Where You Are Right Now
It's 2 a.m. and Your Heart Is Pounding Through Your Chest.
You're running numbers in your head, wondering if this is the month it all falls apart. You've put your savings, your time, maybe your house into this place.
You carry it everywhere. In your body. On your face. Home to your family. Every day something else is on fire, and you're so busy putting them out that you can't see what's actually burning.
You're not failing. You're lost in a maze. It's hard to see the path forward when you're panicking inside it.
For Independent Bar & Restaurant Owners
Now Imagine Walking Into Your Bar or Restaurant and Breathing Again.
Maybe that knot in your stomach gets a little less tight. Maybe that dread when the phone buzzes eases up a bit. You are starting to see what's really going on, and you now have a good idea of what to do about it, and for the first time in a long time, you can relax a little because you finally feel like there is a way forward.
From inside the maze, every wall looks the same. From above, the way forward is clear.
I am a Restaurant & Bar · Owner · Coach · Teacher · Investor
I Know Running a Restaurant Is Hard.
I Also Know Figuring It Out Alone Is Harder.
That's why I've dedicated this part of my life to coaching independent bar and restaurant owners who want to stop running on fear and get back in control.
I help you figure out what's really holding your restaurant or bar back, see the gaps in how it's run, and build a plan on real data, so you can control what you can and manage what you can't.
- 25+ yearsowning & operating
- 5 conceptsbars, BBQ, seafood & more
- 8 launchesopenings & reinventions
- $60M+in lifetime sales
- Thousandsof employees hired & led
- EO Catalystinstructor, EO Nashville
Sound Familiar?
Operating Out of Fear
Instead of Opportunity.
Maybe you're afraid you're going to lose everything. Or maybe you're making great money, but you have no life. All you do is work and put out fires, and you're still afraid it could all fall apart. Most of the owners I talk to have been carrying it longer than they want to admit.
When the business is struggling
When it works, but you're trapped
Most operators don't understand that stress is part of the equation. It doesn't just show up when things are going wrong. It shows up when things are going right, too.
The real problem is that the stress of failure and the stress of success feel exactly the same. After 25 years, I can tell the difference.
About Matt
I've Been Where
You Are Right Now.
I'm not a consultant. I'm one of you. I spent 25 years owning and running bars and restaurants in Nashville, and I know how stressful and lonely it can get.
I've opened restaurants, reinvented them and closed them. I've dealt with injuries, a shooting, a tornado, empty dining rooms, terrible managers and a partnership breakup. I've gone from a terrible review to best in class, and I've been so burnt out I couldn't walk in the door.
Here's something most people won't tell you: you can make a lot of money in the restaurant business. But it's a hard business, so you need a plan for what that money is going to do for you. I put mine into real estate and other investments, and that's what got me out of the rat race.
- Beyond the EdgeSports bar · 2003
- Boston CommonsSeafood house · 2005
- Drifters BBQBBQ joint · ~2010
- WatanabeRestaurant · 2008–2015
- Harvey BangersDive bar
Here's what I've learned: most of the time, all hope isn't lost. We just haven't figured out what you're willing to do yet. And if it is lost, we'll deal with that too. I've had the sleepless nights, my heart pounding through my chest not knowing what to do. When I was at my lowest, I found people who helped me see clearly and trusted me to make my own calls. That's what I offer you.
Today I teach in EO's Catalyst program in Nashville and coach owners going through what I went through. I'm a coach, not a consultant. I won't run your restaurant or promise results I can't control. I will bring the best of my experience and judgment to every conversation, so you can make better-informed decisions about your business.
Read my full story →Coaching to Clarity
Let's Figure Out What's
Really Going On.
When you're buried in the day-to-day, everything blurs together. The work you will do pulls it apart so you can see it more clearly. I'll guide you through four things:
- Separate the symptoms from the problem. Slow nights, high labor and bad reviews are usually signs of something deeper.
- Separate the fear from the actual issues. Stress makes everything feel urgent. You'll learn to see what really needs your attention.
- Separate the cause from the effect. Trace what's happening back to where it really starts.
- Connect the dots. Once the pieces are clear, you can see how they fit together and decide what to tackle first.
Then you test, validate and test again, until you have real answers for the people who matter most: your customers.
"I don't know what's wrong with your business, and I won't pretend I do. I believe you already know more than you think. You're just buried under the work and the stress, and you need someone who's been there to help you see it."
How It Works
Simple, Honest,
Built on Real Numbers
-
1
Bring me what's keeping you up at night
Show up with a real issue: a decision you're stuck on, a fire you can't put out. We talk it out and ask the hard questions.
-
2
Find the one thing holding you back
Not ten things. The constraint that matters most right now, and the gaps in structure that keep it there.
-
3
Build your plan on real numbers, with support while you do the work
Most clients start with a daily P&L covering sales, labor, food cost and overhead, so you know every single day whether you made money. Together we set objectives for the next few months. You make the decisions and do the work, and I stay in your corner while you build the capacity to keep going.
What You Can Count On
You Make the Calls.
I’ll Help You Think Them Through.
Your options, laid out clearly
The choices in front of you and the trade-offs that come with each one.
Honest feedback
Even when it's not what you want to hear.
Hard questions
About the assumptions you've stopped noticing.
A straight read on risk
What could go wrong, and what I don't know.
A next step you chose
Grounded in real numbers, starting with a daily P&L.
Respect for your decisions
It's your business. When you need an accountant, attorney or other help, I'll connect you with people I trust.
Working Together
Three Ways to Start.
No Surprises.
One-Off Conversation
One problem, one honest conversation. Bring a decision you're stuck on and leave with a clearer head and a next step.
Book a ConversationThe 3-Month Sprint
Ninety days on the thing holding your business back. Regular coaching sessions, clear objectives, and decisions you make on real data. Then we're done. I'm here to help, not to become a crutch.
Talk About a SprintYou Might Qualify to Be Mentored for Free
This one is personal. Helping fellow entrepreneurs is my mission, because a mentor helped me when I needed it most. If you're a single-unit owner-operator, open and doing under $500K, and lying awake at night not knowing what to do, reach out. If you're open to learning and willing to do the work, I'll mentor you for free.
See If You QualifyIs This for You?
Good People
Who Are All In
Independent bars, sports bars, BBQ joints, neighborhood and mom-and-pop restaurants. Generally $1M to $5M in sales, fewer than five locations, with the owner still in the building.
This is for you if…
- You know there's a better way and want to find it
- You control what you can instead of blaming the market
- You read, learn and try new things
- You'll make the hard calls, even firing the wrong people
- You'll grind through the ugly parts, even covering a closing shift
- You want to make your own decisions, with an experienced owner to think them through
This isn't for you if…
- You already know it all
- You want someone to fix it for you
- You want someone to tell you exactly what to do
- You only want to talk about the problems
- You're part-time or distracted by other things
- You run a fine dining concept
What You're Working Toward
Picture Your Restaurant
Working for You.
- You know every day whether you made money.
- You take a real day off, and the place runs fine without you.
- Your managers make decisions without calling you.
- You make the hard calls without freezing.
- You stop carrying the place around in your body.
- Your restaurant's money is building a life outside the restaurant.
- You get your life back.
You Don't Have to Stay Lost.
If that sounds like you, request a qualifying call. It's 30 to 40 minutes. I'll ask you some hard questions. If we're a fit, I'll tell you. If we're not, I'll tell you that too, and point you somewhere that can help.
Request a Qualifying Call