AI in Your Restaurant: How Operators Can Save Hours, Increase Profit, and Build Smarter Systems Today

https://restauranttopia.com/

Episode Summary
In this high-energy, highly practical episode, Brian Seitz and Dave Ross break down the real-world, right-now ways AI can support restaurant operators. Whether you're hesitant, curious, or already all-in, this conversation will help you understand how to use AI to cut time-wasting tasks, improve menu performance, strengthen training, and build your own custom GPT to run sharper operations.

AI isn't a trend — it's the next major shift in how restaurants operate. And the opportunity? Massive. Dave and Brian share exactly how they're using AI daily and walk through simple, battle-tested use cases that any operator can start implementing this week.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

✔ Why AI in restaurants is not a fad — and why ignoring it puts operators behind
✔ Real use cases for AI in restaurants:

• Menu engineering & PMIX analysis in minutes
• Staff training + SOP creation
• Inventory and ordering optimization
• Marketing workflows (newsletters, social media, content)
• Customer service, phone ordering, and reservation automation

✔ How to create your own custom GPT for your restaurant

• What to upload
• How to train it
• How to empower managers and staff with a "digital assistant"

✔ What to avoid when starting with AI

• Privacy pitfalls
• Over-automation
• Connecting systems too quickly

✔ Quick wins to try this week

• Replace 5–10 weekly Google searches with AI prompts
• Use voice prompting to train your AI assistant on the go
• Build SOPs, onboarding documents, or menu descriptions with a single prompt
• Use AI for specials based on your current order guide

Sample Prompts You Can Copy & Use

Menu Engineering Prompt:
"Analyze this PMIX and identify my highest-margin items, items that need attention, and any dogs I should consider removing. Provide recommendations for pricing and promotion."

Training Prompt:
"Create a step-by-step SOP for training new hosts at a neighborhood casual dining restaurant."

Marketing Prompt:
"Draft a 6-week social media content plan for a locally-owned restaurant. Include post copy, themes, and calls to action."

Custom GPT Setup Prompt:
"I want to build an AI agent for my restaurant that handles menu innovation, staff training, and marketing. Ask me every question you need to fully understand my business and build the right system."

Take Action

If you're new to AI, start small:
1️⃣ Download ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or your preferred tool.
2️⃣ Use AI instead of Google for one full day.
3️⃣ Upload a simple restaurant document and ask it to make improvements.
4️⃣ Create your own custom GPT once you're comfortable.

Small habits add up — and they will make you faster, sharper, and more profitable.

Connect With Us

We want your AI success stories!
Tag us or message us on social:
Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn: @Restaurantopia

6 Financial Mistakes That Are Killing Your Restaurant (and How to Fix Them)

In this episode of Restaurantopia, the guys break down six common financial mistakes that can quietly (or not so quietly) destroy your restaurant's profitability.
Brian Seitz leads the conversation with Anthony Hamilton and Dave Ross, bringing his experience from restaurant acquisitions and financial consulting to uncover what so many operators are doing wrong — and how to turn it around.

From mixing personal and business finances to overleveraging debt, this is a no-nonsense, practical guide to tightening up your restaurant's money game.

💸 The 6 Big Mistakes:

1. Mixing Business and Personal Finances
   Keep your restaurant's money separate from your personal life. Stop "writing it off" and start running your business clean.
2. Growing with Debt Instead of Cash
   Merchant cash advances aren't growth tools—they're traps. Learn how to fund responsibly.
3. Not Knowing Your Numbers
   Your P&L isn't just a report; it's your roadmap.
4. Buying Toys You Don't Need
   Subscription bloat and shiny new tech can sink you faster than you think.
5. Paying Bills and Taxes Late
   Late fees and tax penalties are like lighting money on fire—build a contract calendar and stay disciplined.
6. Chasing Profit and Forgetting People
   Cutting corners on culture will cost you talent—and ultimately, profit.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Separate accounts, separate mindsets: your restaurant's money isn't your money.
• Debt can kill your business if you treat it like income.
• Review your P&L every month (or weekly if you're struggling).
• Audit your subscriptions and spending regularly.
• Respect due dates—late payments quietly eat your margins.
• Don't forget your team. Profit follows people, not the other way around.

📘 Bonus: Brian shares how to structure debt-equity deals responsibly, why retained earnings matter, and how to become a true "student of the game" when it comes to your restaurant's finances.

In this episode of Restauranttopia, the crew dives deep into culture — not just within your restaurant walls, but in every corner of your business ecosystem. Inspired by Cameron Mitchell's book Yes is the Answer. What's the Question?, Dave, Brian, and Anthony unpack how a restaurant's mission and culture extend to employees, guests, purveyors, investors, and the community.

From the dangers of ignoring toxic high performers to the power of making vendors raving fans, this conversation highlights practical strategies and real-life stories that restaurant operators can implement today. They also touch on hospitality "moments" like the milkshake story and a surprising Diet Coke lesson that reveal why "yes" should always be the answer.

Whether you're an owner, manager, or aspiring operator, this episode challenges you to think about culture as the fuel that sustains success, loyalty, and long-term profitability.

Key Talking Points

• Why mission statements actually matter (Hillcrest Foods' example: Love the employee and customer for a lifetime loyalty).
• The four core questions Cameron Mitchell asked himself when starting his restaurant group:
• 1. Who are we?
  2. What do we want to be?
  3. Why are we in business?
  4. What is our role?
• The five groups every restaurant must make "raving fans": employees, guests, purveyors, investors, communities.
• Vendor relationships: shifting from adversaries to partners.
• The real cost of keeping a toxic high performer.
• Stories of hospitality in action: the milkshake story, the Diet Coke moment, and splitting checks in Vegas.
• Culture lessons from Margaret Heffernan's TED Talk on the "super chickens" problem.
• Hiring and onboarding tips: the five traits Hillcrest looks for (great human being, likability, life-change potential, long-term fit, fun & competitive).

Resources Mentioned in Episode:

Cameron Mitchell Book: Yes is the Answer! What is the Question?

ZingTrain - "It is Irresponsible to NOT make a profit"

Remember the Titans: Attitude Reflects Leadership

Attitude/Performance Matrix: