Your sales drop every August and September. And every year, it still catches you off guard.

Your bank account takes the hit, your costs climb, and you end up back on the line covering shifts.

In this episode of the Restaurant Growth Accelerator podcast, Chris and I break down why the slow season hurts so many restaurant owners.

I walk you through the simple maths to forecast next month's restaurant sales, then I show you how to turn that number into food and labor budgets - so your cash stays in your bank account and not on your shelves.

We also cover the two times of year when staff turnover always shows up, and how to hire before your competition does.

If the slow season catches you off guard this year, grab a pen, press play, and get ahead of your next slowdown (before it hits your bank account).

Key moments:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:00 The Post Summer Slowdown
00:05:00 Knowledge & Execution
00:08:50 Simple Sales Forecast
00:12:26 Food and Labor Budgets
00:18:45 Expect Unexpected Turnover
00:22:20 Hire Before Everyone Else
00:25:40 Plan Fall Marketing Early
00:28:45 Back to School Marketing
00:32:00 Marketing Lead Times
00:35:03 Order Gift Cards Now

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✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

I used to wake up at 6:00 a.m. scared to look at my own phone. Because I knew as soon as I looked, I’d see somebody had quit or didn’t show up. And I was the only one who could fix it.

If your restaurant falls apart the minute you leave, this episode shows you the way out.

In this episode I was a guest on The Pre Shift podcast, hosted by DJ Constantino, and presented by 7Shifts. I share my story as a multi-unit restaurant owner. I had the sales, the managers and 50-plus employees.

Yet I still worked 100-hour weeks and had no life.

Then I saw the real problem - I was the system. I walk through how I fixed that, and how restaurant owners can build restaurant systems that grow profit and give them their time back.

We also get into the fifth location mistake that pulled 30% of the customers away from my best store. I share the "streaky mirror" example that explains why your team gets simple tasks wrong. And you'll hear why I track food cost and labor cost every week instead of waiting on a monthly P&L.

If you want a restaurant business that works for you instead of you working for it, hit play now.

Key moments:

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:45 My Restaurant Story
00:04:26 Afraid Of My Phone
00:07:45 When Scaling Turns Risky
00:13:31 The Streaky Mirror Lesson
00:20:06 The Walk-In Problem List
00:23:56 Finding Five Free Hours
00:27:08 Track Your Numbers Weekly
00:32:11 Why I Raised Wages
00:35:16 The Overstaffing Trap
00:38:55 Two Fixes This Week

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✅Check out 7Shifts and the Pre-Shift Podcast✅

https://www.7shifts.com/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pre-shift/id1534369183

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✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee):

https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast

Lines out the door do not mean money in the bank, and I learned that the hard way.

You can have great food, great reviews and a great team - and still close the month with zero cash flow. In this episode I show you why, and I share the formula that changes it.

I’m sharing the biggest secrets I’ve learned after reviewing hundreds of restaurant P&L statements every single month - along with the 3 key numbers I check first that reveal whether your restaurant has a sales problem or a cost problem.

We also cover the rent percentage test, the real net profit target you should aim for, and the five tactics my clients use to get there.

I share real client numbers too, including one seafood restaurant that doubled its bottom line without adding much revenue.

If your restaurant is busy but your bank account is not, this episode gives you the numbers to fix it.

Grab a calculator, pull up your P&L, and hit play.

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:45 You Are The System
00:04:45 Successful Restaurant, Failing Business
00:07:53 The 60% Prime Cost Lie
00:10:45 The Rent Percentage Test
00:15:30 Cut Costs Or Grow Sales
00:19:03 Break Even Profit Stacking
00:25:54 What Good Looks Like
00:30:25 Measure Every Single Week
00:34:25 Check Your Competitors' Prices
00:39:25 Upsells And Frequency Offers


✅Tools For Restaurant Owners✅

Claim your FREE Restaurant Weekly Financial Tracker to uncover thousands in hidden profits and optimize your costs (in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee):

https://ghl.ownershifttraining.com/weekly-tracker-lp?el=podcast

-

✅About Us✅

The Restaurant Growth Accelerator Podcast is hosted by Andrew Scott - founder of OwnerShift Training.

Andrew Scott successfully scaled his restaurant business to 4 locations while working a handful of hours each week. He’s since helped over 1,000 restaurant owners increase their sales, profits, and free time - and he’d love to help you too.

✅For Restaurant Owners✅

Interested in growing your restaurant business while working less? Book your free assessment call:
👉 Restaurant Assessment Call

✅Connect With Us✅

https://www.facebook.com/groups/multiunitempirebuilders/
https://www.instagram.com/andrewrichardscott
https://ownershifttraining.com/?el=podcast