Over the last few years I’ve done some consulting across all types of venues, and one thing I’ve learnt is this—I can walk into a place and get a pretty clear feel, very quickly, on whether it’s making money or quietly leaking it. It’s never just one thing. I’ll start by looking at what’s actually selling and when, then compare that to how the team is rostered. From there I’ll glance over the menu and costing—what should be profitable vs what actually is. Then I just watch service for a bit. You can see a lot in how a team moves, where things slow down, or where time is being wasted. After that, it’s usually a look at stock, ordering, and waste. Within a couple of hours, the pattern shows itself. Most venues aren’t broken—they’re just bleeding in a few areas at once. Fix those, and things turn around fast.

I walked into a mid-volume venue that couldn’t understand why their labour was sitting above 38%. On paper, everything looked fine—good team, steady trade—but when service started, the problem was obvious. The full kitchen and floor team were rostered on from opening, yet for the first 60–90 minutes, there was barely any business. Staff weren’t doing anything wrong—they were just there too early, waiting for customers that hadn’t arrived yet. The roster had been built around “what might happen” instead of what actually happens. We stripped it back to a lean open, keeping only the essential staff to get through the first part of the day, then staggered the rest of the team to come in closer to peak periods. Within two weeks, labour dropped to around 30–32% without cutting anyone or hurting service. In fact, service improved because the team was sharper when it mattered. The fix wasn’t hiring better staff or working harder—it was simply putting the right people in at the right time. And it all started by following the labour cost control in this link below. https://www.skool.com/the-restaurant-accelerator-9706/classroom/1123542a?md=c314d6f2d19f4da981d0b88a0c304871

Labour cost rarely gets out of control because of wages alone. More often, it drifts upward quietly through poor structure, bad timing, and a lack of clear control during service. In most venues, the issue isn’t that there are too many staff—it’s that they are used inefficiently. Fixing labour doesn’t require drastic cuts or overworking teams; it requires smarter planning and tighter execution.

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Welcome to Supplier Talk This section is designed for hospitality suppliers and partners to share relevant insights, tools, and information that help venue operators improve their operations. Purpose This is not a general advertising space. Posts must provide value to venue owners and operators. Posting Rules - Posting is only allowed on designated supplier days - Content must be relevant to hospitality operations - Posts should focus on education, insights, or useful information - No aggressive selling or spam - No unsolicited direct messaging to members What You Can Share - Industry insights - Product or service education - Cost-saving ideas - Operational improvements - Tools that help venues run better What Is Not Allowed - Irrelevant promotions - Repeated or spam posting - Hard selling - Direct messaging members without permission - Off-topic content Collaboration Suppliers are encouraged to: - Share knowledge - Contribute useful information - Engage professionally with members - Collaborate within the community guidelines Posting Schedule Supplier posts are only permitted on:👉 FRIDAY ONLY Posts outside of this schedule may be removed. Notes All content is monitored to maintain quality, relevance, and value for members. Posts that do not align with these guidelines may be removed at any time.