Product Book
2820 How I See It
Last Updated: August 3, 2026The thinking that produces everything on these lists is transactional. The operator who runs a transactional operation is...
2055 From Perspective to Product The PreOpening Build
Last Updated: August 3, 2026Every section in Perspective asked you to examine how you see the business. Your market. Your competition. Your...
2050 The Restaurant Lifecycle
Last Updated: August 3, 2026The restaurant industry has a mythology problem. Ask anyone outside this business how many restaurants fail in their...
2045 Should You Franchise or Go Independent
Last Updated: August 3, 2026This question gets asked from two directions. The operator who has built something and is considering franchising it...
2040 What You Have That the Chain Cant Buy
Last Updated: August 3, 2026The chain’s infrastructure is real. So is yours — and theirs cannot replicate it. Direct Guest relationship. No...
2035 What the Chain Buys That You Have to Build
Last Updated: August 3, 2026Choosing the relationship is the right decision. It is also not a free decision. The independent who understands...
2030 The Variable the Corporate Playbook Is Trying to Eliminate Is Your Only Advantage
Last Updated: August 3, 2026When a corporate restaurant operator looks at your business, they see inefficiency. They see a kitchen manager who...
2025 Products Can Be Imitated The Experience Cannot
Last Updated: August 3, 2026The chain can copy your menu. They have done it before and will do it again — faster,...
2020 The Chain Has a Brand Team You Have a Dining Room
Last Updated: August 3, 2026Chains are in the business of restaurants. Independents are in the restaurant business. If you understand the difference...
2015 The Product Is Never Finished
Last Updated: August 3, 2026Most operators think of their product as something they built. The menu they designed. The concept they launched....