Your P&L tells you what happened. Five key numbers tell you where to start looking for why — but the real problem doesn't always show up in the numbers. It might be staffing, a lease, a stale menu, or weak systems. The diagnosis follows it wherever it leads, from someone who ran a restaurant profitably for 22 years, not a template borrowed from outside the industry.
Monthly P&L, reviewed after the fact. Labor % and food cost % checked separately — each within range, so nothing looks urgent. Sales growth that's actually just price increases masking a traffic problem. A surprise at month-end that had been building for six weeks.
Weekly, not monthly. Prime cost tracked as one combined number, because labor and food cost drift together. Covers tracked alongside sales, so a traffic problem can't hide behind a price increase. Small problems flagged while they're still cheap to fix.
Five weekly indicators that show where to start looking first. They're not the whole story — if the real problem is staffing, a lease, or a stale menu, the diagnosis follows it there.
Is revenue growing because more guests are coming, or because prices went up?
Sales = Covers × Average Check. Tracking covers alongside sales shows whether growth is coming from guest count or pricing — two very different fixes.
Are the two biggest controllable costs, combined, staying in line with sales?
A restaurant can hit its labor target and its food cost target individually and still have a margin problem if both drift up together. Prime cost catches that. Typical target: 55–60% of sales.
Are we maximizing every guest visit?
Reflects pricing, menu mix, suggestive selling, and overall guest value.
Are guests actually buying the items that make money?
Some dishes carry high contribution margin, others barely break even after food cost and prep labor. Tracking the sales mix against item-level profitability shows what to promote, reprice, or cut.
Is the business generating enough cash to cover its obligations this week?
A restaurant can look profitable on the P&L and still run out of cash. Weekly cash position catches timing problems — payables, payroll, debt service — before they become a crisis.
Five numbers are the starting point — not the whole picture. The diagnosis goes wherever the real problem is: staffing, lease terms, menu, or systems. Built for established independent owners, well-funded startups, and food truck operators making the jump to a first brick-and-mortar location. Multi-unit operators served by custom quote.
Full assessment at a reduced rate for the first 5 clients, in exchange for a written testimonial and permission to use the engagement as a case study.
Full diagnostic across all five indicators. Results in 5–7 business days. No ongoing commitment.
For clients who've completed the assessment. Monthly scorecard plus a check-in call, with email access in between.
Same core service, scoped and priced per location.
Considering a second location or renegotiating your current lease? Site selection, LOIs, landlord negotiation, and contract review are available as part of any engagement above — drawn from Jeff's own experience buying and managing commercial properties in and out of Arizona.
Confirms fit. Not a sales pitch — if it's not a match, Jeff says so.
Read-only access or exports from POS and accounting. No operational disruption, under 30 minutes to set up.
AI tools aggregate data and flag anomalies. Jeff makes the diagnosis and judgment calls personally.
Scorecard, written diagnosis, prioritized action list, and a 30-minute call to walk through it.
Done — engagement complete, no further obligation. Or move to the monitoring retainer.
Flancer's Restaurant continues today under new ownership. Jeff is no longer affiliated with or involved in its current operations.
Commercial real estate, on the side. His second Flancers location, in Mesa, was also his first commercial property purchase — bought in 2008, right before the great recession, and carried through profitably despite the timing. He's since acquired other commercial properties in and out of Arizona, managing the AZ properties directly — with hands-on experience in LOIs, landlord negotiations, lease review, and site selection.
Bought and sold businesses himself — including deals structured with seller financing. Useful if you're preparing to buy or sell a restaurant, or making the jump from a food truck to your first brick-and-mortar lease.
Every recommendation comes from someone who has personally made payroll, ordered the food, and answered for the P&L — twice, in two different markets, over three decades.
Not paid consulting clients yet — these come from Jeff's SCORE mentoring work. Restaurant-specific case studies will join them as engagements complete.
"The wealth of knowledge Jeff provided during our 45-minute call was worth more than the $50,000+ I've invested in business coaches and focus groups this past year."
— Kildare C.
"Jeff has been a great wealth of knowledge and expertise, and a realistic sounding board for my timelines and project prioritization. His ability to understand my vision and needs ultimately led to us securing a location and navigating the process."
— Cody E., opening his own restaurant
"Jeff was a valuable resource, offering tools and guidance to help us grow our business. He went above and beyond, introducing us to a like-minded business owner."
— Glenis D.
"Jeff's guidance was exceptional — motivating and professional. His use of real-world scenarios made each one relatable and easy to understand."
— Jeterria T.
Owned and operated Flancers Restaurant, Gilbert AZ
Restaurants built and sold, across NM and AZ
Active SCORE mentor to small business owners