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:

Restaurant owners and managers: want more profitable menus and a stronger culture? In this episode, the crew digs into a simple, powerful idea—moving frontline ideas from the break room to the boardroom. Anthony shares how a young dishwasher created a signature chicken-tender sauce (thanks to a happy smoked paprika mistake) that became a hit with guests. We also spotlight fryer safety, dirty oil's hidden costs, and how better oil management lifts food quality, reduces risk, and saves money. Brought to you by Halcyon Eco a device that helps clean fryer oil, clean the fryer, and improve BOH safety and consistency.

Key Topics & Takeaways

• Break Room → Boardroom: Practical ways to capture frontline ideas without losing leadership control.
• From Ego to Outcome: Why operator wisdom should filter team ideas—not block them.
• Signature Sauce Story: How empowering a dishwasher produced a better sauce than the chef expected—no edits needed.
• The Power of "Beautiful Mistakes": An accidental switch to smoked paprika created deeper flavor and brand-worthy differentiation.
• Structured Ideation That Works: Breakout groups, best-known-way (BKW) mindset, and leader-as-facilitator—not bulldozer.
• Handling "Bad" Ideas With EQ: Keep people intact while you refine or redirect suggestions.
• Oil Quality = Food Quality: The real costs of dirty fryer oil—from safety hazards to guest experience and higher spend.
• Fryer Safety Reality Check: The fryer is the single most dangerous piece of kitchen equipment; treat it like it.
• Halcyon Eco Spotlight: How automated oil care can improve food quality, reduce risk, and save on labor and oil.
• Culture & Retention: Involving staff in menu decisions builds loyalty, pride, and performance.

Memorable Quotes (Pull Quotes)

• "Use your wisdom as a filter, not a gate, for frontline ideas."
• "A beautiful mistake turned a good sauce into a great one."
• "The fryer is your kitchen workhorse, and the most dangerous piece of equipment."
• "Inclusivity turns employees into stakeholders."

Action Steps for Operators

1. Create an idea pipeline (quarterly breakouts by station; leader facilitates, team presents).
2. Adopt a Best Known Way (BKW) mindset—document the current best, stay open to better.
3. Pilot staff ideas on one item/week; measure guest feedback and ticket time impact.
4. Audit fryer safety weekly; assign ownership; fix ignition/thermostat issues immediately.
5. Track oil quality KPIs (color/TPM, change frequency, food color/texture, guest comps/returns).

Resources Mentioned

• Halcyon Eco – for oil filtration, fryer cleaning, and BOH safety improvements.
• Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara – culture and guest-experience playbook.
• Ego Is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday

In this timely episode of Restauranttopia, we sit down with Jamie, the CFO of a prominent restaurant group, to unpack the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) and explore how it directly impacts restaurant owners, CFOs, and operations leaders.

As one of the most talked-about pieces of legislation in 2025, the BBB is bringing major changes to restaurant financial planning, labor compliance, and vendor relationships. Jamie provides a clear and insightful breakdown of the new bill's implications—from tax advantages and cost controls to restaurant labor law updates and long-term forecasting.

Whether you're a multi-unit restaurant operator, single-store entrepreneur, or foodservice executive, this episode is packed with valuable financial insights that help you stay compliant, competitive, and confident about the road ahead.

🔍 Key Takeaways:

• What the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) actually means for your restaurant
• Specific tax incentives and depreciation benefits available now
• Critical updates to restaurant labor compliance and HR practices
• How BBB changes vendor contracts and supplier negotiations
• Real-world strategies from a restaurant CFO for managing risk and opportunity
• Ways to future-proof your business through smarter restaurant financial planning

📚 Resources:

• IRS – Restaurant Tax Law Changes
• National Restaurant Association – Legislative Updates
• Episode(s) Referenced: Episode 43 – FOH vs. BOH Divide.

Investing isn't just about money—it's about prioritizing your people, tools, and time to create a restaurant that thrives long-term. In this episode, we discuss how great restaurant leaders think about investment differently, with a focus on vision, leadership, and long-term growth.

In this episode of Restauranttopia, we dive deep into the topic of investment in the restaurant industry—not just financial investment, but also in people, tools, time, and vision.

We explore:

1. Why traditional ROI calculations are sometimes short-sighted.
2. The importance of investing in your team's potential.
3. Tools and resources that yield long-term operational efficiency.
4. How time and attention from leadership can unlock team performance.
5. Why viewing investments as ongoing bets on your future—not fixed costs—is the mindset shift your business needs.

This episode is a must-listen for restaurant operators who want to go beyond trimming costs and instead build businesses that last.

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Reach out at www.restauranttopia.com
@restauranttopia

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In this episode, we expose the sneaky expenses silently draining your restaurant's profits… from linen contracts and POS subscriptions to fryer oil issues and bloated utility bills. Learn real-world tactics to find and eliminate cost leaks that could be costing you thousands each year. Whether you're a seasoned operator or just getting started, this 30-minute episode is packed with quick wins you can take action on today.

What You'll Learn:

• The importance of regular expense audits—and how to do them
• Which contracts and services are silently stealing your money
• Why "set it and forget it" costs are dangerous
• How dirty oil is affecting your food and your brand • A smarter approach to POS systems, linens, pest control, and utilities
• Creating a contract calendar to stay ahead of renewals and rate hikes

Featured Tools & Tips:

• Expense Audit Checklist
• Contract Renewal Calendar (Example Below)

Sponsored by:

• Halcyon Eco – Revolutionizing fryer oil cleaning to reduce costs, improve safety, and enhance food quality.

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

• Restauranttopia.com
• Halcyon Eco

Feeling the pressure of rising costs and tighter margins?

In this episode of Restauranttopia, we break down actionable strategies to help independent restaurant operators survive—and thrive—during economic squeeze periods. From cost control to leadership communication, this episode delivers the blueprint to stay sharp when business gets tough.

💡 Key Takeaways:

1. Identify the "squeeze": Understand the convergence of food cost increases, labor pressure, and declining customer frequency.
2. Cut the fat, not the muscle: Why slashing everything isn't the right answer—trim waste, not essentials.
3. Get back to basics: Clean stores, accurate orders, strong hospitality—often the first things to slip under stress. • Communication is your secret weapon: With your team, vendors, and customers.
4. Don't panic, plan: Panic leads to poor decisions. Smart planning and execution win in tight times.

🛠️ Pro Tips:

1. Use a daily huddle to identify what success looks like for the day—and set the tone.
2. Review and refocus on your top-selling items. Optimize execution and margin there first.
3. Partner with vendors who offer support beyond product—look for consultative partners, not just price.