At Benchmark Sixty, we know that you want to be a great restaurant operator. An operator who wants to have long-term success regardless of inflation, labor shortages, or other common challenges. In order to operate that way, it’s important to understand how data and information can improve your business.

Unfortunately, most restaurant owners don’t have time to sift through information or study data because they’re too busy running their restaurants! This can be frustrating, and it leaves so many owners feeling stuck in the mindset that, “this is the way we’ve always done it.”

Benchmark Sixty is a consulting firm that believes no restaurant owner should feel stuck or like external problems are controlling their business. You shouldn’t have to feel like you have no choice but to hope that the old ways will work. That’s why we use a holistic method of analyzing data in a way that immediately pinpoints opportunities and provides a gateway to solving your problems.

Our three-step process allows us to better understand your:

Concept. Every business is different and should be operated as such.

Productivity. We measure this using a proprietary strategy.

Data. In minutes, we’ll have answers to help us better understand your business as a whole.

With Benchmark Sixty on your side, we can work to change the way the entire restaurant industry looks at labor costs in an attempt to better protect people and profit. Reach out to us to learn more about our hospitality consulting services or to get started today.

My job title said "Restaurant Manager."

My actual job was 47 different roles nobody trained me for.


In one shift I was:

• HR (someone quit via text)
• Therapist (line cook going through a divorce)
• Plumber (toilet overflowed during the rush)
• Accountant (food cost spiked overnight)
• IT support (POS crashed at 7pm)
• Bouncer (guy at the bar had too many)
• Negotiator (vendor shorted us on produce)
• Babysitter (server's kid showed up unannounced)


All before 9pm.


Nobody trained me for any of it.


There's no degree for this. No certification. No manual.


You just figure it out.


Because the kitchen is backed up.
Because the guest is furious.
Because someone has to fix it.


And that someone is always you.


Here's what nobody tells you about restaurant management:


You're not managing a restaurant.


You're running a small business that demands:

→ The patience of a therapist
→ The math skills of an accountant
→ The problem-solving of an engineer
→ The stamina of an athlete
→ The people skills of a politician


All at once. In real time. With no backup.


And you're doing it for a fraction of what those roles actually pay.


The average restaurant manager makes around $55K.


If you hired separately for every hat they wear?

• HR consultant: ~$85K
• Facilities manager: ~$70K
• Financial analyst: ~$75K
• Operations manager: ~$80K


That's over $300K worth of skills.


Packed into one person making $55K.


To every restaurant manager reading this:


You're not "just" a manager.


You're the most undervalued executive in any industry.


Running a business that never closes.
Solving problems that shouldn't exist.
Wearing hats nobody even knows about.


The skills you're building?


They transfer everywhere.


And one day, the world will catch up to what you're actually worth.


👊🏻


P.S. Drop a 🙌🏼 if you've worn more than 5 hats in a single shift. I know I have.

P.P.S. Tag someone else who needs to see this. The world of restaurant management doesn’t get enough recognition. 


#restaurants #restaurantmanagement #leadership

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"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁" 𝗯𝘆 𝗝𝗶𝗺 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 
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👊

Business model & labor optimization for restaurant owners & operators | Recover $60K–$2M+ without raising prices | Advisor | 2× Author | Restaurateur

Most restaurant managers didn't plan to become restaurant managers.


You were 20. A friend worked at the cool spot. Needed cash while you "figured life out."


Fast forward 10 years—you're running a $3M operation.


How the hell did that happen? 


I'll tell you exactly how.

- You showed up on time.
- Made fewer mistakes than most.
- Took care of guests.
- Didn't do anything stupid.

Then someone asked if you wanted to "get into management." 


Your brain: Long hours. Pay cut. Managing friends. Vacation? What vacation?


But you said yes anyway.

For the paid time off.
For the benefits.
Because banks like salary over tips.


What you didn't realize? You were about to get an MBA in everything.


• HR when someone no-shows.
• Plumbing when the dishwasher breaks.
• Psychology when a guest loses their mind.
• Finance when food cost spikes.
• Marketing when sales drop.
• IT when the POS crashes.
• Engineering when the HVAC dies.


All while serving 1,000 guests on a Saturday.


People say hospitality isn't a "real job."

Those people never managed a restaurant.


Real jobs don't teach you to:
- Handle 47 crises before noon
- Turn $30/hour in sales into profit
- Keep 50 people motivated at 2am
- Solve problems with duct tape and hope


Every successful business person I know started in restaurants.


Not because they planned to.


Because restaurants teach you business better than business school.


That multi-tasking you perfected? It's called operations management now.

That angry guest you calmed? That's crisis management.

Those schedules you built? Workforce optimization.

Those stressed line cooks you motivated? Leadership.


My 20 years managing 500+ employees taught me more about business than any degree could.


Now I help restaurant managers see what they really are:

—> Some of the most skilled, resilient, resourceful business professionals on the planet.


• Running businesses that never close.
• Managing people who don't want to be managed.
• Solving problems that shouldn't exist.
• Making magic out of chaos.


Every. Single. Day.


So here's to the restaurant manager.

The accidental executive.
The midnight mathematician.
The professional plate spinner.


Your "job" is building an empire.


You just don't know it yet.


👊


P.S. That restaurant experience you think isn't "corporate enough" for your resume? 

It's exactly what every business needs. You learned to thrive in chaos. Most MBAs can't handle a lunch rush.


P.P.S. Still in the trenches wondering if this leads anywhere? I went from restaurant ops to building my own consulting business. 

Those "restaurant skills" now help 100+ other consultants build theirs. The classroom was just disguised as a kitchen.


#RestaurantManagement #Hospitality #Leadership #People

Jim Taylor

Nobody prepares you for what restaurant management actually is.


Not the job posting. Not your GM. Not your friends who "get it."


So here it is. The unwritten rules.


𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻.

It buzzes at 6am. It buzzes at midnight. It buzzes on your day off, your vacation, your kid's birthday.


You answer anyway.


Because someone called out. Because the freezer is down. Because a guest is "speaking to corporate."


And somehow, you're the only one who can fix it.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸-𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘁.

Nobody tells you this part.


That cold room where you go to "check inventory" is actually where you breathe. Where you cry. Where you pull yourself together before walking back out with a smile.


Every manager knows. Every one of you has experienced it. 


𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

The wedding. The birthday dinner. The Saturday your friends all got together.


You'll say "next time" and “thanks for understanding” so many times you stop believing it.


And you'll feel guilty for caring about your job. Then guilty for resenting it.


𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻.

Not worse. Different.


The version of you that handles a kitchen fire, a no-show, and a screaming guest before noon.


The version that reads a room in three seconds.


The version that makes 500 decisions a day and doesn't flinch.


𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀.


• HR when your best server quits via text
• Psychology when a line cook is falling apart
• Finance when food cost spikes overnight
• Engineering when the dishwasher floods
• Therapy when your team needs someone to listen


All while serving 200 at a time people who have no idea what's happening behind the scenes.


𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘁.

Some days, it won't feel like it.


But then you'll watch someone you trained become a leader.


You'll turn a disaster shift into a win.


You'll build something out of nothing, again.


That's when you realize:

You didn't just become a manager.


You became someone who can handle anything.



To everyone in the trenches right now:

Nobody warned you. But you figured it out anyway.

That's not luck. That's skill.

And it's taking you places you can't see yet.


👊🏻


P.S. Still wondering if restaurant management leads anywhere? I spent 20 years on the floor before building my own business. Those skills? They're the foundation of everything I do now.


Trust me. The experience is worth it. 


#restaurananagement #restaurants #career #business

There is no glamour in restaurant management.

Even though you’re the host of the party. 


Nobody tells you about the walk-in cooler tears.


Or eating lunch standing over a milk crate because there's no time to sit.


Welcome to restaurant management.


The job nobody plans for but somehow ends up in.


You didn't choose this life.
It just happened.


Started as a server making quick cash.
Maybe bartending through college.
"Just temporary."


Then someone saw something in you.


"Want to be a shift lead?"

Your brain screamed no.
But you said yes anyway.

And that was it.


Forget business school.

Try managing a kitchen at 8pm on a Saturday.
Try keeping your cool when the POS crashes.
Try motivating someone who just got dumped.

That's your actual MBA.

• Crisis management? Every shift.
• Financial modeling? Making payroll when sales tank.
• Human resources? Being therapist to 30 people.
• Supply chain? Stretching inventory through a holiday weekend.

All while hitting labor.


The Hidden Moments

3am inventory counts.
Covering no-shows on your day off.
Missing birthdays, holidays, life.

Crying in the walk-in where nobody can see.
Because you're the leader.
Leaders shouldn't break.

Except they do.

We all do.

And that milk crate lunch?

That's dedication most CEOs couldn't handle.


The Skills Nobody Recognizes

Restaurant managers are:
• Psychologists (reading every guest, every employee)
• Engineers (fixing everything with duct tape and prayer)
• Accountants (knowing your P&L better than corporate)
• Negotiators (vendors, staff, angry guests)
• Athletes (15,000 steps before noon)

Running a business that never stops.
With a team that's always in flux.
For people who expect perfection.

Every. Single. Day.


The Pattern I See

The best business leaders I know?
Former restaurant managers.

Because when you've handled a health inspection during a power outage while training new staff and dealing with a customer meltdown—

A board meeting is easy.

When you've made $3M in revenue profitable on 8% margins—

Tech company economics look generous.

When you've motivated teenagers to care about table turns—

Managing senior executives is simple.


The Bottom Line

To every restaurant manager reading this:

Those tears in the walk-in? They're building resilience.
That milk crate lunch? It's teaching priorities.
Those impossible shifts? They're forging leaders.

You're not "just" a restaurant manager.

You're a CEO in training.
Running a harder business than most executives will ever touch.
Building skills money can't teach.

One day you'll leave the floor.
And everything after will feel easy.

Because nothing prepares you for business like restaurants.

Nothing.

👊🏻

P.S. Still think restaurant experience doesn't count? I've hired more restaurant managers into consulting than MBAs. They outperform nearly every time.

P.P.S. To the manager closing tonight: I see you. The skills you're building will take you anywhere.

#Restaurants #Leadership

I watched a manager get fired for a "high labor %" that wasn't her fault.


I see it happen all the time. 


She ran a tight ship. Scheduled smart. Trained her team well.


But sales dipped one month. Traffic was down 12%.


Her labor % jumped from 26% to 29%.


Owner saw the number. Made the call. She was gone.


Here's what nobody looked at:


Her hours were exactly where they should have been.


She scheduled 420 labor hours that week.
Expected 1,600 covers.
That's 3.8 covers per labor hour. Solid.


But only 1,400 guests walked in.


Same hours. Fewer covers. Labor % explodes.


The math:
- 420 hours × $18 avg wage = $7,560
- 1,600 covers × $32 check avg = $51,200
- Labor %: 14.8%

What actually happened:
- 420 hours × $18 avg wage = $7,560  
- 1,400 covers × $32 check avg = $44,800
- Labor %: 16.9%


She didn't overschedule. Guests just didn't show up.


But labor % doesn't tell you that.


It only tells you what happened. Not why.


This is why I stopped managing to labor percentage years ago.


Labor % punishes managers for things they can't control.

→ Weather kills traffic? Their fault.
→ Event down the street pulls guests? Their fault.
→ Economy softens? Their fault.


Meanwhile, the actual question gets ignored:


Were hours aligned with expected demand?


That's the only thing a manager controls.


Covers per labor hour tells you if scheduling was right.


Labor % tells you if guests showed up and spent money.


One measures the manager.
The other measures the business.


We fired the wrong person.


And we do it all the time.


This is the story I wish more owners understood.


👊🏻



P.S. In this scenario, the reason that the guest decline happen was an owner/marketing decision on a promotion that didn’t work. 

Aka. Not the manager’s fault. 



P.S. If you're evaluating managers on labor %, you might be blaming the wrong people. Look at productivity first. The percentage is just the scoreboard.

#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

40 years old. Unemployed. Living in my in-laws' basement.

That was me.

When people asked what I was doing, I told them I was on sabbatical.


Sounded better than "I have no idea what I'm doing with my life."


At least to me… 


⸻


Here's what nobody knew:

6 months earlier I was a corporate restaurant executive.

20+ years in the industry.
500+ employees.
Multi-million dollar P&Ls.
100 flights a year.
7 years without ever setting an out of office message.

I was busy. 

I was successful by every metric that mattered.

Except the ones that actually mattered.

⸻

So I quit.

At 39.

No plan. No strategy. No backup.

Just a gut feeling that there had to be something more.

⸻

The months that followed were the hardest of my life.

Not because of the work.

Because of the uncertainty.



Waking up every day wondering if I'd made the worst decision of my life.



Questioning everything.



Feeling like I'd thrown away a 20 year career for nothing.


The doubt was constant. The clarity was nonexistent.


The imposter syndrome was heavy. 

⸻

Here's what that season taught me:

→ Nobody is coming to save you.
→ Your identity isn't your job title.
→ The path doesn't reveal itself until you start walking.
→ The business didn't start on purpose. The freedom did.

⸻
Year 1 uncertainty and trying to help. 
Year 2 doubled Year 1.
Year 3 almost doubled again. 
Year 4 kept climbing.
Year 5 is still going.


No business plan to start. Just one foot in front of the other.


⸻


This morning I did my sauna and cold plunge.

Held my 6-month-old son.

Drove my daughter to school. 

Helped another consultant land a $20K client.

And helped a restaurant solve their labor model challenges. 

All before 10am.

I help restaurant companies better understand their business model, and how to move the needle on what’s most important to them. 

I teach 100+ consultants how to build businesses that give them their lives back.

I work 5 hours a day.

I control my time completely.

⸻

5 years ago I was convinced I'd ruined everything.

Today I have more freedom, opportunity, income, and purpose than I ever did in corporate.

Or ever thought I would. 

⸻


If you're in your own season of doubt right now…. hear me:


The confusion is temporary.
The fear is lying to you.
You're not behind. You're just beginning.


This is th jump off point. 


👊🏻


P.S. Drop a 🙌🏼 if you needed to hear this today.



I know there were times when I did. 



#Entrepreneurship #Business #Impostersyndrome #Growth

Labor percentage is the most dangerous number in your restaurant.


And you're probably obsessing over it right now.


Every operator I meet manages to this number. Cuts to this number. Celebrates when it drops.


But here's what nobody tells you:

Labor percentage is a lagging indicator. It tells you what happened. Not why. Not how to fix it. Not what to do next.


It's the scoreboard. Not the game.


You can't control labor percentage directly. You can only control the inputs that create it.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿:

→ 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 — How many labor hours are you deploying?

→ 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 — What does each hour cost you?

→ 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 — How many people walked through the door?

→ 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 — How much did each guest spend?


That's it. Four numbers.


Labor percentage is just the math that happens when those four collide.


𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:

Two restaurants can both run 28% labor.

One is printing money. The other is bleeding out.

Same percentage. Completely different productivity.

Because one controls the inputs. The other just watches the scoreboard and panics.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁:

Stop asking "How do I lower labor percentage?"

Start asking:

→ How many guests can each labor hour serve?

→ How much revenue does each labor hour produce?

→ What happens to productivity when I add or remove staff?


Control the inputs. The percentage takes care of itself.


You can't manage a result. You can only manage the actions that create it.


Most operators have this backwards.


They cut hours and wonder why sales drop.
They add staff and wonder why profit doesn't improve.
They hit their labor target and still lose money.


Because they're managing the scoreboard.


Not the game.


👊🏻


P.S. I built a simple tool that shows you exactly how your 4 inputs connect — and where the real opportunity is hiding in your numbers. Comment "INPUTS" below and I'll send it over.


#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

I've done hundreds of labor performance consultations over the last 5 years. They typically cost $10,000.


But for 30 lucky operators, I'm doing them for free as part of my new collaboration with Harri  

(Trust me, this is going to change the game.)


Here's why.


Their platform gives me access to more data, faster, than I've ever had before. That means I can do in days what used to take weeks, while actually delivering even better results.


Together we're opening up 30 complimentary spots for multi-unit operators who want to know exactly where their labor dollars are going and what it's actually costing them.


It's the same 3-phase forensic analysis I've used to help hundreds of operators and to uncover from $60K to $2M in annual savings:


Here is what it looks like:  

—> Data collection across 2–5 of your locations

—> Productivity benchmarking using CPLH and SPLH

—> A detailed executive summary with a prioritized action plan


That’s it. Then you’re off to the races. 


If you've ever wondered why your labor percentage never seems to move no matter what you do, this is for you.


Even when the team cuts harder. 
Even when you give them specific hours targets. 
Even when you give them a buffer on their target. 
Even when you raise prices to offset rising costs. 


If none of those work, this is specifically for you. 



But we only have 30 spots available. 



So don’t miss the opportunity. 



👊🏻



P.S. Find the link to register in the comments below. 

P.P.S. Opportunities to work directly with my team at Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services, and Luke Fryers team at Harri for a FREE consultation just don’t come along very often. 


#laborcost #restaurantmanagement #labormanagement #restaurants

A leading QSR company just closed 300 locations. 

Let’s be honest about what that means. 


Closing 300 restaurants isn't failure.


It's portfolio management.


And the smartest operators in the world are doing it on purpose.


When you see headlines about major chains shuttering hundreds of locations, the instinct is to assume decline.


But that's not what's happening.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

Growth meant footprint. More units. More flags. More territory.

Wall Street rewarded unit count. Operators chased scale.

But scale without margin is fragile. And the math finally caught up.


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱:

→ Labor inflation didn't slow down
→ Food cost volatility became permanent
→ Delivery economics changed margins 
→ Real estate pressure intensified

When every input cost rises and pricing power has limits, the only lever left is portfolio discipline.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:

High-performance operators stopped asking "How many locations can we open?"

They started asking "Which locations actually generate returns?" And “How do we optimize every location that is returning positively?” 


That's a different question. And it leads to different decisions.


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀:

→ Trade area overlap cannibalizing sales
→ Negative cash flow stores masking system performance
→ Capital trapped in locations that will never hit contribution targets

A 500-unit brand with 50 underperformers isn't a 500-unit success story. It's a 450-unit brand carrying 50 anchors.


𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟱-𝟭𝟬% 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲:

→ Removes negative cash flow drag
→ Frees capital for higher-yield reinvestment
→ Improves system-wide averages
→ Protects brand equity


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Reactive contraction = panic. Cutting because you have to.

Proactive pruning = strategy. Cutting because the math says you should.

One is survival. One is optimization.


⸻

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀:

1. Unit count is vanity. Contribution margin is what’s important.

2. Every location should earn its place.

3. Granular unit-level economics reveal where value is created and destroyed.

4. Closing isn't failing. It's reallocating capital.

5. The best time to prune is before you have to.


⸻

The restaurant companies winning the next decade won't be the ones with the most locations.


They'll be the ones with the best returns per location.


That's the shift.


👊🏻


#restaurants #restaurantstrategy #businessmodel

If you have these simple things, you have a labor model.


—> Employees who earn a wage.
—> Guests who pay for a product or service.


That's it.


Employees. Wages. Guests. Sales.


Four numbers. One relationship.


And 90% of restaurants don't understand how they connect.


Here's what most operators do:

They look at labor percentage.

"We're at 28%. That's good."

But good compared to what?


They have no idea if that 28% is producing results or just happening.


The labor model isn't about cost.


It's about the relationship between what you spend and what you get back.


𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 × 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 = 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁

That's the investment side.


𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 × 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 = 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲

That's the return side.


Your job is to understand how those two sides connect.


→ How many labor hours does it take to serve one guest?
→ How much revenue does each labor hour produce?
→ What happens to productivity when you add or remove an employee?


Most restaurants can't answer any of these questions.


They're running blind.


They cut hours and wonder why sales drop.


They add staff and wonder why profit doesn't improve.


They hit their labor target and still lose money.


They see low labor % and worry about service. 


Because they're managing a percentage, not a model.


𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁:

Stop treating labor as a cost to control.

Start treating it as an investment to optimize.


Your employees generate revenue.

Your wages buy productivity.

Your guests fund the whole thing.

Your model will tell you if it's working.


Simple numbers. One model.

Know how they connect, and you'll stop guessing.



👊🏻



#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

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If cutting labor actually fixed profitability, most restaurants would already be winning.

Labor percentage is not the lever. It is the result.

If you are serious about fixing the model instead of chasing percentages, this one is for you.

#restaurantoperators #hospitalityleadership #laborcost

View newsletter: The Restaurant Resurgence

First things first, if you haven't listened to the lastest episode of MENU Unplugged where we sat down and talked with Stephen Beckta, give it a liste

Open article: Stop Cutting Labor. Start Fixing the Model. by Jim Taylor • 3 min read

Stop Cutting Labor. Start Fixing the Model.

Most operators don’t actually know where their labor dollars are going.

But thanks to a new partnership with Harri  

We’re about to find out.


I’m opening 30 forensic labor analyses that normally cost $10,000.


Full breakdown in this week’s Restaurant Resurgence newsletter.


#restaurantmanagement #labormanagement #restaurants

A note to myself at 39.

To the guy who just quit his job with no plan. 

—

Hey man,

I know what you're doing right now.


You're sitting at a little table next to the water heater in your in-laws' basement. 

You're telling people you're "on sabbatical" because it sounds better than “I’m unemployed.”


You just walked away from 20 years. 500+ employees. Multi-million dollar P&Ls. 100 flights a year. 7 years without an out of office message because you were “important”. 


And you have no plan. No clients. No backup.


You're scared and worried you threw it all away.


You didn't.


You didn't quit to start a business. You quit to find freedom. 


The business part? That happens by accident. And it works out better than anything you could have planned.



Here's what's coming:

Year 1: $50K. Barely enough. But enough.
Year 2: $150K. Now you believe it's real.
Year 3: $250K. You stop looking over your shoulder.
Year 4: $350K. You realize you built something.


And eventually —> you'll teach hundreds of other consultants how to do the same thing through something called The Blueprint.


But not until you’ve helped hundreds of restaurants first. 


That little table becomes a real office. That "sabbatical" becomes a rapidly growing business. 


That fear becomes fuel.


But here's what I really want you to know:

The 20 years weren't wasted. They were training.

Every P&L you read. Every crisis you solved. Every flight you took while missing life at home. It all becomes the foundation.


You're not starting over.


You're starting right.


Keep going.


Cheers. 


Love, Me…


5+ years later




👊🏻




#entrepreneurship #leadership #consulting #business #growth

The fastest way to fix your labor cost is to raise it.

I know. That sounds insane.


But I've seen this pattern destroy hundreds of restaurants. And I've seen the fix work every time.


I call it the Death Spiral.


Here's how it plays out:

• Labor runs high. 
• Panic sets in. 
• Hours get slashed. 
• Service suffers. 
• Sales drop. 

And labor percentage? Still the same.


So you cut more.


And the spiral continues.


I watched one restaurant take this to the extreme. They moved the cold station behind the bar so bartenders could make salads themselves.


Think about that.


Your bartenders are building Caesar salads between cocktails. All to save a prep cook.


And their labor percentage? Still not where they wanted it.


Because cutting labor without fixing productivity just shrinks your capacity.


You didn't fix the problem. You shrank the business.


Here's what most operators miss:

The spiral isn't a labor problem. It's a capacity problem disguised as a labor problem.


When you cut too deep:

• Servers get overwhelmed. Check averages drop.
• Kitchen gets buried. Ticket times spike.
• Managers expedite instead of manage.
• Your best people burn out and quit.


Now you're hiring constantly. Training constantly. Bleeding money constantly.


The counterintuitive fix?


Add people back. On purpose.


That restaurant with the bartender salads? We did exactly that.


Labor climbed to 28%.


Ownership panicked.


But then something happened.


The team had time to sell. Time to serve. Time to stay.


$225K annuall improvement.
Turnover got cut in half.
Labor dropped back to 25% on its own.


Not because we cut harder.


Because we gave the team room to perform.


They earned the right to spend less by producing more.


That's the escape hatch from the Death Spiral.


You don't cut your way out.


You build your way out.


If your labor percentage won't budge no matter how many hours you cut, you might already be in the spiral.


Comment "SPIRAL" below and I'll send you the diagnostic I use to identify if you're stuck in it.



👊🏻




#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

I build sustainable business models for restaurants. Business model & labor optimization for restaurant owners & operators | Recover $60K–$2M+ without raising prices | Advisor | 2× Author | Restaurateur

Most restaurants don’t actually know where their profit leaks are.

We’re giving one operator a full month working with Benchmark Sixty to find them.

#restaurantmanagement #restaurants #hospitalityindustry

If you want a chance to spend a full month working directly with Benchmark Sixty to uncover hidden labor inefficiencies inside your restaurant, you ca

Open article: Most Restaurants Don’t Know Where Their Labor Money Is Going by Jim Taylor • 2 min read

Most Restaurants Don’t Know Where Their Labor Money Is Going

Stop chasing "industry standard."

It's costing you money either way.


Two restaurants. Both targeting 25% labor because that's "the number."


Restaurant A: High wages, low check average.
Restaurant B: Low wages, high check average.


Same target. Completely different realities.


—> Restaurant A is killing themselves to hit 25%. Cutting shifts. Burning out managers. Still can't get there.

—> Restaurant B hits 25% easily. Could probably run 23%. But they don't push it because "25% is the goal."


One is destroying their team chasing an impossible number.


One is leaving profit on the table because they stopped too early.


Both are wrong.


The math is simple:

Labor % = (Hours × Wages) ÷ (Covers × Check Average)


If your wages are high and your check average is low, you're fighting uphill. The model is harder. Your "achievable" labor % is different than the restaurant down the street.


If your wages are low and your check average is high, you have room. Your model allows for more. Stopping at "industry standard" means you're not capturing what's actually possible.


This is the problem with benchmarks.


They assume every restaurant operates the same way.


They don't.


→ A fine dining spot with $85 check average runs a different model than a QSR with $15.

→ A restaurant paying $22/hour in San Francisco operates differently than one paying $14 in Oklahoma.

→ A high-volume lunch spot has different economics than a dinner-only concept.


Same industry. Completely different math.


The shift:

Stop asking "What should my labor % be?"

Start asking "What does MY model allow?"


Your inputs determine your outputs.

Know your wages. Know your check average. Know your volume.

Then set targets based on your math. Not someone else's.


Industry standard is an average. And averages include a lot of restaurants that are struggling.


Why would you aim for that?


👊🏻


P.S. Want to know what YOUR model actually allows? I built a calculator that shows you your real labor target based on your inputs — not someone else's benchmark. Comment "MODEL" and I'll send it over.


#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

Most restaurant operators are trained to chase one number.

Labor percentage.

But labor percentage is a result, not a strategy. By the time it shows up on 
your P&L looking bad, the problem has already been happening for weeks.
In this week’s newsletter I break down why the most profitable restaurants often run 2 to 3 percent higher labor than their competitors, and how productivity metrics like Covers Per Labor Hour change the way operators understand their business.

If labor costs always feel like a constant battle in your restaurant, this will likely change the way you look at the problem.

Read the full article below.

#RestaurantIndustry #RestaurantOwners  #HospitalityLeadership

There is a moment every restaurant operator has seen. The table is finishing their meal. Someone asks if they should stay for dessert. Someone else lo

Open article: The Labor Myth That Quietly Shrinks Restaurants by Jim Taylor • 3 min read

The Labor Myth That Quietly Shrinks Restaurants

Here is the big secret most restaurant owners miss.


Cash in the bank matters more than percentages.


Let me show you the math.


Your $40 steak costs you 50% to make. Looks terrible on paper, right? But you just put $20 in your pocket.


Your $20 burger costs you 25% to make. That percentage looks amazing. But you only put $15 in your pocket.


Read that again.


The "bad" food cost item made you $5 more. Per plate. Every single time someone orders it.


Now multiply that across a week. A month. A year.


Let's say you sell 100 steaks a week instead of pushing those burgers.


That's $500 more in gross profit. Every week.
$2,000 more per month.
$26,000 more per year.


From one menu item.


But here's what I see all the time:

Operators pack their menus with low percentage items because the math "looks good" on the P&L. They train servers to push the 25% items. They celebrate hitting their food cost target.


And they wonder why there's no money left at the end of the month.


Percentages aren’t dollars. Percentages don't pay rent.


Dollars pay rent. Dollars pay your team. Dollars go in your bank account.


The most profitable restaurants I work with don't chase the lowest food cost percentage. They engineer their menus to maximize contribution margin. Real dollars. Real profit.


Stop trying to hit an "industry average" food cost.


Start engineering your menu to put real money in the bank.


👊🏻


P.S. If your food cost looks great but your bank account doesn't, you're probably chasing the wrong number. 


Comment "MARGIN" below and I'll send you the framework I use to identify which menu items are actually making you money.


P.P.S Remember, “Industry Standard” is basically the average…. And chasing average isn’t going to make you’re restaurant great. 



#Restaurants #FoodCost #RestaurantProfit #MenuEngineering

Most operators think labor management is simple.


Schedule to sales. Cut when it's slow. Hit your percentage.


Done.


Except that’s not even close.


I've spent 20 years consulting 500+ restaurants on labor. I've seen operators chase the same percentage for years and never move the needle. I've watched million-dollar losses from "simple" scheduling decisions.


Labor isn't one lever. It's dozens of them working together.


Here's what actually goes into optimized labor:

→ Wage mix and how it shifts by daypart
→ Productivity zones that change by volume
→ Scheduling architecture that protects margin
→ Deployment strategies during peaks and valleys
→ Training systems that reduce 90-day turnover
→ The math behind SPLH and why percentage lies to you
→ Building models that flex with real-time inputs


Most operators manage the output.


The experts manage the inputs.


That difference is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sometimes millions.


I've taught pieces of this in posts. Workshops. Consulting calls. Keynotes.


But I've never put all of it in one place.


Until now.


Book three in the BOLD series is finished. And it's focused entirely on labor management.


Not theory. Not fluff. The actual playbook I use every single day.


If you want a pre-release copy before it hits the market, comment "LABOR" below and I'll add you to the list.


This one's been a long time coming.


👊🏻



#restaurants #labormanagement #restaurantoperations

Stop doing inventory. It's killing your profit.



I know. That sounds backwards.



But hear me out.



Inventory is a strategy that should be used to control variance. 


That's it. 


It tells you the gap between what you should have and what you actually used.


It doesn't lower your food cost.


It can't fix a menu that's priced wrong.
It can't fix contribution margins that don't work.
It can't fix recipes that were never costed properly.
It can't fix a theoretical food cost you've never calculated.


All it does is help you measure the gap.


And if the foundation is broken, measuring the gap is just measuring how broken it is. 


Over and over again.


I see this constantly:

Operators spend 4 to 6 hours every week counting product. Entering numbers into spreadsheets. Sending it off to the bookkeeper. 


And their food cost % doesn't move.


Because they're doing the wrong thing.


Think about it this way:

—> If your menu isn't engineered for profit, counting chicken won't help.

—> If your pricing doesn't support your margins, counting chicken won't help.

—> If you don't know your theoretical food cost, counting chicken won't help.

—> If you don’t know how to properly calculate food cost, counting chicken won’t help. 



Pro tip: Purchases divided by sales is NOT the correct way to calculate food cost %. 



Inventory without the foundation is just expensive busywork —> And your team hates it. 


Before you count a single item, you need:

• Menu engineering completed
• Recipes costed and documented
• Pricing aligned to contribution targets
• Theoretical food cost calculated and tracked


Then inventory becomes powerful. Because now you're measuring something that matters.


You're finding the leaks. Not just confirming they exist.


Stop counting product until you've built the foundation.


Otherwise you’re just pouring wages down the drain. 



👊🏻



P.S. If you're doing inventory every week but your food cost still won't budge, the problem isn't variance. 


It's everything that comes before it. 


Comment "FOUNDATION" below and I'll send you the checklist I use to make sure operators are ready before they start counting.



#Restaurants #FoodCost #RestaurantOperations #MenuEngineering

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