Austin Restaurants, Bars & Hospitality

prime cost is food plus labour together, because the two trade against each other; explain why looking at either alone hides the real problem, and let the operator's own P&L supply the ratio

give the formula in words - cost of goods sold over sales for the same period - and warn that inventory counts, not invoices, make it accurate

classify items by popularity against contribution margin and act on the quadrant; describe the method rather than prescribing a target margin

margin in dollars per plate pays the rent, a percentage does not; this is the single most useful correction to make for a new operator

a cover is a guest served, turn time is how long the table is occupied; both feed capacity planning, so define them before any traffic discussion

check average is per ticket, PPA is per guest; a party-size shift moves one without moving the other

the operating document that converts a signed event into kitchen, service and billing instructions; describe what must be on it

permit type depends on what you sell, where and for on- or off-premise consumption; describe the categories and send the operator to the state agency rather than naming a permit for them

inspection results are published by the local health authority and are routinely indexed; publication format and posting rules vary by jurisdiction, so link the local department

tip credit offsets wage obligations, pooling redistributes tips among eligible staff; rules differ by state and get litigated, so describe the concepts and route to counsel

a ghost kitchen is delivery-only production space, a virtual brand is a delivery-only menu identity; note the category contracted sharply once marketplace subsidies faded

ordering through the restaurant's own site or app, where the restaurant keeps the customer record; contrast it with marketplace ordering where the platform keeps it

RevPAR is a lodging metric; the restaurant analogue is sales per available seat hour - draw the parallel rather than importing the term

the city health department publishes inspection results and they are indexed by search engines; link the department's own lookup rather than a third-party aggregator

marketplace commission plus advertising, promotions and payment fees, against a menu price you may have raised; give the cost stack and let the operator's own contract supply the rate

most operators do, to recover commission; note that platform policy and guest perception both constrain how far, so treat it as a tested decision