Category: The Model
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The 30/30/30/10 Rule for Restaurants: Where It Breaks
The old 30/30/30/10 rule of thumb for restaurant P&Ls (30% food, 30% labor, 30% overhead, 10% profit) misses in 2026. Real benchmarks by concept.
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Restaurant Food Cost by Concept: Is 33% Good or Bad?
33% food cost means nothing without the concept. QSR wants 28-32%, steakhouses run 38-42%. Real benchmarks and the tradeoffs by segment.
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What the top 3% of restaurant CFOs do differently on Monday mornings
The Monday-morning rhythm the top restaurant CFOs run before anyone else is at the office. Restaurant CFO Monday discipline, in specifics.
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Jersey Mike’s filed to go public at $12 billion. Here is what that number is really saying.
Blackstone paid $8 billion for Jersey Mike’s in 2024. The planned IPO values it at $12 billion. What the Jersey Mike’s S-1 filing teaches restaurant operators.
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Prime Cost for Restaurants: The Formula That Actually Predicts Survival
The prime cost formula for restaurant operators, worked through with real numbers, plus the weekly discipline that catches cash bleed before it hurts.
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4-Wall EBITDA Margin by Restaurant Concept: What Buyers Look For in 2026
2026 4-Wall EBITDA benchmarks by concept: QSR, fast casual, full service, bar-heavy, coffee, pizza, ghost kitchen. What buyers pay for and why.
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Using AI in Restaurant Finance: What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t)
Where AI actually moves the needle in restaurant finance — forecasting, food cost variance, menu engineering — and where it still doesn’t.
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Restaurant Food Cost Calculator: Run the Math in Five Minutes
The actual restaurant food cost formula, worked example, and ideal-vs-actual gap analysis. Plus benchmarks by concept type.
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Restaurant Financial Dashboard: The 12 Numbers That Belong on One Screen
Twelve restaurant finance KPIs on one weekly dashboard, organized by sales, cost, profitability, and cash. Refresh cadence and benchmarks inside.
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How Much Cash Should a Restaurant Keep?
Restaurants should hold 8-12 weeks of fixed operating expenses in cash reserves. Three sizing variables, where to hold it, why most operators are under.