Answers for restaurant, cafe, and food truck owners.
Prime cost, comps, kitchen turnover, third-party delivery fees, and a menu that quietly loses money.
14 questions, 14 of them with a word-for-word script, the actual math, or a template you can copy.
Hiring
All hiring →How do I write up an employee and actually document performance problems?
Write it down the same day, in plain facts, with a clear expectation and a deadline, and have them sign it. A folder of dated write-ups is what protects you and gives the employee a real chance to fix it.
Script TemplateWhat's the right way to fire someone so it doesn't blow up on me?
Make the decision before the meeting, keep the meeting short and factual, and have logistics ready so there's no ambiguity about what happens next. The meeting itself should take five minutes, not thirty.
Script ChecklistHow do I write a job posting that actually filters out the wrong people?
Put the real pay, the real hours, and the real hard parts of the job in the posting, on purpose. A posting written to attract everyone attracts everyone, including everyone wrong for the job.
Template ChecklistHow do I know when it's time to hire a manager, and how do I find the right one?
Hire a manager when the business has outgrown your personal attention span, not your patience. Look inside first for someone who already has the trust of the team, and only go outside if nobody internal is close.
Script ChecklistWhat do I do when a key employee suddenly quits?
Cover the immediate gap first with a short-term plan, then find out honestly whether it was preventable before you rush to backfill the exact same role the exact same way. A rushed replacement hire often repeats whatever problem drove the last person out.
Script Checklist
Operations
All operations →How do I build an employee handbook I'll actually use, not just a binder that sits on a shelf?
Write ten pages of the policies that come up every year, in plain language, and actually enforce every line in it. A fifty-page handbook nobody reads protects you less than a ten-page one everyone has actually opened.
Template ChecklistHow do I cover my own vacation without the business shutting down while I'm gone?
Build coverage in stages over months, not the week before you leave, starting with a written list of every decision only you currently make. If that list has more than a few items on it, that's your actual project before you can leave.
Template Checklist
Finance
All finance →Pricing
All pricing →Sales
All sales →Leadership
All leadership →How do I set a real vacation policy for myself as the owner, not just whenever I can sneak away?
Put your own time off on the calendar for the year, in writing, the same way you'd schedule payroll, and treat moving it as the exception, not the norm. If you don't schedule it in advance, it will always lose to whatever feels urgent that week.
Template ChecklistHow do I decide whether to open a second location?
Open a second location only once your first one runs profitably without your daily presence, not because it's busy. A second location amplifies whatever systems and management you already have, good or bad, it doesn't fix a first location that's only working because you're always there.
The math ChecklistHow do I handle a serious disagreement with my business partner?
Separate the business decision from the relationship, get it in writing once you agree, and use your partnership agreement before you use your feelings. If you don't have a partnership agreement that covers this kind of dispute, fix that the moment things calm down, not after the next one.
Script ChecklistHow do I know if my business could actually survive a week without me?
Run the test for real, not hypothetically: leave for a genuine week with your phone off except for a true emergency line, and see what actually breaks. What breaks is your real to-do list, not a guess.
The math Checklist
Every owner hits these
Not specific to your trade, but they show up in every shop that has employees, customers, and a bank account.
- Should I put prices on my website?
- How do I handle scope creep on a job?
- Should I charge more for emergency or after-hours work?
- When should I stop doing the work myself?
- How do I delegate when no one does it as well as me?
- How do I actually take a vacation from my business?
- How do I manage a friend or former coworker?
- How do I give my employee tough feedback?