Restaurant & Bar · Owner · Coach · Teacher · Investor
Running a Restaurant Is Hard.
Figuring It Out Alone Is Harder.
I help you find what's really holding your restaurant or bar back, fix the gaps in how it's run, and build a plan on real data, so you can control what you can and effectively manage what you can't.
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.
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.
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. Until that time comes, my mission is to make sure you never feel hopeless or alone. I've had the sleepless nights, my heart pounding through my chest, not knowing what to do. But I found a lifeline that gave me the life and the business I wanted. It wasn't easy. Now I want to throw that lifeline to you.
- 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.
Some owners are scared to death of losing everything they've put into the place. Others built something that works and now can't get out from under it. 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 help you tell the difference.
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 we do is pulling it apart.
- We separate the symptoms from the problem. Slow nights, high labor and bad reviews are usually signs of something deeper.
- We separate the fear and worry from the actual issues. Stress makes everything feel urgent. We figure out what really needs your attention.
- We separate the cause from the effect. We trace what's happening back to where it really starts.
- We connect the dots. Once the pieces are clear, we see how they fit together and what to tackle first.
Then we test, validate and test again, until we have real answers for the people who matter most: your customers.
"I don't know what's wrong with your business. And I'm not going to pretend I do until we start digging. But I know where to look."
How It Works
Simple, Honest,
Built on Real Numbers
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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.
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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.
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3
Start tracking real data, every day
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. Cash management comes first.
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4
Build the plan, then do the work
We set objectives for the next few months. You make the decisions and do the work. I stay in your corner while you build the capacity to keep going.
What You Leave With
You Bring the Chaos.
You Leave Back in Control.
More structure and clarity
A clearer head and a clearer picture of how your business actually works.
A strategy for what's holding you back
One focused plan for the constraint that matters right now.
A daily P&L you'll actually use
Real numbers every day instead of surprises at the end of the month.
The feeling you're back in control
Making decisions out of opportunity again, not fear.
Someone in your corner
Support and belief while you build the capacity to do the hard work.
People I trust
When you need an accountant, attorney or other help, I'll connect you with people I'd send my own business to.
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 made 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 somebody threw me a lifeline 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 QualifyAbout Matt
I'm Not a Consultant
Who Studied Restaurants. I Am Them.
I opened Beyond the Edge on July 4th, 2003. Then Battered and Fried, which later became Boston Commons. Then Drifters BBQ. I bought a dive bar with my best friend and lost the bar and the friendship. I closed Watanabe after seven years because I didn't know how to deliver value any way but through the food, and the costs never worked.
- Beyond the EdgeSports bar · 2003
- Boston CommonsSeafood house · 2005
- Drifters BBQBBQ joint · ~2010
- WatanabeRestaurant · 2008–2015
- Harvey BangersDive bar
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. I've been so burnt out I couldn't walk in the door. It all sucked at the time, and it was the best education I could have gotten.
In 2023 I sold majority ownership of my restaurants. I still own the real estate and part of the businesses. Today I teach in EO's Catalyst program in Nashville and coach owners going through what I went through.
"If you want to help people, sometimes you have to go first."
I'm a coach, not a consultant. I won't come into your restaurant to run it or manage your people. It's your business: you make the decisions and you do the work. My job is to help you see clearly, build your capacity, and believe you can do it on the days you don't.
Is 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
This isn't for you if…
- You already know it all
- You want someone to fix it for you
- You only want to talk about the problems
- You're part-time or distracted by other things
- You run a fine dining concept
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone.
Tell me what's going on at your place. Let's get on a call and see if I can help.
Schedule a Conversation