Tag: KPIs & benchmarks
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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.
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The 30/30/30 Rule for Restaurants: A Simple Framework for Financial Health
The 30/30/30 rule is a quick sanity check on a restaurant P&L: roughly 30% food cost, 30% labor cost, and 30% other expenses (operating plus occupancy), leaving about 10% as net profit. It is a benchmark to compare against, not a target to engineer to. If you’ve spent any time…
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Restaurant KPIs: The 7 Numbers Every Operator Should Track Weekly
Updated version available. This post has been superseded by an updated, expanded version: Restaurant KPIs: The 12 Numbers Every Operator Should Track Weekly. The newer post replaces this one; this version remains available for reference. Running a restaurant without tracking KPIs is like driving at night with the headlights off.…
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How to Create a Restaurant Budget (And Actually Use It)
Every restaurant has a budget. Most of them are useless. They get built in January, filed in a drawer, and never compared to what actually happened. The operator who closes out April with food cost three points above plan had a budget, they just never used it as a management…
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How to Read a Restaurant P&L Statement
How to read a restaurant P&L statement: the running order from net sales to net profit, what each section should be as a percentage of sales, and the benchmarks to hold them to.
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What Percentage Should Labor Cost Be in a Restaurant?
What percentage should labor cost be in a restaurant? Target benchmarks by concept, what counts as fully loaded labor, and why you should track SPLH alongside the percentage.
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What Is a Good Profit Margin for a Restaurant?
What is a good profit margin for a restaurant? Average net margins by concept, why they are so thin, the numbers that drive them, and how to improve yours.