What if the real thing holding your restaurant back is your refusal to trust your own taste?
Jeremy Lett spent 26 years at Bloomin’ Brands building food for Outback, Carrabba’s, Fleming’s, and Bonefish before taking over innovation at Cracker Barrel, a 650-unit institution he joined right as the brand was weathering its biggest public firestorm in decades.
In this conversation, we get into why a great menu grows through subtraction, how to separate a product failing from you failing, and why your taste, earned over thousands of reps, is the one competency no spreadsheet can replace.
If you’re sitting on a concept people respect but won’t repeat, this one will show you where to cut and what to trust.
To learn more about his work leading culinary innovation and product development at Cracker Barrel, visit crackerbarrel.com.
The Playbook Takeaways
- A great menu grows through subtraction. Jeremy’s argument is that menus get stronger when you cut items, not when you keep bolting new ones on.
- Separate the product failing from you failing. A dish that doesn’t land is a result about the product, not a verdict on your judgment as an operator.
- Your taste is a real competency. Taste earned over thousands of reps is the one input no spreadsheet can replace — use it when the numbers are ambiguous.
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Keep going: Restaurant Concepts and Menu Ideas That Are Working Now · How to Improve Your Restaurant Profit Margin · What a Restaurant Consultant Actually Does
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About the Author: Josh Kopel is a Michelin-awarded restaurateur, restaurant consultant, and host of the Full Comp podcast — the voice of the restaurant industry. He has helped hundreds of restaurant owners build profitable, scalable businesses. Explore free restaurant resources →
