The Key to Fantastic Growth? Knowing What You Don't Know

Three Ways Fantastic Bosses Make Restaurant GMs Great

In this episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, Matthew Mabel tackles one of the most overlooked opportunities in multi-unit restaurant business growth: developing the bosses of your general managers. While most restaurant entrepreneurship focuses on training GMs, the real breakthroughs in guest count, profit, and culture happen when owners invest in their operations directors, area managers, and district managers. Matthew shares the three pillars that separate exceptional multi-unit leaders from the rest — a steadfast commitment to growing GMs, a simple sequential operations plan, and a genuine focus on personal improvement. Whether you're an independent restaurant owner preparing to hire your first operations director or a multi-unit leader looking to elevate your own performance, this episode offers practical strategy and coaching insight to help you drive sustainable restaurant business success. Note: The Restaurant Success Podcast is pausing for the foreseeable future after this episode. The weekly newsletter will continue, and Matthew welcomes listener feedback on how to make the podcast more valuable when it returns. Email your thoughts to matthew@surrender.biz [matthew@surrender.biz]. Key Topics Covered * Why developing the person above your general manager is the biggest blind spot in multi-unit restaurant leadership * The three pillars that separate great multi-unit leaders from the rest * How a sequential, quarter-by-quarter operations plan creates unprecedented progress across restaurants * Why personal improvement and 360-degree feedback belong alongside business objectives in executive coaching * What to look for when hiring your first operations director, including the "No Bulldozers" rule * Why coaching is for high performers, not just people who are struggling Links Mentioned * Smart Restaurateurs' Guide to Hiring Your First Operations Director: https://surrender.biz/smart-restaurateurs-guide-to-hiring-your-first-operations-director/ [https://surrender.biz/smart-restaurateurs-guide-to-hiring-your-first-operations-director/] * How the Great Become Even Better Through Coaching: https://surrender.biz/how-the-great-become-even-better-through-coaching/ [https://surrender.biz/how-the-great-become-even-better-through-coaching/] Resources Mentioned * Website: www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] * Restaurant Success Newsletter: https://surrender.biz [https://surrender.biz] * Free initial consultation available Connect with Matthew Mabel Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve: * Profit growth * Sales optimization * Guest count increase * Unit expansion * Employee engagement * Brand loyalty How to Support the Show * Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter * Rate and review the show * Visit www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] for additional resources

The Key to Fantastic Growth? Knowing What You Don't Know

In this episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, Matthew Mabel explores why even the most successful multi-unit restaurant entrepreneurs can hit a growth ceiling — and how to break through it. Matthew reveals that the key to fantastic business growth lies in identifying and addressing what you don't know. Drawing on decades of experience advising independent restaurant companies generating tens of millions in sales, he explains how first-time multi-unit owners often develop blind spots that hold back their restaurant operations, profitability, and long-term expansion. From unrealistic confidence to learning by costly trial and error, Matthew walks through the common traits he sees in successful restaurateurs and shares how the best operators seek out the missing pieces to catapult their businesses forward in sales, profits, and net worth. Key Topics Covered * Why success can create blind spots for first-time multi-unit restaurant owners * The common traits Matthew sees after decades of advising restaurant entrepreneurs * How "unrealistic confidence" can plateau a growing restaurant business * Why learning by trial and error is the most expensive path to growth * How the best restaurant operators identify and install the missing pieces for success * The role of peers, restaurant associations, and expert advisors in accelerating business growth Links Mentioned * How Restaurateurs Avoid the Perils of Owning the Only Company They've Ever Known [https://surrender.biz/how-restaurateurs-avoid-the-perils-of-owning-the-only-company-theyve-ever-known/] * How to Discover the Missing Pieces to Increase Your Restaurant's Success [https://surrender.biz/how-to-discover-the-missing-pieces-to-increase-your-restaurants-success-2/] Resources Mentioned * Website: www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] * Free initial consultation available Connect with Matthew Mabel Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve: * Profit growth * Sales optimization * Guest count increase * Unit expansion * Employee engagement * Brand loyalty How to Support the Show * Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter * Rate and review the show * Visit www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] for additional resources

How to Actually Increase Guest Count and Lead the Industry

In this episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, restaurant business consultant and advisor Matthew Mabel breaks down exactly what it takes to grow guest count and lead the restaurant industry. Drawing on real-world observations from top-performing restaurant groups, Matthew reveals the specific behaviors that are quietly holding restaurants back from reaching their full revenue and profit potential. From front-of-house accountability to employee training and steps of service, this episode delivers actionable strategies for independent and multi-unit restaurant owners ready to drive measurable business growth. If you're focused on restaurant entrepreneurship, operational excellence, and building a guest experience that converts visits into loyalty, this episode is essential listening. Key Topics Covered * Why increasing guest count in today's restaurant business requires mastering the "domino effect" of small operational details * How top-performing restaurant groups are achieving annual revenue increases of six to eight percent * Six common front-of-house behaviors that are silently damaging guest experience and Google ratings * Why stretching your capability to educate and hold your team accountable is the engine behind guest count growth * How one six-unit restaurant group transformed performance by adding a full-time in-store trainer to their multi-unit management team * Why your steps of service are one of the clearest expressions of your restaurant's culture — and how to make them work harder for your business Links Mentioned * Reinvigorate Restaurant Training and Education to Create Amazing Success in 2023 [https://surrender.biz/reinvigorate-restaurant-training-and-education-to-create-amazing-success-in-2023/] * Alert! Restaurateurs You're Missing a Step in Your Steps of Service [https://surrender.biz/alert-restaurateurs-youre-missing-a-step-in-your-steps-of-service/] Resources Mentioned * Website: www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] * Free initial consultation available Connect with Matthew Mabel Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve: * Profit growth * Sales optimization * Guest count increase * Unit expansion * Employee engagement * Brand loyalty How to Support the Show * Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter * Rate and review the show * Visit www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz] for additional resources

Six Beautiful Improvements Can Happen When You Take a Break

In this episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, veteran restaurant business advisor Matthew Mabel makes the case for why every restaurant entrepreneur needs to step away from their operation. Rather than focusing on revenue growth or management strategy, Matthew shares six powerful improvements that happen when independent restaurant owners take a real vacation. From stress-testing your business systems and discovering hidden operational gaps, to breaking old habits and returning with fresh entrepreneurial energy, this episode is a must-listen for any multi-unit restaurant owner who struggles to unplug. Whether you're planning a spring getaway or need a push to finally book one, Matthew explains why taking a break is one of the smartest business decisions you can make. Key Topics Covered * Why stepping away lets your restaurant team grow and strengthen independently * How vacations stress-test your business and expose hidden operational gaps * The power of returning refreshed with new ideas to implement * Breaking invisible habits by stepping outside your daily routine * Overcoming "store blindness" — noticing what's been right in front of you * The personal value of making memories with family and friends * Why some restaurant owners choose to retire in place rather than sell Links Mentioned * The Greatest Alternative to Selling Your Restaurants [https://surrender.biz/the-greatest-alternative-to-selling-your-restaurants/] * Restaurateurs: Why Your First Day Back From Vacation is the Most Important Day of the Year [https://surrender.biz/restaurateurs-why-your-first-day-back-from-vacation-is-the-most-important-day-of-the-year-2/] Resources Mentioned * Website: www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz/] * Free initial consultation available Connect with Matthew Mabel Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve: * Profit growth * Sales optimization * Guest count increase * Unit expansion * Employee engagement * Brand loyalty How to Support the Show * Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter * Rate and review the show * Visit www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz/] for additional resources

Remembering Ed Murph, America’s Only Cafetuer

In this special episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, veteran restaurant consultant Matthew Mabel pays tribute to Ed Murph, the owner and driving force behind Norma's Café in Dallas. Rather than the usual business strategies, Matthew reflects on thirty years of friendship and collaboration with a man whose restaurant career spanned from the legendary Beggar and Bell Ringer clubs in the seventies, through the groundbreaking Café Cancun in the eighties, to building Norma's Café into a true multi-unit Dallas institution. Matthew shares four powerful lessons Ed taught him and everyone around him — about attitude in the face of adversity, deep community engagement, genuine friendship, and the importance of knowing your business details down to the last dollar. Whether you're a seasoned restaurant entrepreneur or just starting your journey in the food and hospitality industry, Ed's story is a masterclass in building a lasting independent restaurant brand with heart, purpose, and operational excellence. Key Topics Covered * Ed Murph's three-chapter restaurant career in Dallas * Facing a serious health diagnosis with grace and determination * Building meaningful community impact through your restaurant business * The famous Norma's Café annual Thanksgiving meal tradition * The importance of detail-oriented restaurant management and profitability * Succession planning and preparing your business for long-term sustainability Links Mentioned * Norma's Cafe [https://www.normascafe.com/] * 34 years and counting, Norma's Cafe gives out Thanksgiving meals [https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/34-years-and-counting-normas-cafe-gives-out-thanksgiving-meals/3395453/] Resources Mentioned * Website: www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz/] * Free initial consultation available Connect with Matthew Mabel Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve: * Profit growth * Sales optimization * Guest count increase * Unit expansion * Employee engagement * Brand loyalty How to Support the Show * Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter * Rate and review the show * Visit www.surrender.biz [http://www.surrender.biz/] for additional resources Tags: