Same Drumbeat, New Equipment: 44 Years on Tech in Our Business
Tech has to support the Guest Experience, not supplant it. Fourteen waves of receipts. Since 1982, my position…
A Full Dining Room Is Not a Business Model
There is no feeling in this business quite like a full dining room. Tables occupied. Conversations overlapping. The…
The Conversation About AI and Leadership Is the Same One I’ve Been Having About Road 1 and Road 2 For Decades
For decades, the AI and leadership conversation has been framed as human vs. machine. Which tasks will AI…
The Casual Full-Service Problem Isn’t the Food
Walk into any casual full-service chain and count the friction points before you’ve ordered your first drink. The…
The Agent Is Already at the Table
I’ve been saying for years that the biggest threat to the independent restaurant operator isn’t the chain across…
It’s Egotistical Ignorance.
After 44 years in this business, I still ask questions to anyone with a pulse in the operation.…
The Advantage You Already Have and Aren’t Using
The large hospitality companies are in crisis. Turnover is catastrophic. Burnout is systemic. Guest experience is declining. The…
Speed Is Not The Problem You Think It Is
There is a version of QSR management that treats speed as the primary metric — the holy grail…
The Wrong Kind of Tough
There are two kinds of rigidity in a restaurant operation. One keeps you alive. One kills you slowly…
When You Let AI Speak For You, You’ve Already Left The Stage
AI doesn’t eliminate judgment. It relocates it. That’s the shift most operators miss. When you use AI to…