Insights from 15 years in operations

Labor is the one lever that costs you people, not just money — which is exactly why good operators keep putting it off. What it actually takes to fix it.

A consistent 86 list looks like a chef problem. Usually it's a symptom of something upstream — margins, pricing, covers. How to read it like a director.

He was my most dependable cook, so I made him sous. He lasted a month — and it was my fault, not his. What promoting on talent alone gets wrong.

We took 15 points off labor at OTG, and it wasn't complicated. It came down to the schedule, accountability, and getting people to think like a team.

Lead from the front. Delegate and let people fail. Don't micromanage. Twenty-five years. Three rules. They still work every time.