Operations
On the upcoming Restaurant Innovation and Franchising Summit, trade consultants will share methods for transferring past passive bookkeeping to maximise profitability by means of proactive unit economics, visitor expertise optimization and the identification of hidden monetary leaks.
Picture: Willie Lawless/ Networld Media Group
February 17, 2026
The period of passive bookkeeping is over; the way forward for franchising belongs to those that can learn between the traces of a stability sheet. On the upcoming Restaurant Innovation and Franchising Summit in San Diego, the session “The Cash Map: Navigating Your Franchise to Peak Revenue” pushes attendees to look previous generic spreadsheets and deal with their unit economics as a residing narrative. Fairly than merely crunching numbers, members will be taught to determine the “monetary pulse” of their enterprise, uncovering the microscopic particulars that usually masks revenue leaks. By specializing in these hidden levers, operators can transfer from reactive survival to proactive development, making certain that each cent is accounted for and each margin is maximized.
Past mere cost-cutting, this session emphasizes a holistic method to profitability that balances fiscal self-discipline with the visitor expertise. Attendees will discover the best way to implement strategic value optimizations that safeguard meals high quality whereas concurrently elevating service requirements. The dialog additionally bridges the hole between the again workplace and the entrance line, providing a roadmap for franchisors and franchisees to co-invest in expertise and advertising and marketing. By fostering a tradition of clear communication and shared monetary targets, the session goals to show particular person unit success right into a scalable, sustainable engine for the whole model.
Audio system on the session will embrace: Chris Cheek, chief growth officer for Newk’s Eatery; Carlos Verdugo, SVP of operations and growth for Juice It Up and Brian Simowitz, president of Houston TX Sizzling Rooster. Joe Barbano, senior vp of gross sales for Qvinci Software program will reasonable the panel.
We talked to 2 of the panels in e mail interviews to be taught extra about their ideas on cash administration in eating places.
Q: Most homeowners assume elevating costs is the one approach to repair margins. What’s a method a franchisee can uncover extra revenue from their current menu with out touching the costs?
Verdugo:To maximise profitability and defend your backside line, worth hikes must be a lever of final resort relatively than a major technique. True margin development is present in optimizing the worth of your current site visitors. Select optimization over inflation.
Worth will increase are sometimes a short-term repair with long-term penalties in your transaction quantity. Sustainable development is achieved by perfecting the visitor expertise and maximizing each alternative on the level of sale.
When the target is to extend revenue {dollars} with out alienating your buyer base, give attention to two key metrics: common verify and buyer go to frequency.
Constructing common verify: relatively than asking friends to pay extra for a similar merchandise, encourage them to see the worth in a extra sturdy buy.
- Suggestive promoting and upselling: Prepare your workforce on the ability of the “add-on.” A easy, low-friction immediate — equivalent to “Would you prefer to improve to a big for under $0.50?”—converts at a excessive fee.
- Bundling: Create combo offers that provide perceived worth to the shopper whereas growing the overall money move per transaction.
- Sampling: Use sampling as a low-cost advertising and marketing software to drive trial of premium add-ons, turning a “normal” order right into a “premium” one by means of taste-testing.
Growing go to frequency: Constant income is constructed on the backs of “raving followers,” not one-time guests.
- Service and high quality: Distinctive visitor service paired with uncompromising product high quality creates a psychological “lock-in” impact.
- Talk worth: Usually remind your clients of your distinctive worth propositions to maintain your model top-of-mind.
- Retention vs. erosion: Whereas worth will increase typically result in a sluggish erosion of transaction counts, constant high quality and repair convert informal customers into loyal advocates who reward you with high-frequency visits.
Q: Past the standard suspects like labor and meals prices, what’s one ‘hidden’ monetary leak you have found in a franchise that will shock most homeowners?
Cheek: Along with labor and COGS, franchisees lack the rigor wanted in managing ongoing restore and upkeep bills. This contains sustaining a robust understanding of anticipated prices for associated objects and companies and actively pushing again on distributors who might try and capitalize on pressing wants with extreme pricing. Associated to this, there may be typically the tendency to delay minor repairs which solely develop into costlier repairs over time.
The session will probably be held March 17 at 1:45 p.m. To register for the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit, click on right here.
