Here are the featured articles and editorial content in the January 2008 issue of Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine.

RestaurantOwner.com members have access to these articles in the RS&G Archive department on RestaurantOwner.com.

FEATURES

How to Turn a Good Restaurant Into a Great Business
The Benefits of Working ‘On,’ Not ‘In,’ Your Restaurant
by Jim Laube
If you’re too caught up in the day-to-day business of your operation, you might forget to step back and look at the business strategically. Good marketing, finance, and operations decisions require working “on,” not “in,” your restaurant.

10 Red Flags
Startup Restaurant Financial Warning Signals You Should Not Ignore
by John Nessel
Not only is there little room for financial management missteps in the startup restaurant, but the problem can be compounded by the lack of business experience and basic financial skills. Here, the author points out 10 warning signals that could spell trouble for your operation’s financial health, and what to do about them.

Bang for Your Buck
Tracking Your Marketing Return on Investment
By Joe Erickson
While the particulars may differ on “how” operators market their restaurant, no one wants to throw money down the drain, so regardless of what type of operation you have, marketing expenses need to be planned and tracked if you want to get a good return on your marketing investment.

Menu Engineering Basics
How to Make Your Menu Your Top Salesperson
By Banger Smith
Everything that makes your restaurant special and profitable flows from the pages of your menu — your atmosphere, concept, pricing and cost-control strategy, and service ethic. Couple an effective menu with a well-trained service staff that interacts effectively with guests and you’ve got a winning combination.

Rules of Thumb
Restaurant Methods, Procedures and Measurements That are Derived From Experience
by Jim Laube
This article discusses several of the restaurant industry’s basic rules of thumb. While there will always be exceptions, they have proven to be surprisingly reliable over the years. Keep these numbers handy when planning your restaurant and assessing your performance after you open.

Designing Your Restaurant’s Floor Plan
Start With an Operational Perspective
by Jeff B. Katz
Your business and operational plans drive your floor plan. Here’s a primer on developing the layout of your facility that fits your concept, rather than vice versa. Here’s how to create a floor plan, including valuable data on critical room and area dimensions.

Placing the Welfare of Your Customers in Clean Hands
A Powerful Case for Diligent Hand Sanitation in the Restaurant and Proper Practices to Achieve It
by Christina DiMartino
When done frequently and properly, it is one of the most effective sanitation measures in the restaurant. In this article, we discuss how to create a stringent system of hand sanitation, educate each employee on its practices, and monitor it to ensure it is being followed.

DEPARTMENTS

Opening Remarks
by Barry K. Shuster
The Best Is Yet To Come – Consider this issue Restaurant Startup & Growth 101, the bedrock basics of profitable independent restaurant management and strategy. Study it, keep it, put your name on the cover in black marker and pass it along to your GM, your investors, and your staff.

Insights
by Patricia Luebke
A new I-9 is introduced, why some Americans believe restaurant portions are too large, the benefits of germ-free neckties and other interesting and useful information for the startup operator.

Showtime
by Gene Gentrup
Your best ideas might be waiting for you at trade shows staged across the country.

Last Seating
by Maryann Ferenc
Reflecting on a Life of Service in the Restaurant Business - Having grown up in the business, one operator reflects on how to develop young restaurant talent in this day and age.

Receive Restaurant Startup & Growth magazine FREE when you join RestaurantOwner.com.