How to Set SMART Restaurant Goals for 2026 (Owners & Managers)
Most restaurants say they have goals for the year—but very few actually set goals that drive results. In this video, we walk through how to set clear, realistic, and measurable restaurant goals for 2026, whether you’re running one location or multiple units. You’ll learn: ✔️ The biggest mistake restaurants make when setting annual goals ✔️ How to break big goals into weekly and monthly actions ✔️ Which numbers actually matter (and which don’t) ✔️ How to align owners, managers, and staff around the same targets ✔️ Simple goal examples for sales, labor, food cost, and operations This framework works for: • Restaurant owners • General managers & operators • Multi-unit groups • New concepts and established brands 📊 Stop “hoping” 2026 is better—plan for it.
AI Drones Are Coming for Food Delivery! Here’s What Restaurants Need to Know
AI is reshaping restaurants faster than most operators realize. In this episode of Restaurant Pulse, we break down three major stories impacting restaurant operations right now: AI drone food delivery, Wendy’s menu shakeup, and how AI is streamlining restaurant ordering systems. This episode covers: 🚁 Whether AI-powered drone delivery is a realistic option for restaurants—or still years away 🍔 What Wendy’s menu changes reveal about speed, simplification, and protecting margins 🤖 How AI-driven ordering tools are improving accuracy, throughput, and labor efficiency Instead of chasing headlines, we focus on what these changes mean at the operator level—how they affect costs, workflows, guest experience, and scalability. Restaurant Pulse is your weekly briefing on the business, technology, and strategy shaping the restaurant industry.
Restaurant Industry Trends: Darden vs CAVA and the New Rules of Growth
In this episode of Restaurant Pulse, we break down one of the biggest stories in restaurant growth right now: Darden vs CAVA — two winners taking completely different paths. Darden is the blueprint for scale, operational discipline, and portfolio strength. CAVA is the modern growth play: brand heat, throughput, and a digitally savvy fast-casual engine. So what do these strategies reveal about where the industry is heading — and what “winning” looks like in 2025 and beyond? In this video, we cover: The new rules of restaurant growth (and what changed) Darden’s playbook: scale, consistency, and margin protection CAVA’s playbook: demand, speed, tech, and unit economics What operators can copy right now (big brands and independents) The biggest risks ahead for both models Whether you’re a restaurant owner, operator, multi-unit leader, or investor, this breakdown will help you spot the trends early — and apply them to your own business.