I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.
In this episode, I dive into strategies for boosting restaurant profitability without raising prices. I explain why it’s so important to see restaurants as providers of time slots rather than just food and beverage, and how that shift impacts service. I share why the first 20 minutes of the guest experience matter most, plus the tactics I use to improve pacing, satisfaction, and table turns.
Takeaways:
- Most restaurant marketing fails because it’s built on guesswork.
- Awareness doesn’t pay the rent, behavior does.
- If it doesn’t move a booking, a purchase or return visit, then it’s just noise.
- We want to align with behavior, not alter it.
- Triggers turn offers into rituals.
- The fastest money you can make is in the list you already own.
- Stop chasing strangers while your regulars gather dust.
- Create experiences that use desire that already exists.
- If it wouldn’t move you, it probably won’t move them.
- Your marketing must move the needle in your business.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Success
01:21 Reframing Restaurant Profitability
02:51 Understanding Time as Inventory
05:45 Optimizing Service for Profitability
If you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at josh@joshkopel.com and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you’d like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.