RESTAURANT STRATEGY

#306 - The 5 Best Ways to Control COGS   *****   This week's episode is brought to you by: 7SHIFTS 7shifts is the team management platform for restaurants. From hiring, to scheduling, training and retaining, they’ve got the tools you need to help you run your business with ease. Better understand your restaurant, hit your labor targets, and keep your entire team connected. Plus, 7shifts integrates with POS and payroll systems you already use and trust! Join over 30,000 restaurants using 7shifts today. Restaurant Strategy listeners get 3 months free. VISIT: https://www.7shifts.com/restaurantstrategy *****  COGS problems are the best problems! Why?  Because we have so many tools at our disposal to get them in line. First, we have to determine whether it's a "theoretical" problem or an "actual" problem... armed with that answer we can get to work. Episode 306 is a deep dive into the problem. I hope this takes some of the overwhelm out of the situation!    ***** Ready for consistent, predicatble 20% profits every single month? Let's chat about the P3 Mastermind.  Schedule a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule   

#305 - Jason Hedges, Mixologist and Author of the New Book, The Seasonal Cocktail ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: KICKFIN Thousands of restaurants across the country use Kickfin to send instant, cashless tip payouts, directly to their employees’ bank accounts, the second their shift ends. Get in touch today for a personalized demo and see how restaurants and bars across the country are tipping out with Kickfin. VISIT: https://kickfin.com/demo/ ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: POPMENU If you’re a restaurant owner you need a great website that not only looks beautiful, but helps drive more traffic and sales. Use POPMENU to take your business to the next level. Best of all, listeners of this show can lock in one, set monthly rate… and get $100 off their first month.  VISIT: https://popmenu.com/restaurantstrategy ***** Jason Hedges is a very skilled bartender and mixologist, with nearly two decades of experience in the industry. All of that time has been spent pouring drinks here in NYC where he's working with some incredible names. (Our resumes intersect in a bunch of interesting ways... which we discuss during this interview.)  He's going to share some of his tricks for running a profitable beverage program... and also share his experience publishing his very first book: The Seasonal Cocktail.  It's an incredible resource of delicious recipes... with some of the most eye-popping photographs I've ever seen. Don't believe me? Grab your copy using the link below.  IMPORTANT LINKS: The Seasonal Cocktail: https://amzn.to/47qiTBZ ***** Curious to learn more about my P3 Mastermind?Set up a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule  

304 - The Only Thing That Matters  ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: TRIPLESEAT Revolutionize your private event planning with Tripleseat's all-in-one platform. Boost new booking sales by 30%, generate more leads, create contracts, BEOs, and more. Plus listeners of the show get a discount when you sign up. VISIT: https://tripleseat.com/restaurantstrategy/ *****   This week's episode is brought to you by: 7SHIFTS 7shifts is the team management platform for restaurants. From hiring, to scheduling, training and retaining, they’ve got the tools you need to help you run your business with ease. Better understand your restaurant, hit your labor targets, and keep your entire team connected. Plus, 7shifts integrates with POS and payroll systems you already use and trust! Join over 30,000 restaurants using 7shifts today. Restaurant Strategy listeners get 3 months free. VISIT: https://www.7shifts.com/restaurantstrategy   ***** The work PRIORITY comes from the Latin word, prior, which means "first." Back then, it was singular... never intended to be pluralized. And along the way over the last two thousand years, we somehow mucked it up. We changed it to mean "things of importance." But I think the ancient Romans had it right... What if I asked you the following question: "What is the one thing that matters to you more than anything else?"  It would be a totally different answer than if I asked you, "What are your priorities?"  So today we're going to chat about that. What is the most important thing in your business? And then, what is the most important thing in your life? Interestingly the two are connected. Listen to find out how.    ***** Ready for consistent, predicatble 20% profits every single month? Let's chat about the P3 Mastermind.  Schedule a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule   

In this enlightening conversation, Peter Fader, a Wharton marketing professor and co-founder of innovative companies like Zodiac, shares his expertise on customer centricity. He highlights the shift from product-focused to customer-focused strategies in restaurants. Fader discusses leveraging customer insights to boost engagement and retention, integrating data for improved decision-making, and embracing technology for operational success. He also addresses post-pandemic challenges and the importance of understanding customer behavior for sustainable growth.

Too often we focus on that ONE BRILLIANT IDEA... that stroke of genius... the silver bullet that will fix all of our problems. But I don't believe in inspiration; I believe in the creative habit. Creativity is a mysterious pool of energy that expands the more we dip into it. And so I think we need to make time to be creative every single day.  To that end, I'm going to make 2024 the year of ideas.  I have no shortage of ideas and so I'm going to share them every week here on the podcast. But more than that, I'm going to dedicate my social media feeds to sharing new ideas every single day of the week. Ideas on how to grow catering sales. Ideas on how to reinvent service. Ideas on how to motivate your team. Ideas on how you can find more joy in your day-to-day.  To get those ideas, you'll need to follow me:  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantstrategy/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@restaurantstrategy      

302 - Setting Goals and Getting Organized for 2024 (ENCORE) ***** This week's episode is brought to you by: TRIPLESEAT Revolutionize your private event planning with Tripleseat's all-in-one platform. Boost new booking sales by 30%, generate more leads, create contracts, BEOs, and more. Plus listeners of the show get a discount when you sign up. VISIT: https://tripleseat.com/restaurantstrategy/ ***** This is an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired this time last year. It's all about setting goals and getting organized for the year ahead. Are you ready for a great year? Let me give you the tools you need to crush it in 2024.  I talk about three different tools in this episode. If you want any of them, just email me: chip@chipklose.com   ***** Want to learn more about the P3 Mastermind?  Schedule a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule   

#301 - Jonathan Morse, Founder and CEO of Tripleseat *****  This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE Take control of your costs with using MarginEdge. Best of all? No contract. No setup fee. Free and unlimited training and support.  VISIT: marginedge.com/chip ***** Jonathan Morse comes from the restaurant and event management side of things, but has spent a signifcant portion of his professional career in tech as well. So it was perhaps inevitable that he would ultimately build a piece of software that would help event directors and even managers.  Tripleseat is an incredible piece of software that helps owners and operators build catering and event business more effectively... and run those programs more efficiently.  He's got an incredible story, and tons of incredible nuggets to share!  ***** Currently the P3 Mastermind has more than 100 members enrolled, spread across 3 different groups. Our members are seeing huge transformations, often in the first 90 days. The system works, and yes it can work for you.  Click the link to schedule a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule     

#300 - Celebrating 300 Episodes of the Restaurant Strategy Podcast *****  We are only selling 100 tickets to the P3 Marketing Summit... and there are only 20 left. SNAG ONE HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2024-marketing-summit Co-hosted by Chip Klose and Rev Ciancio, this is specifically geared toward independent owners and operators who are ready to level up when it comes to marketing. 3 days5 workshops2 parties JOIN US: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2024-marketing-summit ***** Maybe it's just me, but 300 episodes feels like something worth celebrating. Today I want to take a second to reflect on where we've been and where we're going. I want to share with you some insane stats, like this one... "86% of our listeners only just discovered the show this year!"... and others that truly blow my mind. I also want to share with you our Top 10 episodes of the year and my 6 favorites that didn't make the top ten.  I'm sharing some of the biggest things I've learned through the podcast guests I've met, and I want to lay out a rough path for the next 100 episodes. Things I'm curious about and want to explore. I'm glad to have you along on the journey and hope you stick around for a long while to come.  Let's all pause a minute and celebrate 300 episodes of the show!    ***** Are you ready to generate consistent, predictable, 20% returns? Click the link to schedule a FREE 30-minute strategy session to learn about my P3 Mastermind:  https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule  ***** AND DON'T FORGET 50% OFF MY NEW BOOK: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/

#299 - How to Make Kids Feel More Included (an interview with my son!) *****  This week's episode is brought to you by: MARGIN EDGE Take control of your costs with using MarginEdge. Best of all? No contract. No setup fee. Free and unlimited training and support.  VISIT: marginedge.com/chip ***** I had a life before kids and now I have a life with one. And to say it changes your perspective would be an understatement. (I'm sure the parents out there can appreciate that statement.) But I'm constantly baffled by how inhospitable most US restaurants are when it comes to taking care of families. On today's episode I'm interviewing my son, Preston, so he can share his perspective about what it's like for an 8 year old to dine out... at both casual restaurants and Michelin-starred properties.  Some of the very best meals I've had over the last 4 or 5 years have been ones I've been able to share with both my wife AND son. I love this industry. And I love to go out when we travel. And I love to travel with my family. Soooooo... that means if I want to dine out these days, I'm going to have to drag my kid along.  Today's episode is a bit of a recap of some of the best and worst dining experiences we've had as a family.  Trigger Warning: This kid is so stinking cute and very excited to finally be able to appear on the show!  ***** Currently the P3 Mastermind has more than 100 members enrolled, spread across 3 different groups. Our members are seeing huge transformations, often in the first 90 days. The system works, and yes it can work for you.  Click the link to schedule a FREE 30-minute Strategy Session: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule  ***** THE P3 MARKETING SUMMIT (2024) And don't forget to secure your ticket to the P3 Marketing Summit happening January 14-16, 2024 in Columbia, SC. This is a two-and-a-half day event that will take your marketing to the next level.  RESERVE HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2024-marketing-summit  

#298 - Could Your Restaurant Survive Without You?  *****  We are only selling 100 tickets to the P3 Marketing Summit...  SNAG ONE HERE: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2024-marketing-summit Co-hosted by Chip Klose and Rev Ciancio, this is specifically geared toward independent owners and operators who are ready to level up when it comes to marketing. 3 days5 workshops2 parties And there are only 40 spots left...  JOIN US: https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/2024-marketing-summit ***** Take 10 minutes today to consider where you are, where you've been, and where you're going. Answer the following question: "Could your restaurant survive without you?"   ***** Are you ready to generate consistent, predictable, 20% returns? Click the link to schedule a FREE 30-minute strategy session to learn about my P3 Mastermind:  https://www.restaurantstrategypodcast.com/schedule  ***** AND DON'T FORGET 50% OFF MY NEW BOOK: https://www.therestaurantmarketingmindset.com/