't come because you do the work of everyone else in your organization.

The greatest way I serve my clients involves showing them how to do less, with their team doing more. That opens up time to enjoy success, putting an end to sixty-hour work weeks and vacation homes people don't have time to use.

The highest form of serving others raises people up so they create solutions themselves. Spend your day building talent around you, and resist the temptation to handle things yourself. Only by making people better can you achieve your growth plan. 

The fourth message that really landed this year was about how to Increase Your Restaurant Profit during This Flat Market, with No Excuses .

 People often feel a lot of negativity about the path they're on, until someone points out another way to go. When operators complain to me about a terrible economy or low consumer confidence, I respond with stories of my clients who have increased revenue and profit.

Sometimes they look at me in disbelief, until the message kicks in.

That starts a chain of events with the ability to create that kind of boost for your business too. 

In that article, I talk about one long time client who contacted me, after we hadn't worked together for a while.

They had the queasy feeling that, even though the business was still very successful, something seemed off on guest experience and therefore profit.

So we dug into the numbers, re-emphasized true hospitality, went back to basics on systems, created fantastic new menu items, and focused like a laser on purchasing.

The result was that we forecast that profit in twenty twenty-six will have more than doubled compared to twenty twenty-four.

And the profit-increase number? In the seven figures.

And the final piece that resonated strongly was "When You Lack Experience, Add Someone Who Has It."

Just like people can't believe how fast an electric car can go, they're amazed at how fast results can increase with the right people in place. I love to tell the stories of the leaders I hired ten or fifteen years ago who still show up as extremely successful today.

Many of the most successful people in our business have only ever worked at a high level in their own company.

As they became successful and added revenue and units, they built their corporate team and had to identify, enroll, hire, and develop people at a level they'd never even supervised before.

I hope that these fives articles are useful for you, and like I mentioned, I've put links to all of them in the show notes for today's episode. 

My life's work involves helping people like you, and the more people I can help, the better.

My wish for you is to Take these five initiatives and use them to prepare for breakthroughs in your results and your life in twenty twenty-six.

I want you to know that I appreciate the time you take reading or listening to my work, and especially the many of you who share it with your peers and others in your organization.

I never forget the privilege of being trusted to make a difference in your life and business, and in the lives of your employees, their families, your guests, and the communities you serve.

And finally, I want to end today's episode by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

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.