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RestaurantOwner
Turn Your Restaurant Into a More Profitable Business . . . Starting Today!

Join our community of thousands of independent operators who are starting, improving and growing their restaurant business.

Find hundreds of how-to articles and downloadable forms, checklists, manuals and other templates plus online seminars, audio programs, restaurant business plan resources and more. View some FREE Samples of our resources.

FEATURED RESOURCES
Industry Survey: State of Your Restaurant - 2010Industry Survey: State of Your Restaurant - 2010
Our survey results are in with over 750 independent restaurants participating. While many operators report declining customer counts and sales, more than half say year-to-date sales are as good or better than last year. See how your restaurant stacks up and learn what the most successful operators are doing to prosper in the face of record unemployment and reduced consumer spending. . . . more >>

DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Training Manual TemplatesDOWNLOAD: Restaurant Training Manual Templates
Having comprehensive, easy-to-understand training manuals for every position in your restaurant is vital for new employees to learn to perform their jobs the "right way." Use these templates as a guide to create your own detailed restaurant training manuals for server, bartender, busser, prep cook, line cook, dishwasher . . .
. . .
more >>

DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Business Plan TemplateDOWNLOAD: Restaurant Business Plan Template
A professional, well-conceived restaurant business plan is absolutely essential for an independent restaurant venture to obtain funding and have any real chance for success. Our business plan templates will provide you with the tools to develop & communicate your plan in a professional, compelling format that will enhance your chances of securing capital and making your plan a reality. . . . more >>

DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Employee Handbook TemplateDOWNLOAD: Restaurant Employee Handbook Template
A comprehensive Employee Handbook is crucial to the success of your business and the retention of your people. Use this template to develop one of the most important documents in any restaurant. Put your own unique set of employee policies, procedures and practices in writing so that everyone on your staff knows the rules and your expectations. . . . more >>

DOWNLOAD: Menu & Recipe Cost Spreadsheet Template
DOWNLOAD: Menu & Recipe Cost Spreadsheet Template Knowing what each of your menu items costs is one of the most basic yet overlooked aspects of running a profitable restaurant. This comprehensive spreadsheet template will give you an easy-to-use tool to calculate and maintain the current cost of your menu and recipes. . . . more >>
How to Fire Bad Employees & Avoid Potential Legal Problems
by Barry Shuster
How to Fire Bad Employees & Avoid Potential Legal Problems When you know it's time to "free up an employee's future" make sure you do it the right way. Learn what legal snares you can step into when firing an employee and how to properly terminate problem employees to reduce your chances of getting into potential legal troubles. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Manager Bonus Review Template
DOWNLOAD: Manager Bonus Review Template How does your Manager know if they're meeting expectations for their bonus plan if you never tell them? Use the Management Bonus Plan Evaluation/Review to provide constructive feedback on how they are doing and ways to improve their performance. This form will help you step back and look at how they are performing in all the major areas of responsibility. . . . more >>
WEBINAR: How to Evaluate & Implement a Management Bonus Program
WEBINAR: How to Evaluate & Implement a Management Bonus Program One of the most talked about topics in our Discussion Forum has been management incentive or bonus programs. Do they work, how much should they pay, how to evaluate managers and other such questions are typically asked. Chris Tripoli has designed and implements many management bonus programs during his 30+ year career as an operator and advisor. Chris discusses the various elements of successful programs and . . . more >>
Why Discounts & Coupons Can Be Bad for Business and What To Do Instead
by Jim Laube and David Scott Peters
Why Discounts & Coupons Can Be Bad for Business and What To Do Instead Discounting can boost your sales in the short term but over time it can erode your profitability & condition your customers to only show up with a coupon! Learn alternatives to relying on constant discount & coupon promotions that can build your restaurant's topline sales AND bottomline profits at the same time. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Closing Your Restaurant Business Checklist
DOWNLOAD: Closing Your Restaurant Business Checklist Unfortunately, some restaurants don't make it and at some point closing the doors may seem like the only option. Use this checklist to help you create a closing plan for the many tasks you'll encounter such as paying employees, filing your last tax reports, dealing with unpaid vendors, closing bank and credit card accounts, and evaluating bankruptcy options. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: POS Evaluation Worksheet
DOWNLOAD: POS Evaluation Worksheet Selecting a POS system is one of the most important decisions a restaurant operators makes. The POS Evaluation Worksheet lists the many features to consider in choosing a POS. Use it as a tool to organize and compare the features of different POS systems. . . . more >>
WEBINAR: RO.com's Prime Cost Wizard
WEBINAR: RO.com's Prime Cost Wizard The Prime Cost Wizard is a web-based financial tool that combines several of our most popular resources (Weekly Prime Cost Worksheet, Daily Sales Report Templates, Daily Sales Plus Labor Summary) into a single, simple-to-use program that integrates with Quickbooks and Peachtree accounting systems. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Menu Engineering Worksheets
DOWNLOAD: Menu Engineering Worksheets Menu engineering is one of the most profitable exercises any operator can engage in. Use this powerful and fully automated tool to assess the profitability of your menu items based on their food cost, selling price, gross margin and popularity. . . . more >>

ONLINE SEMINAR: Key Industry Averages-How Does Your Restaurant Stack Up?
ONLINE SEMINAR: Key Industry Averages-How Does Your Restaurant Stack Up? How does your restaurant's financial performance stack up to the industry? Get industry averages and rules of thumb to evaluate your sales, food cost, beverage costs, mangement and hourly labor cost, employee benefits, operating expenses, rent and occupancy costs, inventory levels and much more. . . . more >>
ONLINE SEMINAR: Getting the Most Out of Your Financial Information
ONLINE SEMINAR: Getting the Most Out of Your Financial Information The benefits of using the National Restaurant Association's "Uniform System of Accounts;" the best way to format your financial projections in loan packages; why you should be using a 28 day accounting period; reduce time to take a physical inventory. . . . more >>
WEBINAR: How a Simple Birthday Club Results in 50% More Sales!
WEBINAR: How a Simple Birthday Club Results in 50% More Sales! Pat Vaselakos' quick serve restaurant's sales were stagnant & even declined for 4 years after opening in 2001. Then in August 2005 she started a birthday club & since then her sales are up OVER 50%! In her amazing success story, she'll show you exactly how she did it and how you can too. . . . more >>
ONLINE SEMINAR: What Every Restaurant Pro Should Know About Food Cost
ONLINE SEMINAR: What Every Restaurant Pro Should Know About Food Cost Learn where most independent restaurants lose money working with food and the most effective ways to lower your food cost quickly and easily. . . . more >>
Why You Must NEVER, EVER Let Your Bookkeeper Handle Cash
Why You Must NEVER, EVER Let Your Bookkeeper Handle Cash All too many restaurant operators have lost small and even large fortunes to a dishonest bookkeeper. Here's an example of what can (and does) happen when owners lose sight of following basic internal controls associated with this important function. . . . more >>
Industry Survey: Restaurant Occupancy Cost
Industry Survey: Restaurant Occupancy Cost After food, beverage and labor costs, occupancy cost ranks as the next biggest expense item on the restaurant profit & loss statement. In this survey we asked operators to share what they pay per square foot for rent and triple net charges. We categorized the results into various regions, service styles and types of lease space to make it easier to compare rates to what you currently pay . . . more >>
Restaurant Rules of Thumb: How Does Your Operation Measure Up to Industry Averages & Standards?
by Jim Laube
A review of several key restaurant industry startup, financial & operational metrics that have proven to be reliable measurements over time. A handy guide for operators planning changes or assessing how they compare to industry averages & standards. . . . more >>
WEBINAR: Gun to the Head Marketing
WEBINAR: Gun to the Head Marketing ...It's 8:57 pm. You're at your restaurant. Your life absolutely depends on getting one new customer - before 9:00 pm. You have 3 minutes. It's dark. A car pulls up. A man steps out... oh yeah, I forgot to mention - there's another restaurant right next door to you. And that's where he's going. Your life depends on this what are you going to do...? . . . more >>
SCREENCAST: Marketing Best Practice - Scratch Ticket Promotion
SCREENCAST: Marketing Best Practice - Scratch Ticket Promotion Listen as veteran operator Peter Troutman describes one of his most successful promotions resulting in a 30%+ year to year sales increase in one of his slowest months. Learn in detail what he does, his results, costs, prizes, changes he's made over the years, and more. . . . more >>
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Printer's Alley Bar & Grill
Memphis, TN


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Honolulu, HI


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Hizzoner's Uptown Deli
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Lefty's Restaurant
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