Restaurant Growth Accelerator: More Profit, More Locations, And More Time With Your Family

If you're planning to scale your restaurant business, this is the blueprint for buying existing restaurants the smart way - straight from a 20-year restaurant industry veteran.

In this episode of the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast, Andrew Scott shares what every restaurant owner needs to know before purchasing an existing business or expanding to new locations.

From costly mistakes made on his first restaurant acquisition to insider tips on evaluating financials, negotiating leases, and spotting red flags...

This episode is packed with real-world advice to help you scale your restaurant empire (without going broke).

Tune in to hear about:

✅ How to assess if you’re actually ready to scale to a second location

✅ The exact financial documents you need before buying a restaurant

✅ What EBITDA multiple to use for restaurant valuation

✅ Negotiation tactics with sellers and landlords

✅ The pros and cons of buying vs. building from scratch

✅ Lease agreement tips that can save you thousands

Listen to this episode before you sign another lease or make an offer on that available restaurant.

Key Moments:

00:01:40 Are You Really Ready for Location Two?
00:03:20 Avoid Scaling to Bankruptcy
00:06:00 Purchasing an Existing Business
00:09:00 Equipment Assessment
00:12:00 Negotiating the Best Deal
00:18:00 Location Selection
00:22:20 Competition Research
00:25:00 Contractors & Timelines 

Buying a restaurant can grow your empire -or bankrupt it.

The strategies Andrew shares could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of regret.

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Thinking of opening another restaurant? Avoid costly mistakes with my free guide:
👉https://hs.ownershifttraining.com/optin-mupb?el=podcast

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✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

Tired of restaurant managers who don’t take initiative, don’t know their numbers, and always need hand-holding?

Welcome back to the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast with your host Andrew Scott, a multi-unit restaurant owner with nearly 20 years of experience helping restaurant leaders grow sales, improve profits, and reclaim their time.

In this episode, Andrew is tackling one of the biggest challenges in hospitality:

"How do I get my restaurant managers to take ownership and accountability?"

If you're constantly pulling your managers across the finish line instead of coaching them to lead, this episode is for you.

Tune in to hear about:

✅ Why most accountability issues are rooted in selection or training

✅ How to shift from spoonfeeding managers to developing true leadership

✅ The power of scoreboards and measurable KPIs in driving performance

✅ How to structure weekly one-on-ones so managers come prepared

✅ The reporting secret that’s key to winning the week, month, and quarter

✅ How to identify if a manager has real initiative (or if they’re just holding a title)

This episode is packed with real-world examples, coaching approaches, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately to improve your restaurant management.

Key moments:

00:01:11 The Spoonfeeding Problem
00:02:48 Setting Clear Expectations
00:06:09 Making Unprepared Painful
00:12:08 The Scoreboard Principle
00:16:30 Leading vs Pulling
00:20:48 Training or Selection
00:23:46 The Two-Factor Test

Stop doing everything yourself. 

Click play and learn how to build a team that actually takes ownership.

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee): https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

Data is the secret weapon of today’s most profitable restaurants.

Join Andrew Scott and Russ Hawkins as they break down how to use numbers and data to scale your restaurant, cut costs, and increase your revenue.

If you're a restaurant owner, multi-unit operator, or manager looking to improve your profits, reduce staff turnover, or optimize operations, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can use today.

Tune in to discover

✅ How to use POS data to drive smarter decisions

✅ Why most restaurant owners are losing money… without realizing it

✅ Hidden margin leaks every operator should be tracking immediately

✅ The surprising way you can use data to reduce employee churn

✅ Real-world strategies to upsell and boost average check size

✅ Simple data points that reveal massive profit potential

By the end of this episode, you’ll know all the hidden profit leaks costing you thousands - that simple data tracking reveals instantly.

Key Moments:

00:03:00 Transaction Data 
00:07:20 Seasonal Patterns
00:15:00 Upselling Performance Metrics
00:22:00 Promotion Effectiveness Analysis
00:27:40 Emotional Vs Logical Decisions
00:33:00 Labor Optimization Strategies
00:39:20 Internal Theft Detection
00:44:00 Data-Driven Growth Strategy

Ready to stop flying blind and start making data-driven decisions that actually grow your bottom line? 

Listen now to discover the systems that transform overwhelmed operators into profitable business owners who work less and earn more.

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✅About Russ Hawkins✅

Russ Hawkins has spent over 35 years in the technology industry and is the president and CEO of the leading data technology and SASS Analytics company, Agilence. 

Agilence, helps retailers, grocers, and restaurants improve their operational effectiveness and uncover preventable losses using the data already in their hands.

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✅Connect With Russ Hawkins✅

https://www.agilenceinc.com/

Email: [email protected]

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee): https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

If you’re a restaurant owner asking yourself, “Should I sell or fix my restaurant?” - then you need to know that getting this right could mean the difference between a six-figure loss or a thriving comeback.

In this episode, Andrew Scott is breaking down the real-world process of selling a restaurant - including the hidden costs, timelines, legal headaches, buyer red flags, and common myths that most operators don’t see coming.

You’ll hear about things like:

✅How to properly value your restaurant using EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization)

✅The truth about restaurant assets vs. actual profit

✅Why most restaurant sales fall apart

✅Common reasons owners want to sell… and why most are for the wrong reasons

✅The massive difference between a profitable business vs. a sellable business

✅When fixing your restaurant is often faster, cheaper, and more profitable than selling

Before you list your business or talk to a broker, listen to this episode!

Key moments:

00:01:40 Sell or Fix a Restaurant
00:03:20 How Business Valuations Work
00:06:00 Why Your Business Worth Less Than You Think
00:12:00 Hidden Costs Of Selling
00:20:20 Why Banks Won't Finance Your Sale
00:25:00 Supply and Demand
00:28:00 The “Fix It” Path
00:31:20 Your Business Beliefs
00:37:40 Paying the Ignorance Tax
00:43:20 Data Driven Decisions

Listen now to understand the real costs of selling versus fixing, and make the choice that protects your investment.

-

✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Thinking of opening another restaurant? Avoid costly mistakes with my free guide:
👉https://hs.ownershifttraining.com/optin-mupb?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

If you're running a restaurant and not paying yourself properly, you're not running a business…  you're running a liability.

Tune in today and see how to build a profitable restaurant that pays you like a real CEO.

In this episode of the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast, industry veterans Andrew Scott and Nathan Voulgaris break down strategies for setting your owner pay.

You also get a deeper understanding of profit vs cash flow and making sure you don’t sacrifice your personal income for your business's survival.

Tune in to discover:

✅How to calculate a sustainable restaurant owner's salary

✅Why not paying yourself is a red flag, not a sacrifice

✅Creating financial buffers and business savings

✅How to spot financial blind spots in your operation

✅What restaurant owners get wrong about slow seasons

✅Why "pay yourself first" is bad advice (in some cases at least)

✅ Practical advice on restaurant accounting, break-even analysis, and salary planning

Over the years, we’ve seen it all.

From owners who don’t pay themselves at all, to those who take too much and cripple their restaurant’s finances.

This episode will help you avoid these common and costly mistakes in your restaurant business.

Key moments:

00:01:20 Owner Pay Fundamentals
00:03:00 Common Compensation Mistakes
00:05:40 Profit vs Cash Flow
00:09:20 Managing Business Reserves
00:14:20 Understanding Financial Statements
00:19:40 Setting Profit Targets
00:23:40 Strategic Cash Management
00:27:40 Seasonal Profit Planning
00:31:40 Personal Finance Integration

If you're serious about building a profitable restaurant that pays you what you're worth - this episode is for you.

-

✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Thinking of opening another restaurant? Avoid costly mistakes with my free guide:
👉https://hs.ownershifttraining.com/optin-mupb?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

This restaurant owner turned a $110,000 loss into a thriving business, while taking back his time, team, and mental health.

Welcome back to the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast with host Andrew Scott - a restaurant owner turned restaurant growth coach helping operators increase profits, reduce stress, and reclaim their freedom.

Today, Andrew is talking with Donnie Saviak, a Calgary restaurant owner who went from losing $110,000 to earning $40,000 in profit in just a few months.

Donnie opens up about the real struggles behind restaurant ownership - including his crushing debt and burnout, to rebuilding his business and his mindset.

Tune in to discover:

✅How one restaurant owner turned a struggling business into a profitable restaurant

✅The mental health challenges of entrepreneurship and how to overcome them

✅Why restaurant profit margins don’t have to be 4-6%... and how to INCREASE margins

✅The truth about scaling from 1 to multiple locations

✅How better systems, hiring, and pricing can completely transform your restaurant

✅The dark side of restaurant ownership that nobody talks about

✅How to stop working 100‑hour weeks and finally get your life back

In this episode, you’ll also learn how to create processes, lead your team, raise prices confidently, and fix your margins so your restaurant works for you.

Key moments:

00:01:40 Mental Health Challenges
00:06:20 Catering to Smokehouse 
00:09:00 Learning from The Wrong Mentors
00:14:40 The Reality Of Restaurant Profitability
00:21:40 The Breaking Point
00:29:20 Tracking and Metrics 
00:36:00 Understanding True Costs
00:43:20 Team Building Strategy
00:50:20 Work-Life Transformation

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee): https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

If you’ve ever felt frustrated with restaurant employees, blamed the economy, or wondered why your restaurant's profitability isn’t improving - this episode will challenge you to look in the mirror.

Because it turns out, there’s a high chance you are the problem in your business.

But that's actually the best news you could receive.

Join Andrew Scott (Founder of Owner Shift) as he shares how restaurant systems, processes, and leadership skills directly impact restaurant growth.

Tune in to learn:

✅ Why every restaurant owner is both the problem and the solution in their business

✅ How to identify whether an issue is a people problem or a process problem

✅ Practical ways to improve restaurant training systems and accountability

✅ How to take full leadership responsibility and stop blaming external factors

✅ The mindset shifts that separate struggling operators from thriving multi-unit owners

Through real examples, like the "streaky mirror incident" that plagued multiple locations, you'll discover how seemingly small changes in your approach can eliminate problems you've blamed on everything and anything.

Key Moments:

00:01:40 The Core Question
00:04:40 Business Growth Equation
00:06:00 Everything Falls On Leadership
00:08:00 System vs People Problems
00:11:20 Anonymous Team Surveys
00:13:40 Asking Different Questions
00:15:00 Inaction Is Action
00:18:20 The Mirror Story
00:21:00 Common Sense Isn't Common
00:24:20 Changing The Inputs

It doesn’t matter if you're running one location or multiple units - this episode will help you reflect on your role, upgrade your skills, and ultimately unlock new levels of restaurant growth and profitability.

-

✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Thinking of opening another restaurant? Avoid costly mistakes with my free guide:
👉https://hs.ownershifttraining.com/optin-mupb?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

Struggling with slim profit margins in your restaurant?

In this episode of the Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast, Andrew Scott (founder of Owner Shift) shares 5 proven restaurant growth strategies you can use to boost profits and cash flow - in just 7 days.

You’ll walk away with actionable insights you can implement immediately.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ How to increase restaurant profits fast with smart menu pricing

✅ Simple ways to reduce food cost without lowering quality

✅ Why portion control can make or break your margins

✅ Proven strategies for restaurant labor cost control and scheduling

✅ Practical upselling methods to increase average check size and boost sales

Key moments:

00:01:35 Pricing Strategy
00:03:55 Market Analysis
00:06:55 Product Management
00:09:55 Portioning Systems
00:13:55 Scheduling Optimization
00:17:55 Labor Productivity
00:20:55 Inventory Control
00:29:55 Upselling Techniques
00:35:35 Dessert Psychology
00:40:15 Server Metrics

Ready to stop working harder for less money?

This episode hands you the exact playbook to increase profits THIS WEEK - through simple adjustments to pricing, portioning, scheduling, inventory, and upselling systems. 

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee): https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

If you’re a restaurant owner who’s always covering shifts, stuck in 80-hour weeks, and constantly putting out fires - you need to know that restaurant owner burnout is real.

And it’s costing you your freedom, your profits, and your life.

Multi-unit restaurant owner and founder of Ownershift, Andrew Scott, and Client Success Director, Dave Doyle, break down why so many independent restaurant owners are burned out, stuck in the weeds, and unable to grow.

Tune in to discover:

✅Why restaurant owner burnout is so common (and totally avoidable)

✅How to identify the real root problems hiding behind daily chaos

✅The one simple tracking exercise that will expose every operational weakness

✅The 7-word phrase that shifts your team from dependent to empowered

✅How to stop acting like an overpaid line cook and start leading like a CEO

✅The reason your restaurant feels stuck… and how to systemize your way out

Whether you're running one location or several, this is your blueprint to stop firefighting and start scaling.

Key moments:

00:01:50 Marketing Won't Fix Time Problems
00:04:10 The Second Half Success
00:05:50 80 Hours Isn’t Impressive
00:08:50 Track Every Interruption
00:11:50 People Problems
00:15:10 Finding Real Solutions
00:17:50 Drama Vs Progress
00:21:50 Systems Beat Intentions
00:24:50 Deadlines
00:28:50 Tracking For Profit
00:36:30 Say These Seven Magic Words
00:39:50 You Get What You Tolerate

This is for independent restaurant owners ready to reclaim their time, increase profitability, and create a business that thrives without being chained to it 24/7.

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*The book mentioned in this episode* “The One Thing” by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan.

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee): https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast 

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

Your kitchen could be costing you thousands in hidden labor and wasted time.

In this episode of The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast, your host, Andrew Scott, sits down with kitchen expert Bruce Nollert.

Together, they share how optimizing your kitchen layout, systems, and equipment can massively increase your restaurant’s efficiency, profitability, and team performance.

Whether you’re a restaurant owner, multi-unit operator, or kitchen manager, this episode is packed with real-life restaurant strategies that will help you:

Tune in to discover:

✅The #1 kitchen management question to ask your team daily

✅Why overstaffed kitchens often get less done (and how to fix it)

✅Real ROI examples of smart equipment purchases

✅How poor kitchen design kills table turns in full-service restaurants

✅The role of menu design in efficiency and profitability

✅Why simplifying your menu can be your biggest win to date

Key Moments:

00:01:45 Bruce's Mafia Pizza Beginning
00:07:05 Building New Restaurant Essentials
00:12:45 Labor Percentage Paradox
00:14:45 Kitchen Layout Design Strategy
00:19:25 Equipment Investment ROI
00:25:45 Portioning Everything First
00:28:45 Time Study Analysis
00:31:45 Menu Minimalism

You're probably bleeding money in your kitchen - this episode will help you fix your layout, streamline operations, and boost profits… starting today.

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Access the 'Restaurant Manager Hiring Toolkit': swipe the job ads and interview questions our clients use to attract top talent and cut bad hires→ https://hs.ownershifttraining.com/managerhiringtoolkit

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast