Field notes
Restaurant Insights ed
Vendor billing patterns, food cost math, POS migrations — what one operator finds while running the books at Tuk Tuk in Denver, written up for anyone running their own.
Vendor Billing & Audits
How to Read Your Shamrock Invoices Line by Line
Operations & Audit
Welcome to the reveal. blog
Food Cost & Margin
The One Number We Check Every Sunday
Labor & Hiring
The Conversation We Have with Every New Hire on Day One
Operations & Audit
Before You Switch POS Systems: 9 Questions to Ask First
Marketing & Reviews
Why We Stopped Paying Yelp (and What Actually Brings People Back)
Industry Trends
How to Read a Restaurant Industry Report Without Falling for the PR Spin
News & Synthesis
This Week in Restaurant Operations: A New Format
Local & Regional
Who's Actually Making Money in Denver Restaurants Right Now?
Browse by topic
What I write about.
Vendor Billing & Audits
Sysco surcharges, US Foods invoice errors, supplier credits, and the spreadsheets that catch them.
Food Cost & Margin
Inflation, prime cost, COGS, and the math that keeps margins above water.
Labor & Hiring
Turnover, scheduling, payroll comparisons, and the operator playbooks that actually retain staff.
Operations & Audit
POS migrations, daily ops, the audit habit that catches what dashboards miss.
Marketing & Reviews
Yelp, Google, social, and where independent operators actually move the needle.
Industry Trends
Macro signals, regulation shifts, and what they mean for a single-unit indie.
News & Synthesis
Weekly synthesis of what crossed the wire and why it matters.
Local & Regional
Below-the-block intelligence: city-level dynamics that don't make national press.