Restaurant Profitability Calculator Use the Profitability Calculator to compare your restaurant's sales and profit ratios to industry averages. The Annual Sales section calculates the annual sales per sq. ft. for
your restaurant and then returns the profit percentage expectations for
restaurants with equivalent sales volume. The Annual Profit and Loss section compares your restaurant's financial performance to industry averages. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Accident Report Form Use this report form to document any personal injuries, near misses or dangerous occurances that take place at your restaurant. . . . more >>
How to Take Your Restaurant Products to Retail by Amelia Levin Restaurants have been hit really hard over the past few years and have been searching for alternative revenue streams. Selling your food products at retail may be the answer. This article will describe the process and potential pitfalls of bringing restaurant products to retail. . . . more >>
How Independents Win Concession Contracts and Make Them Work by Howard Riell Over the last decade, large concession management firms have sought out local, popular independent concepts to include in their managed facilities. Local diners find that their favorite burrito place has a presence at the ballgame, or airport or hospital. Exciting, yes, but taking a local restaurant and translating its concept to a stadium concession, for example, is an operational feat. . . . more >>
WEBCAST: Obamacare: What To Expect in 2013 and How to Plan for 2014 With the 2012 Presidential and Congressional elections in the rear view mirror, restaurant owners must begin to carefully plan for the impact of Obamacare will have on their businesses. This webcast provides overview of the provisions that take effect in 2013 and 2014, as well as guidelines on how to begin to prepare for the law. . . . more >>
How to Create a Winning Restaurant Business Plan Many RO.com members site that having a sound business plan was the single most important ingredient in making their new business a reality. During the startup phase, your business plan will have a direct bearing on your ability to get a loan, obtain investors and even secure a lease. Learn how to prepare an impactful restaurant business plan. . . . more >>
FAQs on the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions of Obamacare Brought to you by Shepard & Walton Life In December 2012 the IRS issued the following legislative brief on the Affordable Care Act "pay or play" requirements on large employers who do not offer coverage or offer coverage that is either unaffordable or does not provide minimum value. The brief contains the IRS' questions and answers on this topic. . . . more >>
How to Turn Your Good Restaurant into a Great Business 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: 4-Week Periods for 2013 to 2016 If you want to convert to a 4-week reporting cycle now is the time to get ready to do it. This series of Excel worksheets breaks down years 2013 to 2016 into 4-week periods beginning on the first Monday for year 2013. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Annual Restaurant Budget Worksheets How will your restaurant perform in 2013? 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 >>
WEBCAST: Your Path To Better Numbers - How to Use the Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants Management of your organization requires a financial and operational reporting format that reflects the restaurant industry's unique requirements. In this webcast, RestaurantOwner.com Founder and President, Jim Laube and Vice President, Joe Erickson will highlight the recent updates in the NRA's Uniform
System of Accounts for Restaurants, a leading guide for preparing and reporting restaurant financial results for 50 years . . . more >>
WEBCAST: What Every Restaurant Owner & Manager Should Know About Prime Cost Prime cost (food, beverage & labor) consumes in excess of 60% of sales in most restaurants. They are your largest and most volatile costs. Without good Prime Cost controls even high volume restaurants can have profitability problems. Learn how tracking your prime cost every week can significantly boost your profitability and how to do it easily and efficiently with our Prime Cost Worksheet. . . . more >>
VIDEO: Restaurants That Work - Sudie's Catfish House When Paul Bailey, an engineer with a 30 year corporate background, purchased Sudie's Catfish House, it was a good restaurant but not a good business. In this video series Paul explains how he turned Sudie's into a financial success. . . . more >>
Accounting Methods for Discounts and Comps The practice of discounting and the use of coupons has grown substantially in recent years and some operators have expanded their use of discounts and coupons to the point that discounted sales sometimes run well in excess of 10% of gross sales.
As discount sales make up a larger portion of gross sales, how they are accounted for and reported on a restaurant's income statement can potentially affect how certain cost and margin levels are viewed and evaluated . . . more >>
SURVEY: How Independent Operators Are Using Management Incentive Programs More independent operators are taking what used to be a "chain-only" practice and profiting on several levels by using management incentive programs. Learn what works and what doesn't from the comments and insights of nearly 100 independent operators. . . . more >>
The Best Way to Format Your Restaurant's P&L by Jim Laube One of most valuable tools and controls in any restaurant is your Profit & Loss Statement (P&L). Your P&L should tell you how well (or how bad) your restaurant is doing and if there are problems, where those problems are and how worried you should be. But not all P&L formats are created equal. Here's how your P&L should look like to get the most benefits. . . . more >>
WEBCAST: Restaurant Accounting for QuickBooks Tips and Techniques for Using the Uniform System of Accounts with QuickBooks
This is a hands-on demonstration on how to optimize your QuickBooks settings to use the Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurant and other helpful Quickbooks functions. . . . more >>
The NEW Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants IS HERE! JUST RELEASED! The NEWEST edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for Restaurants is here! It contains many new updates and changes. This is the restaurant industry standard for getting more value and practical use out of your financial information and reports . . . more >>
How to Determine If a Prime Vendor Program Is Right for Your Restaurant By Lee Plotkin Setting up a purchasing program that's a good fit for your concept is important in today's competitive marketplace, especially as costs continue to soar. This article examines strategies to effectively reduce costs without diminishing quality and service. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Menu & Recipe Cost Spreadsheet Template Knowing what each of your menu items costs to prepare 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 >>
DOWNLOAD: Weekly Prime Cost Worksheets Calculating prime cost every week is one of the profitable activities any restaurant can do. If prime cost is too high it's VERY difficult for any restaurant to generate a profit. Our weekly prime cost worksheets make it easy to track and control your biggest and most volatile costs. . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Prime Cost Projection Worksheet The Prime Cost Projection Worksheet is a tool that helps to estimate the prime cost for your existing or proposed restaurant. Use this tool when pricing your menu to see the affects that price changes will have on your overall profitability . . . more >>
DOWNLOAD: Restaurant Business Plan Template Includes 2013 Industry Analysis 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 >>
