FULL COMP: Restaurant Tactics, Tools, & Strategies

What if your staffing problem is a leadership problem?

Every week I hear owners blame the labor market. The restaurants that keep great people run on clear standards, honest feedback and leaders who hold the line.

In this takeaway, I break down why calling your team a family often hides a lack of accountability, how one restaurant cut turnover by nearly 70% in six months, and why the best operators keep a bench of future hires all year long.

If you’re tired of hiring out of desperation, start with how you lead.

To build the marketing team that frees up your time to lead, visit restaurantbusinessschool.com.

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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the hardest part of building a brand starts after you’ve made it?

Jim Tselikis co-founded Cousins Maine Lobster in 2012 with his cousin Sabin Lomac and one food truck in Los Angeles. A Shark Tank deal with Barbara Corcoran later, the brand spans more than 75 trucks and restaurants. His new book, Life and Lobster, puts the near disasters on the record for the first time.

In this conversation, we get into how to protect margin when your core ingredient keeps climbing, why the franchisees you turn away matter as much as the ones you sign, and when to overrule a mentor you trust.

If you’re scaling and still waiting for the day it gets easy, this one is for you.

To learn more about Cousins Maine Lobster and his new book, Life and Lobster, visit cousinsmainelobster.com.

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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp

What if your willingness to do whatever it takes is the thing holding your business back?

Most owners plan to set boundaries once they’re successful. In my experience, it runs the other way: the limits come first, and the growth follows them.

In this takeaway, I break down why saying yes to everything turns owners into employees of their own business, how I build my calendar around non-negotiables first, and why constraints create the conditions that scale needs.

If you’re running on empty and calling it ambition, this one is for you.

To build the marketing team that does the work so you can protect your time, visit restaurantbusinessschool.com.
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the next restaurant you open is the thing standing between you and the business you actually want?

Adrianne Calvo opened her Miami restaurant at 22, built a multi-concept group, then pulled back to the one place that started it all. Nearly two decades in, it seats 270 and powers a brand far bigger than its dining room.

In this conversation, we get into the lease terms she demands before considering any deal, why chasing trends guarantees you arrive late, and how stepping off the line gave her the time to build the brand.

If you're winning on paper and quietly wondering whether more growth is worth it, this one gives you permission to choose differently.

To learn more about Chef Adrianne's Vineyard Restaurant and Bar and her work, visit chefadriannes.com.

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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp

What if putting your guests first is the reason your packed restaurant still can’t pay its bills?

Plenty of operators run full dining rooms all weekend and are broke by Monday. Hospitality runs on stability, and stability starts with profit built into the model.

In this takeaway, I break down how one audit took a restaurant from 3% to 16% profit, why you should benchmark against every place your guest might spend the same night, and how moving one menu section made entrees outsell burgers four to one.

If you’re busy and still not making money, your menu is the first place to look.

That's this week's takeaway. To build the marketing team that raises check averages without discounting, visit restaurantbusinessschool.com.
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the ingredients you're afraid to buy are actually the cheaper option?

Johanna Hellrigl opened Ama in Washington DC in June 2024 and built it without a single broadline distributor. She has never placed an order with Sysco, and she still prices competitively against restaurants across the city.

In this conversation, we get into why her sustainability decisions show up as savings at year end, how getting loud about her mission grew the business after a PR firm told her to stay quiet, and why the health of your team and your guests is now a business metric.

If you've written off better sourcing as a luxury you can't afford, this one will take your excuse away.

To learn more about Ama and her work, visit amarestaurant.bar.
_________________________________________________________

Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp

What if your next $72,000 is already sitting on your guest list?

Chasing new faces feels like growth. The faster money is in the people who already know you, and they need a reason to return sooner.

In this takeaway, I break down how to capture guest data with access instead of discounts, why splitting your list into frequent, infrequent and lost guests lifted one client’s visit frequency by 22%, and how to give guests a reason to book their next visit before the last one fades.

If you’re spending on ads while your regulars drift, fix the list first.

That’s this week’s takeaway. To build the marketing team that segments your list and brings guests back for you, visit restaurantbusinessschool.com.
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the standard you are most proud of is the thing holding your restaurant back?

Justin Devillier has run La Petite Grocery in New Orleans for two decades, won a James Beard Award, opened a 210 seat brasserie, closed it, and is now opening Daughter's in the old Upperline space. His take on consistency is blunt. Delivering the same experience every visit is how good restaurants slide into mediocrity.

In this conversation, we get into why chasing your weaknesses drains the energy you should be putting into your strengths, what scale actually magnifies when you go from a small room to 210 seats, and why taking care of the guest is still the cheapest advantage in the business.

If you are grinding on problems and wondering why nothing is moving, this one will reframe where your effort goes.

To learn more about La Petite Grocery, visit lapetitegrocery.com.
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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp

What if the most profitable business in your restaurant is the one you only take when the phone rings?

Most operators pour everything into the dining room. In my own restaurants, in-house dining netted 10 to 12% in its best months, while events cleared 30 to 35% out of the same kitchen.

In this takeaway, I break down how going outbound took my fine dining events revenue from $250,000 to $1 million in 12 months, why the person booking your corporate event is buying peace of mind, and the one call list you can start working this week.

If you're waiting for catering to find you, you're leaving your highest-margin revenue on the table.

That's this week's takeaway. To build the marketing team that brings your best guests back more often, visit restaurantbusinessschool.com.

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Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

What if the reason you can't make payroll is that you're still trying to compete on value?

Sava Farah fled communist Albania at five, landed in the Bronx, and opened her first Ann Arbor restaurant at 23 with no degree, no investors, and no plan beyond work ethic. Nearly twenty years later she runs The Pulpo Group, four restaurants and 400 employees, each one funded by the profits of the last.

In this conversation, we get into why she charges more and builds the value behind it, how she reads momentum instead of chasing problems, and why staying out of the investor game gave her the speed capital was supposed to buy.

If you're working harder every year and keeping less of it, this one shows you where the leak is.

To learn more about The Pulpo Group and their restaurants, visit thepulpogroup.com.
_________________________________________________________

Free 5-Day Restaurant Marketing Masterclass – This is a live training where you'll learn the exact campaigns Josh has built and tested in real restaurants to attract new guests, increase visit frequency, and generate sales on demand. Save your spot at restaurantbusinessschool.com

This episode is brought to you by Guestologie. Guestologie helps multi-location restaurant groups recognize their highest-value guests the moment they walk in, so your team can deliver better hospitality and drive more visits. Built for groups running 10 or more locations. Full Comp listeners get a complimentary Invisible Guest Assessment at guestologie.com/fullcomp