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Restaurant Business Plans, Systems, Checklists & Training, POS, Startup Tools & Resources
Turn Your Restaurant Into a More Profitable Business . . . Starting Today!

Join our community of thousands of independent operators who are starting, improving and growing their restaurant business.

Find hundreds of how-to articles and downloadable forms, checklists, manuals and other templates plus online seminars, video programs, restaurant business plan resources and much more. View some FREE Samples of our resources.

FEATURED RESOURCES
2012 Restaurant POS Survey2012 Restaurant POS Survey
Selecting a POS system is one of the most critical decisions any restaurant operator makes. You can compare the ratings and gain an edge in picking your next POS by learning from the candid comments and first-hand experiences of more than 1500 RO.com members on nearly 100 of the top restaurant POS systems. . . . more >>

WEBINAR: Valentine's Day Tips and StrategiesWEBINAR: Valentine's Day Tips and Strategies
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Are you prepared to take advantage of the single biggest "date night" of the year? Listen now to owner/operator, Edmund Woo, and learn what Edmund does to maximize guest counts, generate thousands of dollars of extra sales on and around Valentines Day to make February one of his most profitable months of the year. . . . more >>

How to Turn Your Good Restaurant into a Great BusinessHow to Turn Your Good Restaurant into a Great Business
by Jim Laube
Many people who open an independent restaurant don't fully understand the role they should playing as the owner. They're convinced that rolling up their sleeves and "running the restaurant" will lead to restaurant success, when in reality, this mindset is often the fatal flaw behind many underperforming or failed independent operations. Find out what independent restaurant owners SHOULD be doing instead. . . . more >>

DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Training Manual Templates
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Training Manual Templates Having comprehensive, easy-to-understand training manuals for every position in your restaurant is vital for new employees to learn to perform their jobs the "right way." Use these templates as a guide to create your own detailed restaurant training manuals for server, bartender, busser, prep cook, line cook, dishwasher . . .
. . .
more >>
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Business Plan Template
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Business Plan Template A professional, well-conceived restaurant business plan is absolutely essential for an independent restaurant venture to obtain funding and have any real chance for success. Our business plan templates will provide you with the tools to develop & communicate your plan in a professional, compelling format that will enhance your chances of securing capital and making your plan a reality. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Marketing Planning Calendar
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Marketing Planning Calendar Today, sales growth doesn't just happen, it requires proper planning and execution! Get a jump on your 2012 marketing plan with this great tool to organize your promotions for the entire year onto a single spreadsheet that shows the dates of each promotion and the tasks required to make them happen . . . more >>
SCREENCAST: Marketing Best Practice - Scratch Ticket Promotion
SCREENCAST: Marketing Best Practice - Scratch Ticket Promotion Watch as veteran operator Peter Troutman shows you his variation of the 'secret envelope' promotion that's resulted in a 30%+ year to year sales increase in one of his slowest months. Learn in detail what he does, his results, costs, prizes, changes he's made over the years, and more. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Daily Voids Log Sheet
DOWNLOAD: Daily Voids Log Sheet Theft prevention 101 - never let your bartenders, servers or cashiers void items after they have been rung up. It's ok to give them the ability to void (item correct) an item "while" they are in the process of ringing the check; however, once the check has been recorded (saved or printed) then only management should be allowed to perform a void function. . . . more >>
Restaurant Catering: How to Create a Lucrative, New Profit Center for Your Business
by Amelia Levin
Restaurant Catering: How to Create a Lucrative, New Profit Center for Your Business After a hard-hitting recession prompted many restaurants to re-examine their cash flow and profit margins, finding ways to increase revenue without a large capital outlay makes adding catering to your restaurant seem like a good idea. This article will explore some of the catering challenges as well as opportunities. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Annual Restaurant Budget Worksheets
DOWNLOAD: Annual Restaurant Budget Worksheets How will your restaurant perform in 2012? Studies show that companies who prepare annual operating budgets are more successful than those who don't. Use this budget worksheet to quickly prepare your annual financial plan to give you and your staff specific, measurable goals throughout the coming year. . . . more >>
Online Workshop: The Durbin Amendment Has Lowered Debit Card Fees - Who's Getting YOUR Savings, You or Your Processor?
Online Workshop: The Durbin Amendment Has Lowered Debit Card Fees - Who's Getting YOUR Savings, You or Your Processor? As a result of the Durbin Amendment, debit card interchange fees have been reduced by about half starting on October 1st. BUT don't expect those savings to be automatically reflect in your fees. Some processors are expected to keep the savings and not pass them on to merchants like you. Listen to this program to get these cost reductions passed on to YOU and NOT YOUR PROCESSOR! . . . more >>
ONLINE WORKSHOP: Why Birthday Marketing Works & How to Create Your Own Birthday Marketing Program
ONLINE WORKSHOP: Why Birthday Marketing Works & How to Create Your Own Birthday Marketing Program Many RO.com members report big success with a birthday club. Yet, most independents miss out by not doing any type of birthday marketing. Find out how a simple yet effective birthday program can mean more new guests and repeat business throughout the year. . . . more >>
ONLINE WORKSHOP: The Yelp Effect - How to Manage Guest Reviews & Your Online Reputation
ONLINE WORKSHOP: The Yelp Effect - How to Manage Guest Reviews & Your Online Reputation Online review sites such as Yelp, UrbanSpoon and others, have elevated the matter of an irate guest and their potential ability to spread their story to a whole new level. Learn how to monitor what people are saying about you online and how to manage negative reviews and get more positive reviews that potential customers will notice. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Birthday Club Startup Checklist
DOWNLOAD: Birthday Club Startup Checklist Restaurants that form a birthday club have found it to be one of their most cost effective and successful marketing endeavors. Even better, their customers love it! . . . more >>
How Foursquare Can Boost Customers & Sales in Your Restaurant
How Foursquare Can Boost Customers & Sales in Your Restaurant Foursquare is a rapidly growing location-based platform for mobile devices, similar to Facebook and Twitter, where users can post pictures, leave comments and reviews about a place or suggest things to do. The platform is easy to set up, free, and can help you increase sales. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Kickback and Gift Policy Template
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Kickback and Gift Policy Template An occasional trip to a ballgame or concert tickets may not be much of a problem, but at some point, gifts from suppliers can influence employees' decisions and affect who they decide to or continue to buy from. This template will provide you with a starting point to formulate your own concise policy on kickbacks, gifts and gratuities and communicate that policy clearly to your managers and employees. . . . more >>
WEBINAR: How a Simple Birthday Club Results in 50% More Sales!
WEBINAR: How a Simple Birthday Club Results in 50% More Sales! Pat Vaselakos' quick serve restaurant's sales were stagnant & even declined for 4 years after opening. Then, she started a birthday club & her sales went up OVER 50% in three years! In her amazing success story, she'll show you exactly how she did it and how you can too. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Customer Database Template
DOWNLOAD: Customer Database Template This download features an Excel spreadsheet that can be used to build your own customer database for birthday clubs and other promotions. It also includes a printable form for customers to fill in their contact information. . . . more >>
How to Calculate & Track Your Marketing ROI
by Joe Erickson
How to Calculate & Track Your Marketing ROI Restaurant operators may differ on how they market and promote their restaurants, but nobody wants to throw money down the drain. Learn how to plan and track your marketing investment dollars so that you can clearly determine what marketing activities are worth repeating and which ones should be modified or dropped. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Marketing Promotion Tracking Template
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Marketing Promotion Tracking Template Many restaurants spend from 2-4% of revenue on marketing. The most successful ones track their promotions so they "know" which ones work & which don't. Use this template so you can concentrate your efforts & dollars on your most productive marketing activities. . . . more >>
ONLINE WORKSHOP: How to Account for Discounts & Comps
ONLINE WORKSHOP: How to Account for Discounts & Comps The practice of discounting and couponing has grown substantially in many restaurants in recent years to the point that in some restaurants, discount transactions run as high as 10% of gross sales and even more. Learn how accounting for discounts can affect your numbers and the interpretation of your key costs and margins so you can make an informed decision about what method would work best in your restaurant. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Menu & Recipe Cost Spreadsheet Template
DOWNLOAD: Menu & Recipe Cost Spreadsheet Template Knowing what each of your menu items costs is one of the most basic yet overlooked aspects of running a profitable restaurant. This comprehensive spreadsheet template will give you an easy-to-use tool to calculate and maintain the current cost of your menu and recipes. . . . more >>
ONLINE WORKSHOP: How to Use Google Places to Drive More Customers to Your Restaurant - Part 2
ONLINE WORKSHOP: How to Use Google Places to Drive More Customers to Your Restaurant - Part 2 Every day hungry people in your area are searching online for restaurants. Not having a position on Google Places can significantly lower the odds that they will choose or even notice your restaurant. Sign up now to attend Part 2 of our series on Google Places. Focus will be on how to improve rankings and what do to about negative reviews. . . . more >>
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