Aaron Allen’s Post

You didn't invest in any new technology for your restaurants in 2024, and they didn't fall apart. That's great. But why did your competition invest? ⚖️ Keeping up with the Jones' isn't a good business strategy, but if they are suddenly doing more revenue it might be time to find out why. Think about it this way, when new restaurants start to expand, why do they typically invest in technology first? They can do more with existing resources. Why do the large players stay on top of the game? They aren't afraid to attempt new strategies that could increase margins by 3% or less because it matters over the long term. Doing nothing is a strategy that will work, for a while. Is 2025 the year it falls apart? 📅 One strategy is to cut costs in areas that seem hard to do by yourself, like energy and R&M. Use Monaire and the ROI in those areas shows up in month 1. #facilitymanagement #restaurantmargins #cfo #restauranttech

📢 Attention restaurant and café owners! Are you ready to take your business to the next level? At Aventra Strategy Partners, we specialize in helping small restaurants and cafés grow smarter, faster, and more efficiently. ✅ Tailored Growth Strategies ✅ Digital Transformation Solutions ✅ Operational Excellence Let us craft the roadmap to your success! 💡 👉 Let’s talk about how we can help you unlock your full potential. Reach out today! #RestaurantGrowth #HospitalitySuccess #DigitalTransformation #AventraStrategy

With “fast money” quantitative trading and shifting investor behaviors on the rise, the restaurant industry offers a fascinating glimpse into the challenges today’s publicly traded companies face in identifying key factors behind their current valuations — and the IR strategies that will empower them to attract shareholders willing to ascribe an appropriate valuation. This article explores how IR leaders in the restaurant industry can adapt their strategies to better understand valuation and shareholder mix. We invite you to read it and share your thoughts in the comments. https://lnkd.in/eeX6Tacy #InvestorRelations #RestaurantIndustry

Excited to share our new whitepaper, focusing on the strategies used by investors in the restaurant industry. We look at the impact investors have had on the growth or turnaround of businesses across Europe, with insights from industry experts from across the sector. With so much activity in the restaurant industry currently we hope this gives some insight into what the years ahead will look like for these brands.

In Seth Godin's "Personal MBA", he lists "The Drive to Bond" as one of the Core Human Drives; and one of the examples of businesses built on the drive to bond that surprised me: Restaurants. I mean, I just always assumed that restaurants were primarily about food. But thinking of my experience at the recent #XenProjectSummit, there was a reason we often ended wandering around as a large group looking for the right restaurant; and although good food was obviously the main component we were looking for, at the back of our minds was always the real goal: the ability to sit together and connect with our colleagues. A place with good food and a great, easy atmosphere would trump a place with amazing food but a poor conversation hands-down. And of course, when I'm traveling alone, I find the whole process of getting a table, ordering food, etc. mostly tiresome and a waste of time. Thinking of restaurants I've enjoyed and those I haven't, it's clear the ones I've enjoyed the most have understood this principle: That what they're selling is bonding; and that while having good food is an important component of that, it's only one of many critical components.

As quantitative trading and shifting investor behaviors continue to reshape the market, publicly traded restaurant companies face new challenges in identifying the drivers behind their current valuations. With over two decades of experience in investor relations within the restaurant sector, I’ve seen firsthand how macro trends, such as the rise of "fast money" traders, have added complexity to these dynamics. At Arbor, we are dedicated to helping companies navigate these complexities with an elevated approach to IR — one that blends human insight with advanced quantitative analysis. Explore how restaurant IR leaders can tailor their strategies to better understand valuation and shareholder composition.

🔍 **Exciting Announcement: Embracing New Opportunities in Restaurant Consulting!** 🍽️ I am excited to introduce myself as a consultant specialising in supporting small to medium-sized restaurants, eateries, and bars. My expertise lies in business modelling, market positioning and repositioning, and identifying growth opportunities. 🌟 **My Expertise Includes:** Business Model Strategy: Crafting robust business models using tools like the Business Model Canvas to define your vision and mission. Market Positioning & Analysis: Identifying and seizing market opportunities to position your brand effectively. Marketing: Developing and executing impactful marketing strategies. Brand Development: Creating a compelling brand identity that resonates with your target audience. Business Planning: Comprehensive business planning to drive growth and operational excellence. Financial Planning: Ensuring financial sustainability and profitability. Sustainability & Technology Integration: Incorporating sustainable practices and cutting-edge technology to future-proof your business. 📚 **Relevant Experience:** - Successfully guided multiple family-owned restaurants to enhanced market presence and profitability. - Spearheaded a rebranding initiative for a renowned local eatery, resulting in a 30% increase in customer engagement. - Conducted market analysis for a boutique restaurant, identifying key growth opportunities that boosted revenue by 20%.  - Successfully launched a high-end burger joint with a distinctive market positioning in an area with high growth potential. 🎓 **Academic Background:** - Bachelor’s degree in business management. I am excited to leverage my experience and education to help family-run restaurants achieve their business goals. Let’s connect and explore how we can elevate your restaurant to new heights! #RestaurantConsulting #FamilyBusiness #BusinessGrowth #HospitalityConsulting #RestaurantStrategy #SmallBusinessSupport #MarketPositioning #BrandDevelopment #BusinessPlanning #HospitalityExcellence #RestaurantSuccess #FoodIndustry #Entrepreneurship #SustainableBusiness #RestaurantMarketing

🚨 It is now available! Our new #WhitePaper, “More Than Money: How Investors Power Restaurant Growth”, is ready to download here ➡️ https://we.tl/t-is6hqGZC9c This latest edition of WhiteSpace Partners Ltd.'s annual white paper will guide you through every step of the strategies employed by private equity investors in the restaurant industry. It explains how seasoned investment funds, through a methodical and structured approach, build more efficient, better-organised, and scalable restaurant groups... when everything goes according to the initial plan! Vincent Mourre, CEO of WhiteSpace Partners Ltd., explains:  “Although the concept of scaled-up, international restaurant brands is a familiar one, it is easy to overlook how difficult it is to achieve. In a capital-intensive and highly competitive sector, success is hard-won and failure very public – as brands such as Vapiano and TGI Fridays have discovered. But businesses that have proof of concept and a strong brand have been buoyed by private equity investors and nursed back to health. While the presence of PE investors is no guarantee of success, there is no doubt that the injection of fresh capital, alongside industry connections and management expertise, are key drivers of growth in this sector.” We look forward to sharing views on this topic, which is crucial for your expansion or investment strategy. In the meantime, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the industry execs and leaders who contributed to this white paper: Yasha Estraikh (#Piper), Harry Goss (McWin Capital Partners), Carlos Julià (Miura Partners), Mathieu de Medeiros (Vendis Capital), Alessandro Preda (QSRP), Robin Rowland OBE (TriSpan), Andrea Valota (La Piadineria), Pieter Vermeersch (M80 Partners). As well as the team that made its production and diffusion possible: Josefa Glaeser, Nick Clarke, Rebecca Viani, CFE, Rupert Bradshaw and Siobhan O'Neill (the Copy Shop), Dan Innes and Simon Stretch (Innesco).

💭 This thought has been living rent free in my head for a couple of weeks I recently attended a wonderful event hosted by TISSL EPOS at Aqua Nueva where the focus was on the Emerging Trends of Tech in Hospitality and was speaking with someone who said this: 💬 "Running your business on gut got a lot of people a long way but it's not scaleable" Which was then iterated upon in Tenzo - Restaurant PerformanceOps most recent case study with FITZ GROUP (link below) 💬 “We purchased Tenzo because we were managing our restaurants based on hunch, and not based on numbers.” Naturally working at Tenzo this resonates but having also led growth in hospitality it speaks to something I saw first hand. A small business of 1 or 2 sites will have a founder who built that business and is able to be at those sites regularly, if not everyday. That growth and success often comes from that single persons business acumen and "gut". But training or coaching others to develop that "gut" is hard. As business' scale, that original person can no longer be everywhere, so has to rely on the right managers having a "good gut". Sometimes its better, sometimes worse. It's that variation that is so dangerous to the sustained growth and profitability of a company. Tenzo helps develop a "good gut" (sadly not with tasty healthy bacteria like Yakult) but by backing that feeling up with data and allowing leaders to set managers SMART goals that help train and develop that "gut". Check out the case study here: https://lnkd.in/e5YpDXXQ

My Top 3 Takeaways from last week at QSR... While there was a lot to learn and many great panelists these were my top 3... 1. Culture that Grows - As companies scale it is hard to keep the culture as you bring in different personalities and with restaurants you're not always in the same place. The panel provided some great insight and best practices. HospiVation | Jason E Brooks, Kelly Costanza, Michael Freeman, Scott Greenberg, Michael Keller, Scott Snyder and Jeremy Theisen 2. Secrets of the Tech Stack - This was a great panel with various opinions all the way from trying to avoid the Tech Stack in your business with an all in 1 solution. To being particular with the partners and taking time to make the decisions. Thank you to the panel for such an interesting discussion....Wade Allen, Alessandro Biggi, Adam Klaers, Davide Macchi, Philip McGahey, Meredith Sandland, Joseph Szala, GSD, DCMJ. 3. Invest and Be Invested in - Great Panel giving us a little insight on where the experts are putting their money these days. With a rougher than normal economy the last couple of years it was good to hear that there is money out there still dedicated to restaurants. At the end of the day people have to eat and from the sound of it after this panel Brands are looking to diversify their offerings and grow their current brands. Which I feel is great news. Thank you to the Panel for the insight and looking forward to seeing each of your next move in the space. Felipe Athayde, Jim Balis, Taylor DeHart, Lauren Fernandez, Geoff Henry, Ashley Robinson, Michael Schatzberg.