Category: The Model
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Blackstone Took Chips Off the Table at Jersey Mike’s. It Did Not Exit.
Blackstone sold a slice of Jersey Mike’s at a below-entry valuation and kept the majority stake. What that means for restaurant operators.
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Prime Cost Recovery Playbook: When You’re Above 65% and Need to Get Back
The sequenced levers to pull when prime cost creeps above 65 percent. Real numbers, real examples, no filler.
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How Same-Store Sales Are Actually Calculated (And Why the Number You See Isn’t Yours)
What SSS actually measures, how public chains compute it, why traffic and check split matter more than the ratio itself, and Q2 2026 chain-by-chain benchmarks.
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The Restaurant Labor Cost Benchmark Everyone Quotes Is Wrong (Here’s the Real One)
Real 2026 labor benchmarks by concept, Q2 disclosures from 12 public chains, and the four rules for comparing your labor cost to a public peer honestly.
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Pizza Hut’s Global CEO Walked After LongRange Closed. Here’s the PE Playbook Every Operator Should Read Backwards.
Aaron Powell stepped down as Pizza Hut’s global CEO on August 17, hours after LongRange Capital closed. Here is what the transition tells operators and franchisees to watch for.
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Wendy’s Just Killed Its U.S. President Job. What That Signals to Every Multi-Unit Operator.
Wendy’s eliminated its U.S. President role on August 14, replacing it with a new COO position. The org chart change tells you where the board thinks the money is now.
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Bloomin’ Brands Raised Guidance on Pricing, Not Traffic
BLMN raised full-year EPS guidance on a +4.2% average check while traffic fell across three brands. What every operator should learn.
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Build a Restaurant P&L in 20 Minutes With Claude or ChatGPT
A four-prompt workflow to build a working restaurant P&L with Claude or ChatGPT. From a former operator who built 250+ by hand.
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4-Wall Contribution vs 4-Wall EBITDA: When to Use Each
4-Wall Contribution stops at variable costs. 4-Wall EBITDA continues through fixed store costs. When to use each in a restaurant P&L.
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How to Value a Restaurant to Sell in 2026: The Operator’s Guide
What restaurants actually sell for in 2026. EBITDA multiples by concept, add-backs buyers scrutinize, and an operator diligence checklist.