Want To Stay Strong? You Need To Know Your Peers

In this episode of the Restaurant Success Podcast, veteran restaurant advisor Matthew Mabel shares a powerful story from his past working security for the Rolling Stones that taught him a fundamental lesson about strength through collaboration. Matthew explores why knowing your restaurant industry peers isn't just helpful—it's absolutely essential for business success and entrepreneurship in today's competitive market. He reveals how this principle led him to create the Restaurant Owners Success Club, now in its fifth year, and explains why many restaurant entrepreneurs are missing critical business intelligence that their competitors have already discovered. This episode delivers actionable insights for multi-unit restaurant owners looking to strengthen their operations through peer connections and industry knowledge.

Key Topics Covered

• The power of "locking arms" - lessons from Rolling Stones security work
• Why restaurant owners know their own businesses but lack industry peer knowledge
• The creation and purpose of the Restaurant Owners Success Club
• How peer groups strengthen restaurant entrepreneurs against market challenges
• The importance of business intelligence sharing among restaurant owners
• Navigating complex market and economic conditions in the restaurant industry
• The value of guest count as a critical restaurant business metric

Links Mentioned

• Restaurant Owners Success Club
• How Restaurateurs Get Unstuck and Dominate in Today's Market
• How to Take Action and Power to Boost Guest Count
• Set up a call about the Restaurant Owners Success Club

Resources Mentioned

• Website: www.surrender.biz
• Restaurant Owners Success Club - hybrid group coaching program for multi-unit owners
• Free initial consultation available

Connect with Matthew Mabel

Matthew works with owners of successful, independent, multi-unit restaurants to improve:

• Profit growth
• Sales optimization
• Guest count increase
• Unit expansion
• Employee engagement
• Brand loyalty

How to Support the Show

• Subscribe to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter
• Rate and review the show
• Visit www.surrender.biz for additional resources

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Restaurant Success Podcast. I'm Matthew Mabel, veteran restaurant advisor, coach, consultant, and speaker devoted to multi-unit independent restaurant unit, profit and revenue growth, internal harmony and ownership freedom and flexibility.

This is your weekly entree of the advice, strategy and tactics that I currently provide to my best clients.

Today I want to share a story from my past that taught me one of the most valuable lessons about strength and success.

We're going to talk about why knowing your peers isn't "just helpful" - instead, it's absolutely essential for staying strong in today's restaurant industry.

I'll share how this principle led me to create something that's been transforming restaurant owners' businesses for five years now, and why you might be missing out on critical information that your competitors already have figured out.

As a teenager, I had the opportunity to work security for the Rolling Stones. It was a side hustle I had taken on for just one reason - I wanted to see the band!

They played for six nights, but I bailed after two. I had seen plenty. I stood in the pit at the front of the stage below Keith Richards during their "Black and Blue" tour dates at Earl's Court in London. It was the first Stones tour for Ronnie Wood after he took over lead guitar from Mick Taylor.

Now, just about anyone could have knocked me over and kissed, hugged, or attacked Keith, but, I had an insider track to the job. Plus, I had training and education.

But here's what the leaders taught us that changed everything - in case there was a real problem, they showed us to lock arms, because together we were much stronger than an individual, in the face of an extremely excited Stones fan.

I used this same technique with my security team when I promoted concerts around the United Kingdom, and later in my nightclub career in Texas, which had an incredible assortment of live entertainers, from the Ramones to B.B. King.

And you know what? That "locking arms" thing worked every single time, because a group can do things an individual can never do.

So, what did I learn from this?

Well, this connects to why I created the Restaurant Owners Success Club, now in its fifth year. 

The Restaurant Owners Success Club is a custom hybrid between a group coaching program, a peer group, and mastermind for multi-unit owners. Each month, members meet with me on Zoom to listen to business intelligence, my exclusive assessment of the current industry and market, and what action I'm recommending to my clients.

Then we compare notes on current trends across all the member businesses. Finally, we tackle a topic of interest to all, or we help members deal with the specific issues occupying their minds and desks that day. 

And, Members have unlimited access to me between meetings.

Remember, there’s a Lot Going on Outside of Your Company

Here's what I've learned from my decades of experience - multi-unit restaurant owners tend to know their company and their brands inside out, but can be staggeringly unfamiliar with other companies and solutions their peers have already figured out. They don't have the information they need to navigate today's complex market and economic conditions.

The purpose of the Restaurant Owners Success Club? To serve owners through an opportunity to lock arms with their peers and be stronger together than they ever could be on their own.

Last week, I had lunch with one of the original members, who told me how valuable he found my commentary and observations.

He said, "The Restaurant Owners Success Club has given me a lot of solid direction I would not have known without membership in the club."

Now, before we wrap up, I want to mention a couple of articles I've written that connect to what we've been talking about today.

First, I mentioned today's complex market conditions and it reminded me of a piece about How Restaurateurs Dominate in Today's Market.

This article really addresses how the barriers holding your results back aren't unique to you, and how today's flat restaurant market doesn't do the work for you - you have to do it yourself.

And, there's another article that's very relevant to what I spoke about today, called "How to Take Action and Power to Boost Guest Count."

That piece focuses on the most important number for your restaurants - guest count - and how my clients who show up with "positive" comp guest counts are the ones offering great experiences to guests who are willing to pay for unique and memorable meals.

You can find links to both of these articles in the show notes.

And, If you're interested in learning more about the Restaurant Owners Success Club, check out the club's dedicated website, linked in today's show notes, and enroll there.

Or, use the second link to set up a time for us to talk about how you can become a member.

Thanks for listening. If you haven't already subscribed to the Restaurant Success Podcast and Newsletter podcast, please do so, and rate and review the show. Find more information in the show notes at Restaurant Success Podcast dot com.

Also find tons of information you can use in print, audio and video form at my website, www dot surrender dot biz. Thanks again and see you next time.