small business

Things have certainly changed since I opened my first restaurant in 1988. Back then, if I got a napkin holder from a vendor, I was thrilled that it was one less start up expense. Now, vendors who are clamoring for your business (and even some who don’t really need it) have official budgets for anything from samples to trade show tickets to marketing paraphernalia. So, for those of you who are unaware, or may be new to the “start up” business of opening your first restaurant, here are some expenses ...

The days of seeking and being approved for a line of credit on your signature and a good credit score are over, but it is still a good idea to have access to cash when you are a small business owner. As a restaurant owner, I have been surprised more than once by a cooler that quits, a roof that leaks into the kitchen or an oven that doesn’t heat. And even though you know that customers are clamoring for a larger dining room and a bar that serves more than wine and beer, unless you have some way ...

Employee theft can mean the difference between profitability and loss. And I don’t just mean cash from the drawer or the kind of theft where an employee backs up a pick-up truck and loads it up with winter-stored air conditioners (a true story which took place recently in a winter ski resort in upstate New York). I am also referring to the day in and day out mysteries of missing food and wine, disappearing cleaning and paper supplies and unexplained excessive food cost.

Restrict ...

Small business, independent restaurant owners may sometimes see as little as 1% of revenue as their profit at the end of the year. If there is no plan for controlling waste, that 1% might just end up in the trash or down the drain. Here are four ways to avoid turning your treasure($$$) into trash.


Transparent trash receptacles
The first lesson I learned in culinary school, and a good habit to transfer to any food establishment, was to see what is aimed at the trash BEFORE ...

I am talking about the delivery driver, the person who brings the food and beverages, fresh to your door, and into the restaurant kitchen, or maybe not, if you are worried about varmints hitching a ride. These employees are often beaten down by sales reps, customers, dispatchers, brokers, customer service managers and executive chefs. They are treated as if they are at the bottom of the pecking order by many, but never, never by me. Here’s why.


First, delivering product ...