Training the Next Generation
A few times a month, I will post articles from my monthly “Food Consulting” Newsletter. Click here to receive the newsletter by email. Every time I run into Chris Douglas, chef/owner of Tavolo and…
How Do You Measure Success?
I started working with a new client last week who wants to re-energize his business. In our initial meeting, I asked him his goals for the strategic audit. He replied, “I want to make a profit.” I…
Farmers and Chefs: Working Together
Last week I attended a farmer to farmer conference put on by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. During the lunch break, I listened in on a conversation between two farmers discussing the…
Creating Financial Statements
Over the last few months, I spoke with micro-lenders – ACCION USA and The Carrot Project. The story is the same: they have capital to lend, but are having trouble finding “qualified” borrowers.If you…
Social Media for Food Businesses
A few times a month, I will post articles from my monthly “Food Consulting” Newsletter. Click here to receive the newsletter by email. The prevalence of social media has created new, low-cost…
Sales and Promotion
Every March and August, restaurants in the Boston-area offer discounted prix-fixe menus as a way to lure customers into the restaurant as part of the well-promoted restaurant week. While it doesn’t…
Case Study: Managing Food Costs
Samantha’s (the name has been masked, as the company was recently sold to a new owner) was a local food service company with retail cafes in the financial district of Boston. They catered to the…
Financing Your Business
Perhaps it’s a sign of a recovering economy: entrepreneurs are opening new businesses. Lydia Shire and Jasper White’s new restaurant, Towne Stove and Spirit opened this summer at the Hynes…
Benchmarking
Recently, I was reading the autobiography of an entrepreneur. He described the demise of his gift catalog business: “Finally, after the program grew so that it produced revenue of three-quarters of a…
Business Trends: Hyper-Local Foods
From April to November, farmers drive into Boston from the rural fields of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, flooding the farmers’ markets and restaurants with fresh local produce. Given…