Donald Burns argues that restaurant owners who ignore financial metrics like food cost and labor percentage end up bankrupt. He pushes spreadsheets and analytics as the fix, and promotes his TRC Method masterclass to turn struggling restaurants profitable.
Alright, let's get one thing straight. Let's get straight right now. Knowing your numbers in the restaurant game isn't some nice to know piece of trivia. It's not the cherry on top, it's a whole damn sundae. It's the bedrock, the foundation, the iron core of running a successful restaurant. And if you're just kind of wandering around the dark, not knowing your cost, from your elbow to your ass, you're not running a business. I mean, let's call it what it really is. It's a hobby. A very, very expensive hobby that is about as sustainable as a chocolate teapot. I mean, come on, wake up. This is an amateur hour. It is a cutthroat world out there. And if you think you can just kind of skate by on charms and good looks, then you're in for a very, very rude awakening. Write this down. Actually tattoo it on your arm. Spray paint it if you have to, across your dining room, if that's what it takes. Money is math and math is money. This isn't some kind of catchy phrase to slap on a bumper sticker. It's the raw truth of the business world. So if you don't know your food cost, congratulations, you are bleeding cash. Can't figure out your labor percentage? Well, kiss your profits goodbye. Ignorance might be bliss in some fairy tale land, but in the restaurant industry, ignorance is bankruptcy. Ignorant. It's watching your dream crumble because you didn't bother to understand the basic principles to keep the lights on and the doors open. But hey, let's not just wallow in the doom and gloom. There is some good news here. And the good news is, it is never too late to get your head out of the sand and start treating your restaurant like a business, it's time to really get down and get dirty with those numbers. Time to fall in love with spreadsheets, to make analytics your very best friend. It's time to embrace the beauty of budgets, the allure of a P and L statement, and the seductive charm of cost control. It is what you need to do. Why? Because when you know your numbers, you wield power. I mean real power. You gain the insight to make informed decisions, to cut waste to, to boost profits, and to steer your restaurant to the promised land of financial stability and success. It's about taking control, owning your shit, and running a business, not a charity or a bottomless pit where your money goes to die. And if this talk about numbers and math is making your head spin, if you're thinking, well, you know, I'm a chef. I'm not an accountant. Then listen up. You don't have to go it alone. There is help. There is guidance. There's also the TRC Method masterclass. This isn't some snooze fest seminar where we kind of drone out and drone on about theories and hypotheticals. No, this is a no bullshit deep dive into the numbers that will really make or break your restaurant. I want you to go over to restaurantcoachmasterclass.com and grab a seat. This live two hour session is a crash course and not just surviving the business, but thriving in a space that is so tight, so competitive, that very few restaurants survive. Now, space is limited for this webinar, for this master class, but if you're really serious about really giving it your all, giving your attention, I will give you the tools and the knowledge you need to transform your restaurant from a money pit into a money making machine. It's time to stop treating your restaurant like a hobby and start running it like the business it is. Remember, money is math, and math is money. So are you ready to get serious, to master your numbers, and to lay the foundation for real, lasting restaurant success? If you are, let's do this. Here's the thing. Your empire.
If your restaurant only works because you work 80 hours a week, it doesn't work.
