Restaurant Coaching and Consultations, Good Idea?

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Every business owner or manager will arrive at a place where they have questions without answers. When that time comes, we seek help outside ourselves. This is often with friends and peers – other business owners in many cases.

But when the amount of attention and knowledge required becomes extensive, it may be time to hire a restaurant consultant or coach to bring new light and expertise to the situation.

Having worked as both a consultant and a consumer of consulting services, I’ve thought long and hard about the issues that are important to a successful coaching program. How can you as a restaurant owner get the information and action needed, at a fair price?

Know what you want in advance

Having open ended and vague descriptions of what you need accomplished will take consulting time and increase cost unnecessarily. The first thing you should do before inviting a third party into a situation is taking a moment to flesh out the details of what you need. From there, spend a few moments to formulate a series of definite, concrete questions that can be answered with specific plans.

In many cases this simple process will bring answers to light that you hadn’t thought about prior.

Simply take a few moments to remove emotions from the situation… relax… and reconsider the possibilities. We can evaluate circumstances with a fresh set of eyes (and rejuvenated brain cells!).

This is what I mean: ask yourself “If I was a consultant coming into MY business, what are the first things I would talk about?”

If you can think of things – perhaps MANY things – than you don’t need a consultant, yet. Write down what comes to mind and then draw up plans to put them into action. Need to set aside time in your day to handle it? Can your staff do it? Do you need additional staff?

Always do as much as you can FIRST, before hiring a consultant, because it will increase your sense of empowerment. Your experience will also skyrocket through this process as you do it over months and years.

The times you should absolutely hire a consultant is when you are asking questions and cannot think of the answers. If the answers require extensive research, you’ll have to decide if it’s worth the time. It may be that a consultant could help you accomplish it better and faster. BUT at least you’ll have specific questions to ask them.

Look for restaurant consultants with real world experience

There are consultants out there who “talk-the-talk” but can’t deliver as promised when it comes down to the wire. And by the time you figure this out, you’ve probably spent money. To avoid these situations, I always recommend getting testimonials and references from past clients – hopefully those who have engaged the consultant for work similar to what you need.

Look for consultants with specialized knowledge

Do you always have to find a restaurant-specific coach or consultant? No.

The reason is that many “restaurant consultants” are entirely clueless about topics that can increase your business and profit margins. Marketing is a great example. Technical subjects are another. Don’t let a generic restaurant consultant fool you into thinking they can handle all topics equally – as mentioned, always look for real-world experience for YOUR needs.

However, if the subject is purely operational, it’s a good idea to find someone who’s run restaurants similar to yours AND been very successful at it.

Make sure the restaurant consultant understands regulatory requirements

When developing the questions you need answered, remember to note if things may be regulated by local/federal government or industry regulations. Ask the consultant these questions in open-ended fashion and see if they are capable of answering them.

Before hiring, CHECK THEIR ANSWERS! I’ve seen it more than once – someone answers questions point blank (like they know what they’re talking about) but when fact-checking comes into play… well… it was all made up. It’s important to make sure advice given is sound across the board, and legal.

Get a detailed written proposal

You have your questions – ask how the consultant intends to deliver their advice, what guarantees are involved and how fees are affected.

Get everything in writing beforehand. Know what you’re buying.

Many consultants will fill their proposals with marketing-lingo (often senseless garbage) and attempt to push things you don’t need. Avoid this. You have specific needs, get specific answers. Only allow up-sells and additions to the proposal after you consider whether it’s actually needed. Do NOT decide on the spot, with the consultant in front of you.

Restaurant consultation prices

There are basically two forms of pricing: hourly and flat-fee. Consultants with hourly fees should be avoided if your questions were difficult to formulate, or if you’re unsure of specific needs. What tends to happen is they can milk the hourly fee.

I recommend offering consultants that get paid by the hour the opportunity to be paid at a flat-rate to address specific situations. If they address the situations satisfactorily, then invite them for their normal rates.

Top consultants are usually paid by the hour (some by 10 minute segments!). If you’re dealing with those widely considered to be the best in their fields of knowledge, that is expected. What also comes with these types of people are satisfaction guarantees.

What should you pay, though?

Rates of $500-$1,000/hour are not uncommon for top professional knowledge. The average consultant is likely to charge in the $100-$200/hour range however, and may be suitable depending on what you need accomplished.

Gut feeling

Many restaurant owners don’t consider the chemistry factor – how they get along with the person they’re about to share intimate details of their business with.

To get the most out of your coaching and consultations, it’s always best to have a good gut-feeling with the person. If there is ANY sense of discomfort, or things just don’t seem 100% during the introductory period, then stop. Move on.

Questions to consider:

- Does the consultant have a personality similar to mine?
- Do they have strong communication skills?
- Do their values match my business?
- Is their jargon easy to understand – are they able to clarify it, if needed?

One very important thing to consider is, would you hire the restaurant consultant to be a part of your team full-time? They are working FOR YOU, remember.

This may seem like common sense, but occasionally you may be impressed with credentials and accept advice from someone even if you don’t like them as a person. What they say can be taken with a grain of salt, but in the end, it’s important to have a sense of trust and comfort.