Morsels Newsletter No. 18

June 18, 2025

Welcome to Morsels, your go-to newsletter from MAJC, breaking down hospitality insights into bite-sized chunks.

There’s no one right way to run a restaurant, but there are patterns that work. Strong systems. Real mentorship. Clear expectations. This week, we’re digging into all three.

Attorney Michael Zalay walks through the legal structures that can protect your business down the line. Chef André Natera shares what today’s cooks actually need to thrive and why real leadership starts with listening. And the latest tools from Annie and Molly at Hopdov give you ready-to-use templates that make hiring and feedback clearer, faster, and way less stressful.

Because when your foundation is solid, everything else gets easier. Let’s get into it.

🎥 WATCH: How to Choose the Right Legal Structure for Your Business

This quick five-minute episode of Serving Success is packed with practical insights. Attorney Michael Zalay breaks down what every operator needs to know about LLCs, S-Corps, and other legal structures and why getting it right from the start sets you up for long-term success.

Key Takeaways:

Understand how LLC and S-Corp structures affect restaurant ownership
Choose a structure based on flexibility, funding, and distribution plans
Build a foundation that supports growth, partnerships, and investor returns

🎙️ LISTEN: André Natera on Mentorship, Burnout, and Rethinking the Culinary Career Path

After decades of leading top kitchens in Austin, chef André Natera now mentors other chefs through his platform Chefs PSA. In this episode of Restaurant Ready, he opens up about what it really takes to grow in today’s industry, from skill-building and creative identity to health, burnout, and culture shifts that are long overdue.

Key Takeaways:

Leadership today requires both technical skill and emotional intelligence
Kitchen culture is as important as kitchen technique
Joy, mentorship, and long-term health are key to sustainability

📖 READ: Two New HR Templates Now Live in the People Space

We’ve teamed up with Annie Eisemann and Molly Hopper Sandrof of Hopdov to bring you two practical HR tools designed specifically for restaurant teams.

Hourly Employee Offer Letter Template: Outlines pay, scheduling expectations, and at-will language, built to align expectations from day one.
Performance Review Template for Hourly Employees: Use it for check-ins or annual reviews. The prompts guide meaningful feedback and help document growth and concerns.

Most restaurant teams struggle with structure, clarity, and consistency. These tools help you lead with all three, so your team knows where they stand and what they can count on. Now available in the Template space.

☕ LEARN: Office Hours with Chef Matt Jennings – Today June 18 at 12 pm EST

Running a hospitality business means constantly facing new questions and not always having time to figure them out alone. Whether you’re hiring, tightening margins, or trying to build a team that sticks, Office Hours is where we talk through it.

Join MAJC co-founder and award-winning chef Matt Jennings for an operator-focused Q&A. Bring your challenges, your sticky situations, or just your curiosity, and leave with real solutions you can actually use.

Wednesday, June 18 | 12:00 PM EST
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Last Updated: March 11, 2025

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Morsels Newsletter No. 18

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