RESTAURANT FINANCE

Ideas for Financing an Emerging Franchise Concept

I am more convinced than ever that restaurant concepts have to look at new and creative ways to spur growth. This is particularly true for franchise concepts. It seems like every franchisor I know…

When Your Ownership Structure Doesn’t Meet Your Growth Needs

One of the common problems I’ve seen over the years is the overly complex legal structures of many restaurant companies. When I wrote an article a number of years ago called “Beg, Borrow or…

What We Have Learned About The New Tax Law That We Can Use In A Creative Structure

The tax law, passed almost a year ago, isn’t so new anymore. Let’s take what we’ve learned over that time and apply it to ideas for structuring your restaurant business. 1. The Lower Tax…

Why So Much? Three Experts Weigh in on High QSR Multiples

I have been very confused by the high valuations certain QSR concepts are obtaining on sale. After working in the restaurant and franchise marketplace for almost 40 years, I have seldom seen EBITDA multiples…

What Do the Lists Tell Us About the Restaurant Industry

I have been studying a number of the restaurant industry rankings that come out this time of year and gleaning what they tell us about the current and future state of the industry. Let’s…

Expanding Your Brand

With restaurant profits tight, one tactic that is relevant to continued business success is leveraging and expanding a restaurant’s trade name and reputation. I call it “brand extension” as it seems to work for…

Fixing Key Financial Issues in the Restaurant Industry

Last month I addressed specific financial fixes for casual dining. This month, I’ll dig deeper into three areas of concern: dealing with problem stores, leases and senior debt. There are always underperforming stores, both…

Casual Dining – The Financial Fix

Obviously, the casual dining world has its ups and downs. Right now we are in a down period, with some major players struggling the last few years. There seems to be a light at…

Real Estate and the New Tax Law: Great Opportunities Abound

One of the biggest winners under the new tax law is real estate, particularly restaurant real estate. Purchasing sites, making improvements, entering into sale-leasebacks, making renovations and remodels are all constant themes in our…

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