Franchising doesn’t mean losing your soul or your brand. Lauren Fernandez reframes franchising as mentorship and culture-building done right.

Takeaways:

• Coach early franchisees as extensions of your internal team
• Set high standards with first franchise partners
• Build brand loyalty and peer accountability through franchise culture

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Franchising isn’t for every restaurant. Lauren Fernandez explains the ethical and financial standards that must be in place before you even consider it.

Takeaways:

• Validate your model with multiple profitable locations first
• Prove consistency in both sales and operational performance
• Avoid franchising if your business isn’t reliably cash-flow positive

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It requires documented, teachable processes. Lauren Fernandez shares how to build systems that scale across locations.

Takeaways:

• Document daily operations with clear, actionable checklists
• Use digital, mobile-accessible training tools for younger staff
• Build systems that work even with high turnover and quick onboarding

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Expansion sounds exciting, but Lauren Fernandez explains why adding locations before you’ve dialed in your model can destroy your business.

Takeaways:

• Avoid expansion until your first unit is fully profitable
• Validate your model with multiple locations before franchising
• Use early expansion to experiment with formats and fine-tune operations

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Strong unit-level economics are non-negotiable if you want investors or long-term stability. Lauren breaks down the numbers every operator should know inside and out.

Takeaways:

• Know your trailing 12-month AUV, prime costs, and EBITDA
• Watch both top-line sales and bottom-line profitability trends
• Train your managers to monitor and own these core KPIs

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Lauren Fernandez shares how restaurant operators must learn to “play P&L detective”—tracking every dollar to catch issues early and prevent financial leaks.

Takeaways:

• Review your P&L monthly to catch issues before they escalate
• Investigate line items to identify waste, theft, or pricing shifts
• Use P&L insights to drive menu pricing, ordering, and labor decisions

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

In this kickoff episode with Lauren Fernandez, we dive into the three systems every operator should put in place from day one, and how they set the foundation for long-term profitability.

Takeaways:

• Establish clean accounting systems and P&L reporting early
• Implement easy, accurate inventory processes for key ingredients
• Build flexible labor scheduling that supports cross-training

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Every partnership ends, so plan for that from day one. Attorney Michael Zalay shares legal steps to ensure your restaurant survives breakups, buyouts, and the unexpected.

Takeaways:

• Include exit plans in your operating and partnership agreements.
• Define next steps in case of death, departure, or disputes.
• Limit investor risk by planning for “key person” changes.

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

Attorney Michael Zalay compares traditional restaurant leases with management agreements, highlighting the pros, cons, and legal implications of each model.

Takeaways:

• Decide who owns the space, licenses, and payroll obligations.
• Understand that leases offer higher upside, but carry higher risk.
• Use management agreements for lower-risk growth opportunities.

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.

In this episode, Attorney Michael Zalay outlines what to look for when signing a lease, from HVAC to neighbors to liquor laws, and how to avoid costly surprises.

Takeaways:

• Hire a local broker and research neighborhood dynamics.
• Inspect infrastructure and negotiate key landlord responsibilities.
• Avoid lease terms that leave you footing major upgrade bills.

Want to connect directly with industry thought leaders like today’s guest? MAJC has built a community of hospitality professionals, where insights and tools help drive sustainable, profitable businesses. To get early access to the MAJC community, sign up at www.MAJC.ai.