Welcome to Morsels, your go-to newsletter from MAJC, breaking down hospitality insights into bite-sized chunks.
This week is about the mindset, systems, and data that turn good restaurants into lasting ones. Chef Brian Baxter shows what modern leadership looks like, we’re sharing five new tools to help you protect your profit and peace of mind, our feature on restaurant KPIs breaks down the numbers every operator should be tracking, and chef and MAJC co-founder Matt Jennings opens Office Hours for real-time answers to your toughest questions.
🎧 LISTEN: Chef Brian Baxter on Building His Own Playbook
As the executive chef and a partner at The Catbird Seat in Nashville, Baxter is leading one of the most creative tasting menus in the country. In this week’s episode of Restaurant Ready, Baxter shares how to lead with purpose, keep your culture intact through change, and build future leaders instead of just great cooks.
Takeaways:
- Collaboration builds creative kitchen culture
- Storytelling gives menus meaning
- Growth comes from curiosity and consistency
- Mentorship is about teaching process, not perfection
📖 READ: The 14 KPIs Every Restaurant Manager Should Track
In this guide, we break down the 14 most important KPIs every restaurant should be tracking to stay profitable and reduce stress. From prime cost and labor percentage to turnover and guest experience, these metrics help you see what’s working, what’s slipping, and where to focus your attention before it affects your bottom line.
Takeaways
- Track weekly, not monthly, to spot trends faster
- Prime cost matters, but contribution margin tells the truth
- Use KPIs to coach your team, not just correct them
- Build consistency by making data part of your culture
🔧 USE: Five Templates to Strengthen Your Systems
After our Serving Success conversation with Lauren Fernandez, former multi-unit operator and CEO of Full Course, we turned her best insights into five practical templates to help you build stronger systems, scale with intention, and protect both your profit and your peace of mind.
- P&L Detective Worksheet – Spot smoke before it turns into fire
- Expansion Decision Matrix – Test if you’re ready to scale
- Systems Documentation Starter Pack – Lock in consistency across shifts
- Ownership and Partnership Alignment Guide – Align capital, roles, and culture
- Capital Readiness Map – Match the right funding to your stage and risk
If you’re serious about building stability and staying ahead of problems, start here.
📹 LEARN: Office Hours with Matt Jennings
Every month, Chef Matt Jennings opens up MAJC Office Hours for live, real-time conversations with restaurant owners and operators.
This is your space to ask questions, troubleshoot challenges, and get practical advice from someone who’s been in your shoes. Whether you’re working through hiring issues, scaling decisions, or system gaps, you’ll walk away with ideas you can apply right away.
Come with questions or just listen in. It’s like having a personal mentor, every month.
💡 COMMUNITY: Spotlight Two Standout Members
This week, we want to recognize our two most engaged members in the month of September, Erika Bongort and Heidi Murphy. They brought energy, insight, and encouragement to the MAJC Community. Their thoughtful posts, steady participation, and genuine support keep conversations meaningful and the community strong.
That’s the value of MAJC: clarity, tools, and access to leaders who’ve been there. Put these ideas into practice today. And join us live with Josh at noon.
Cheers,
Your Friends at MAJC
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