The EFTPOS statement line that catches the surcharge gap
Most venues pass on card fees but never reconcile what they charged versus what the bank actually took. The gap is often 0.3–0.8%, and it's pure margin leakage.
Read the tip →The $2 menu placeholder that tests demand before you commit
Adding a new dish properly costs you recipe development, training, photography, and print. A verbal special tests the same idea for the cost of one prep batch.
Read the tip →The wage-to-weather correlation nobody tracks but should
Rostering by last year's sales assumes last year's weather. A simple five-week rolling average tied to forecast adjusts labour before you overstaff a wet Saturday.
Read the tip →The section hand-over note that eliminates 90% of floor confusion
When sections change hands mid-service or between lunch and dinner, verbal handovers fail. A two-minute written note prevents every "I didn't know" moment.
Read the tip →The three-question supplier scorecard that stops margin drift
Most venues watch price creep happen one invoice at a time. A simple quarterly scorecard per supplier catches it early and gives you leverage.
Read the tip →The 30-minute quarterly review you owe yourself
Four numbers. Three questions. One decision. Every 90 days.
Read the tip →When the restaurant is quiet, do the work nobody else does
Train, audit, plan, write. Quiet hours are not the problem — wasted quiet hours are.
Read the tip →The newsletter subject line format that gets 50%+ open rates
Specific, low-promise, conversational. Not "exciting news from us this week".
Read the tip →The mid-week bar-snack strategy that lifts dwell time and spend
Three $8 snacks. Available at the bar. No table required. Doubles average spend per cover after 9pm.
Read the tip →The 15-minute payroll leak check every quarter
Three checks against the award schedule. Catches 90% of the underpayment risks before they compound.
Read the tip →The promo that doesn’t erode your everyday pricing
Add-ons, not discounts. A free glass of bubbles with a $90 spend is not a 10% discount — it’s a margin lever.
Read the tip →The five-minute onboarding for first-time regulars
When a new face comes in twice in two weeks, do something specific. They become a regular for two years.
Read the tip →The tablet on the floor that replaces three printers
Order pads, kitchen tickets, table notes — one $300 tablet. The change pays back in 30 days.
Read the tip →The tasting-portion trick that drives Tuesday wine sales
A 30ml tasting pour of three wines, free, on Tuesdays. The bottle sale rate doubles.
Read the tip →The fridge temperature log that saves you in an audit
Twice a day. One book. One sentence. Bullet-proof in front of any inspector.
Read the tip →Why your marketing budget should be a COGS line, not a fixed cost
Treat marketing as a percent of revenue, not a monthly cap. The fixed-cap thinking is what makes growth feel scary.
Read the tip →The 90-second after-service debrief that compounds learning
Three questions before the team goes home. The improvement curve is steeper than any training program.
Read the tip →The tip-pool conversation that protects you and your team
Most venues have an unspoken tip arrangement. Make it spoken, write it down, and follow the law.
Read the tip →The website / Google My Business pair that lifts inbound bookings
Half of restaurant searches come from Google directly. If your hours are wrong, you’re losing covers.
Read the tip →The 20-minute weekly meeting that fixes 80% of recurring issues
Tuesday 10am. Owner, head chef, FOH lead. One whiteboard. Three columns.
Read the tip →The supplier’s "specials" list that nobody asks for
Most produce suppliers have a weekly specials list. They send it to nobody who doesn’t ask.
Read the tip →The pre-book allergen process that protects you legally and operationally
A 30-second booking question replaces a $40K negligence exposure.
Read the tip →The rent-review letter to send before your option exercise
If you’re renewing in the next 12 months, the conversation starts now.
Read the tip →The one server line that adds $4 to the average bill
“Should I bring a jug of sparkling for the table, or still?” The default is yes.
Read the tip →The five-year rule on insurance renewals
Don’t auto-renew. Re-tender every five years even if you’re happy.
Read the tip →The POS modifier audit that finds the $4K leak
Half your “extras” aren’t being rung up. The audit finds it in an afternoon.
Read the tip →The prepay event package that books out December every year
Christmas books in October. Lock revenue four months early with a prepay deposit on a fixed menu.
Read the tip →The first-week onboarding that keeps a hire past 90 days
Most hospitality turnover happens in the first 30 days. A scripted first week fixes 80% of it.
Read the tip →How to turn a table faster without the customer feeling rushed
The signals are small: the wine list when they’re seated, dessert menu with mains, bill on arrival of coffee.
Read the tip →The supplier-payment tweak that gives you 14 extra days of cash
Almost every hospitality supplier accepts net-21 if you ask. Most venues pay net-7 because nobody renegotiated.
Read the tip →The Instagram post format that actually fills a Thursday
It’s not the photo. It’s the story-style countdown the morning of, and the “walk-ins welcome” line at 4pm.
Read the tip →Hiring when everyone says they "can’t find anyone"
You can’t hire who’s already happy. So your funnel needs to be wider, faster and visible to the people who aren’t looking.
Read the tip →The three-week walkthrough that finds 10–15% energy savings
Walk every venue at 3am once a year. You’ll find at least one thing left running that shouldn’t be.
Read the tip →The menu-engineering quadrant that tells you what to push
High GP% / high volume = stars. High GP% / low volume = sleepers. Push the sleepers.
Read the tip →The loyalty tier most venues miss: "regular"
You cant out-points the chains. But you can know your regulars by name. Set a tier for it.
Read the tip →The booking deposit policy that drops no-shows by 70%
$20 per head, fully redeemable, terms in plain English. The argument against it disappears once you do it.
Read the tip →The award-rates cheat sheet every operator should have on the wall
Penalty rates, junior rates, public holiday rates — one A4 page per location, updated every July.
Read the tip →The 2-minute POS export that replaces three reports
Most operators look at three POS reports. One export gives you the same information in two minutes.
Read the tip →The birthday database that costs nothing and beats every paid loyalty tool
A spreadsheet of regulars’ birthdays and a hand-signed card outperforms every points-based loyalty scheme.
Read the tip →The two-hour trial shift that beats a 30-minute interview
You can't tell a good hire from a bad one across a table. Two hours on the floor and you know.
Read the tip →The 90-day supplier rotation that keeps your produce price honest
Every supplier knows their lock-in customers pay 5–12% more. Three quotes a quarter keeps everyone sharp.
Read the tip →The cash-out handover that catches the 3am surprise
Two minutes at close-of-trade beats two hours of bank-rec the next morning.
Read the tip →Stop tracking food cost as one number
A 31% overall food cost can hide a 47% seafood category and a 22% pasta one. Track by menu category, not by venue.
Read the tip →The Google review reply script that converts the next reader
Replies are for the people reading the reviews, not the person who wrote them. Write for the audience.
Read the tip →Roster by revenue, not by headcount
A 27% wage cost on a $4K Tuesday is not the same problem as 27% on a $14K Saturday. Roster the percentage, not the bodies.
Read the tip →The energy contract clause that costs you four figures a year
Three out of four hospitality energy contracts auto-roll onto market rates the day they end. Check yours.
Read the tip →Why your "quiet Tuesday" is actually a pricing problem
A 2-for-1 trains regulars to wait. Three pricing levers lift Tuesday revenue without cannibalising the weekend.
Read the tip →The 11am stocktake habit that pays for itself in a week
A 10-minute mid-morning sweep of your top six SKUs catches the 2–5% gap that monthly stocktakes always miss.
Read the tip →