Restaurant concepts, be they single-units, multi-units or chains, must evolve or, more extremely, “re-concept.” There are many examples of restaurants that have tried to reposition themselves by reinventing their concept to attract new or…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
