Becoming Balanced: Foodservice Management Systems is now Balanced Read More

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Restaurant Delivery Marketing 101: How to Let Customers Know You Deliver

Restaurant Delivery Marketing 101

This year has hit the restaurant industry like a stiff arm to the throat. Restaurants that have survived COVID don’t talk about paper cost or the fact that plexiglass is back ordered. The global pandemic has changed what consumers look for in a restaurant. In 2020, it’s all about delivery and how you spread the word about delivery.

Global pandemic or not, restaurant delivery is projected to hit an all-time high of more than $26 million this year, adding another layer of revenue to the struggling industry.  So how do you add delivery and/or increase your restaurant delivery sales? We’ve outlined some key marketing initiatives to help make your delivery program a success.

Accurate Online Restaurant Information

When it comes to spreading the word about delivery – look online. That is what your customers are doing!  The 25 – 38-year old age group (Millennials) spend a third of their day online and have the highest disposable income. They use online sources (Google, Yelp, Twitter…) to get information for decision making, especially when it comes to food. Millennials account for more than 30% of all online orders for restaurants and they typically order restaurant delivery, between two & four times per week, with increased frequency due to COVID. This is the age group you want to talk to!

An accurate online presence is key to restaurant success in general, but delivery will not survive without accurate information online. If hungry customers can’t easily find and engage with your delivery options, they will scroll on quickly.

In our Digital Marketing Strategy for Restaurants: A Recipe for Growth Online post we speak to some best practices for maintaining a consistent online presence. You want to make sure all platforms/sites are getting the exact same information – hours of operation, address, phone number and service offerings must be consistent. Google has recently added ordering buttons to restaurant listings based on service offerings (delivery and carryout) – this has been a huge help for getting the word out on delivery. Facebook and Instagram have also added a button that links directly to the preferred online ordering site. Google, Facebook and other third-party sites are doing their part to help spread the word, they just have to have accurate and consistent information to do so.

Accuracy of menu items and pricing is also critical. Double-check menu items and prices on the branded website, social media sites as well as third-party delivery sites. There is nothing worse than a hungry customer that reviewed an outdated menu – they will never forget it and likely will never order from you again. 

Using Keywords for Restaurant Delivery Marketing 

Keywords on your branded website and third-party sites help push your brand to the top of online searches. Basically, how your restaurant and menu are described strongly impacts your SEO. No-Contact or Contact-Free delivery have been huge keywords over the past six months. The big players like DoorDash and Favor added these words to their website description and probably spent a small fortune on PPC. You do not have to do that. What you should do is use strategic and “high” search words to speak to your delivery services on your website, in social media posts and third-party sites. Remember – hashtags are your friends! A few words and phrases to consider:

  • Takeout
  • Curbside
  • Delivery
  • No-Contact
  • Speedy
  • Social Distancing
  • Drive Up
  • Pick Up

If you have partnerships with third-party delivery providers like DoorDash or Favor, you are benefiting from the small fortune they are spending on PPC, email blasts and their apps. We do not recommend partnering with every third-party delivery provider under the sun, the commissions and POS integrations are not friendly to the bottom line when you get too many parties involved. We do recommend doing your research and finding the right partner for your concept. Remember these providers are spending marketing dollars for you when you partner with them so there is a lot of potential.

Create a Branded Digital Experience

Every restaurant has a vibe – relaxed and chill coffee shop, family-oriented pizza place or chic and modern steakhouse. A key to restaurant delivery marketing is to showcase the restaurant vibe digitally; “who you are” as a restaurant must be visible online. People need to feel connected to the brand even if they are not dinning in the restaurant. This is achieved with a branded website, strong social media presence, email marketing and digital ads when possible.

Some good starting points for achieving a digital experience and showcasing your restaurant vibe online:

  • Food Photography: High-quality, lick-the-screen photos of your food. They should be included on your branded website, on social, in emails, in your app, on third-party delivery sites and on Google. Google Business has an area to include food photography -use it. We recommend updating or rotating food photography regularly to keep the brand fresh and showcase fresh menu options. Post to social media a minimum of three times per week. Send weekly emails and update the website/third-party sites monthly.
  • Team Photos: Including in-the-moment snapshots of your staff enjoying themselves at work can help showcase your restaurants identity. Show off your team members working hard to keep each other and customers healthy. It is something to be proud of! Photos of the team boxing up to-go orders or interacting with third-party delivery drivers help create the branded experience and illustrate the customer journey.
  • Videos: Video provides the greatest reach and engagement on social media. Sharing fun short videos that feature your tasty bites, showcase your Rockstar team, and highlight your delivery services can help build word of mouth, while remotely delivering some of the experiential elements of restaurant dining that customers can’t enjoy in person right now.
  • Highlight Community Engagement: Regardless of their background or context, everyone’s year has been difficult, and people are dealing with a variety of issues. It’s important for your brand to be seen showing compassion and empathy during this stressful time. 

Restaurant delivery marketing operates on many of the same principles as more traditional marketing. Making sure that customers know who you are, the great food you offer, and that they can easily access your convenient delivery options will all work to secure loyal local customers.


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help hospitality/restaurant clients with bookkeeping & financial serviceshuman resourcesmarketingoperations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today

Restauranting During a Pandemic – The “Essential” Fight Against COVID-19

Restauranting During a Pandemic – The “Essential” Fight Against COVID-19

It’s August 2020 and restaurants are in the fight of their life with either limited occupancy or no dine-in business at all, and the kicker — tables that must be 6 feet apart. Not to mention, bars are forbidden to operate. It is no secret that our industry is hurting.

Empty Restaurant

Our nation is at war with an invisible enemy; an enemy that has traveled the globe taking innocent lives. COVID-19 has emptied a million plus restaurants throughout our country, but true to the entrepreneurial spirit that is restauranting, this industry is facing adversity head on and fighting the essential fight.

Seventy percent of the restaurants in the US are classified as small businesses.

These businesses range from multigenerational restaurants like Matt’s El Rancho to franchisees of beloved brands like Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. The restaurant industry is deemed essential along with grocery stores because they provide food, yet grocery stores are busting at the seams with people. Most have lines wrapped around the building and employees exhausted from restocking toilet paper. Restaurants on the other hand are more than struggling.

Line around grocery store building

Restaurants are finding a new normal though – one that keeps people out of dining rooms but still puts food on the table. For a lot of restaurants, the new normal is not about profitability, but an underlying commitment and unspoken code to serve. We want to serve the millions of restaurant industry employees that are unable to work. We want to serve those on the frontline a meal of gratitude and encouragement. Most of all, we want to serve our neighbors and friends in the industry with compassion, understanding and togetherness.

Providing meals to frontline workers

This moment in history is not the time to share decades of experience or best practices – no one alive has experience in turning a profit during a global pandemic. In this moment, we are here to say the struggle is real, and we feel your pain – we are living it with you.

Remember, seven out of every ten restaurants are classified as small businesses. This means more than likely, the restaurants next door and down the street are trying to survive just like you. Community is key – reach out to them and see if you can work together. Maybe it’s a “ticket swap” promotion: show your receipt from the hamburger place down the street to get 25% off an ice cream purchase, or maybe it’s a special coupon: partner together one coupon that has a special for each restaurant.

Now more than ever is the time to come together in our industry. At this point it’s about finding a way to stay in business and continue to serve the communities we love.

Austin, TX restaurant

The Balanced team looks forward to brighter days ahead and returning to business as usual. We can’t wait to talk about “Ways to Improve Labor Cost” and “Finding the Best POS for Your Restaurant”. In the interim, know that we are here. Need information on unemployment or pay reductions? Our Cindy has all the knowledge. Need help with a landlord that thinks money grows on trees? You need Bill Boone. Even during a pandemic, perhaps especially so, we’re here to help get you Balanced.


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help hospitality/restaurant clients with bookkeeping & financial serviceshuman resourcesmarketingoperations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today

Digital Marketing Strategy for Restaurants: A Recipe for Growth Online

Digital Marketing Strategy for Restaurants: A Recipe for Growth Online

Restaurants and the internet have a love/hate relationship. The handy maps, easy online reservations and ALL the beautiful photos that guests post highlighting the food and stellar vibe – that’s the love. The feedback from 2007 that can’t be deleted, Yelp (yea, we said it) and the ENDLESS string of sites that must be updated when your hours change – that’s the hate for the internet. Emotions aside, few restaurants can succeed without a digital presence. So, what’s the recipe for growth online? One ingredient – consistency. It’s a consistent presence, consistent image and consistent communication. Here’s a glimpse at the Balanced digital marketing strategy for restaurants.

Consistent Presence

It may seem obvious, but the number one battle online is consistent presence. Google and Facebook are known for their constant updates that allow for a more personalized experience and better search results – great right? Kind of. Google and Facebook are CONSTANTLY cross-referencing other sites and when they find inconsistencies the pages are flagged, and you enter a blackhole of the unknown. Dramatic but true, Facebook Jail is real. Maybe you spell out “street” on Google but abbreviate it on Facebook to “St.” – they mean the exact same thing, but this inconsistency will impact searchability and any map associated with your restaurant. The internet thrives on consistency! Most of the time, tiny differences in address or phone number are the reasons for being a Page 10 Google search listing versus Page 1. Do people really click all the way to page 10 of a Google search? NOPE!

Our solution – have a dedicated database with the “master store listings” and use it daily. A simple Excel sheet will work well. Use this one source for EVERYTHING. Copy and paste the address and phone number from this database to Google, Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, Favor, EVERYTHING! It probably sounds ridiculous but one day when you’re setting up your Yelp page at 2AM, you’ll thank us for this. You may have one store now but the Entrepreneur in you has multiple locations in sight, or you may already have four locations and are working to build a corporate office. Either way, the “master store list” should live somewhere that EVERYONE in the organization can retrieve information from. Important note – designate an admin. No one else can make changes without the approval of the admin, no one.

Consistent Image

Consistent Image: Restaurant Website

The “who” that consumers see when searching for your restaurant is very important and must also be (wait for it) … consistent across platforms. We are firm believers in websites. Not all restaurants have a website but the best-known do. Websites can house all the important details of your concept – how it started, online ordering, menu (everyone is going green) and catering/events opportunities too. Google loves websites because they get “clicks” and Google lives on clicks. A Website develops the image of your restaurant that can transcend to social media and other platforms. A website is multigenerational while Facebook and Instagram speak to specific ages individually. We see a website as a foundation for not only the digital strategy but the overall success of the concept. Just get the website – you’ll thank us.

The website will be the main user of the “master store listings” document – the website will house that information for the world and potential guests to see. Ideally, changes made to the website would then be made to other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Yelp and so one but that would make the internet too easy. Nope, most of the time, each platform must be manually updated so again, “master store list” document to the rescue.

The image the website creates can be shared on social media and other platforms. Photos are a major driver for traffic to the website, especially photos generated from guests. The fancy food blogger that posted about a recent visit to your restaurant will do wonders for your website and social media channels. User generated content or photos/posts from guests that visit your restaurant is the best way to grow a following and establish a consistent image.

Consistent Communication

A consistent image goes hand and hand with consistent communication. You must talk about your restaurant often and EVERYWHERE. Communicate through email, social media and community involvement. Find out who your best customers are and thank them for their loyalty. Communication is a huge factor in the success of any digital strategy. The more places you share your message (website, Facebook, Yelp, etc.), the more places Google has to cross-reference. Google gives consumers the opportunity to provide “feedback” on a business/restaurant listing with written reviews and photos. It is EXTRA SPECIAL important to respond to any feedback. Not responding is a sure-fire way to get you on Page 10.

Consistent communication doesn’t have to be repetitive. Reposting a photo the restaurant was tagged in on Instagram or sending an email about an upcoming fundraiser for a popular local charity keeps your fan base talking. Constant communication is necessary to build any relationship in life, restaurants and their following are no different.

If any word stood out to you here, it is probably “Consistency”. Your digital strategy is not something to take a chance on or let your neighbor’s “techy” son handle. Lots of boring data is involved in developing a digital marketing strategy for restaurants that works. Good thing the Balanced team thrives on data and is ready to create a digital strategy for you!


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help hospitality/restaurant clients with bookkeeping & financial serviceshuman resourcesmarketingoperations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today

How to Make an Annual Budget for Restaurants

How to Make an Annual Budget for Restaurants

It’s that time of year again! The joyous and fulfilling time of annual budget preparation. For some, like our very own, Nick Moore it truly is joyous and fulfilling. Seriously, in the restaurant industry, annual budgets can provide a source of hope and heartache all at the same time. To keep things Balanced, our annual budget is used for two very important reasons:

  • Planning for the coming year while comparing this year versus the previous year.
  • “Staying the course” – tracking progress in relation to the plan.

The planning aspect is strategic. It’s our best-case scenario for the coming year. It’s a goal that must be realistic to forecast sales based on history and current trends.  The “staying the course” is more tactical. It’s a monthly and quarterly comparison to the P&L (Profit and Loss) for real-time adjustments in the restaurant. For investors and banks, an annual budget is critical to evaluating investment viability and loan risk. So, even if you’re just thinking about opening a restaurant or becoming a franchise partner for an existing brand, you will need an annual budget.

Sounds like the annual budget is kind of a big deal, right? Across industries, an annual budget is a guiding light. But (big but), before downloading one of those free annual budget templates online, it’s important to know that the restaurant industry goes a little rogue with what’s included in the budget. Check out how Balanced lays out an annual budget below:

Parts to the Restaurant Annual Budget

  1. Gross Sales
  2. Prime Cost
  3. Controllable Expenses
  4. Non-Controllable Expenses
  5. Net Income

Gross Sales

Some people call this Topline Sales. This is total sales before discounts, coupons or comps. We choose to use Gross Sales instead of Net Sales (Gross Sales less discounts, coupons and comps) to get a true measure of food cost control. If you use Net Sales, your food cost will vary with the number of discounts, coupons and comps.  And, if you have more than one location, using Gross Sales will allow you to compare food and labor costs in the different stores on a level playing field.

Prime Cost

Prime cost is the combination of Food and Labor Costs. Most of the time, Food and Labor Costs hold the most power when it comes to Gross Margin but are the least controllable. Food and labor costs are the two largest expenses for any restaurant operator and are directly impacted sales. As a restaurant operator, you have no control over the price of cheese or bread, and it’s usually nonnegotiable. You also NEED people to make and serve the food, so Labor Cost is another nonnegotiable. Menu pricing and correct sales forecasting coupled with proper labor scheduling will put you in control of your Prime Cost.

Gross Sales – (Food Cost + Labor Cost) = Gross Margin

A Gross Margin of 40 – 45% of Gross Sales is essential to turning a profit. The Balanced team reviews Labor Costs daily to make adjustments where needed. Adjustments could mean cutting a few closers earlier, having a salaried manager close instead of open or prepping less food for a slow trending week. Food cost is monitored on a weekly basis with inventories taken on the last day of the accounting week.  Weekly inventories are a must to control food cost expense. This is how our Operations team makes the “least controllable” Prime Cost more controllable. Gross Margin is the Balanced team’s guiding light.

Controllable Expenses

Some people call this Operating Income/Expenses. This section is more controllable at the restaurant level for the Operator or General Manager. Although Controllable Expenses can fluctuate, they are far less volatile than Prime Cost. Expenses such as laundry services, uniforms, trash removal, maintenance, telephone, internet, pest control, etc. are in this section. As the Operator or General Manager, you have a direct impact on these types of expenses.

Non-Controllable Expenses

Non-controllable expenses are somewhat fixed expenses that include rent plus CAM, Insurance and Property Taxes, as well as personal property taxes, liability insurance, fee and dues, royalties (if applicable), etc.

Net Income

Net income is the bottom line. Is Gross Sales – Prime Costs – Controllable Expenses – Non-Controllable Expenses. Preparing a budget for the upcoming year using this year’s results with any adjustments to sales and costs will tell you ahead of time where you are headed financially and where improvements are needed to make your investment worthwhile.

Simpler is better when it comes to formatting an annual budget. The P&L is for the day to day details. The annual budget is big-picture strategy and best-case scenario. The two work together to evaluate business and ensure the restaurant is “staying the course” to success. With this guiding light approach, you can feel confident as you go through the year that if you: 1) hit your sales projections and 2) control your costs as you budgeted them, you will end each month and the year in the black.


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help hospitality/restaurant clients with bookkeeping & financial serviceshuman resourcesmarketingoperations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today

Branding Strategies for Restaurants: Finding & Scaling Your Brand

Branding Strategies for Restaurants: Finding & Scaling Your Brand

In the restaurant industry, there is constantly a new guy joining the party. The entrepreneurial spirit within this industry is more than captivating – big ideas turn into big bucks. That is, for the ones that make it. One in four new restaurants don’t make it six months. Why? Settle in, we’re talking restaurant branding.

You always hear the glory stories, the husband and wife that quit their corporate jobs to start a Tex-Mex concept and made billions. It’s not always rainbows and unicorns though. Sometimes the restaurant industry can be brutal. Sometimes, you put every ounce of your being into a restaurant and it fails, not because of the food but because no one knew the restaurant was there. Branding starts long before the doors open, or the menu is developed. Branding starts the moment you decide to open a restaurant – the moment you decide to give that idea you’ve been playing with legs.

In today’s restaurant industry, it’s about the event and occasion. It’s not as simple as having good food for a good price. Now, there’s a social factor that takes branding to a whole new level of identity and persona. What’s the restaurant doing for the community and our environment? What philanthropies does it support? Does it have that “no-filter-needed” lighting? What about the music? The answer to these questions and others is where restaurant branding begins. We like to start with “the who” – let’s dive in.

Who – Who are you?

Our marketing team likes to start with a celebrity match – what celebrity best represents the restaurant/brand? From there you build a think-map or word association map – all the words that come to mind when you think of that celebrity. These words are then used to build a mission statement; a description of “who” and “what” the restaurant is. These words are used to create the restaurant’s voice and public identity – these words will bring the restaurant to life.

Yeah, it’s a restaurant not a person but the most successful restaurants have personality. Who is the restaurant? Is it a fun, easy going hamburger joint that always has the game on and your favorite beer on tap – kind of like your best bud Murray? Is the restaurant that fancy, dressed to the nines, impeccable-wine-list-having steak house – a three-piece-suit William? The “who” is what people will read about – the heart of the restaurant. The who is what will guide the mission of the restaurant. The who should be the foundation of every decision, menu item and paint color.

Who – Who are you talking to?

So, you have a fresh-faced baby restaurant that stands for and believes in “stuff”. That “stuff” is communicated through the menu, the paint colors, the tables/chairs and music. Fresh-faced is ready to open and make billions, right? Almost. It’s time to use that voice you created and start talking.

“Who are you talking to?” is the single most important question you ask yourself when it comes to branding a restaurant.

Step one is establishing a target consumer – meaning who is most likely to listen to what you are saying and act on it? Once a target consumer is established, you talk to them often and via multiple channels.

Let’s say your target consumer is a college educated millennial without kids. That’s going to be the 25-40ish age range. No kids can translate to greater disposable income, usually. So how do you talk to this group? Social media is a good starting point but keep it to Twitter and Instagram. This group only Facebooks to monitor what mom and dad tag them in. Geotargeting/digital ads are another good option. This group relies heavily on phones, tablets and laptops to get information – the exact places that digital ads show. Direct mail is making a comeback and is smarter. The demographic information available to target specific household incomes, kids/no kids in household, etc. is changing the direct mail game and this group still likes mail.

Bottom line, branding isn’t just social media or digital ads. Branding is a multi-channel and constant process. Experts tend to believe it takes a minimum of three “touch points” to make an impact. That means that consumers must have contact with the brand at least three times before it resonates, and they take action. That could be a consumer “liking” an Instagram post, getting a coupon for $5 off a $20 purchase and seeing a digital ad while reading the New York Times. But what if they “liked” the Instagram post but got distracted by a competitor’s coupon and saw a digital ad for Zumba while reading the New York Times? That is real life, why branding is constant and why you need to get Balanced.


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help hospitality/restaurant clients with bookkeeping & financial services, human resources, marketing, operations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today

How to Lower Food Costs: A Guide for Restaurant Owners

How to Lower Food Costs: A Guide for Restaurant Owners

We’re not going to sugarcoat it – controlling food cost is one of the toughest tasks for restaurant owners and operators. It’s not rocket science but it’s tricky because there’s no universal target food cost. Food cost varies based on the menu, season and restaurant concept. The fun part? Food cost will never be the same. It should be within a range but never the same because sales and product costs change by the day, week and month. Cool, right! *SARCASM* It’s not cool but the Balanced restaurant operations team has some insights that can help make food cost more manageable.

Introducing the Balanced Four Ps of Food Cost. If you come to us with food cost woes, we’ll start with the following:

Pricing

Menu price is very important when it comes to food cost. High food cost can be a direct result of low menu pricing. It’s important to consider the cost of each ingredient on a dish as well as the materials that are being used to serve or deliver the dish (more on this on #4). Do you discount? Discounting will also directly impact food cost. If you usually charge $15 for a large specialty pizza but send coupons out for a $10 large specialty pizza, the food cost for a large specialty pizza will go up. We’re not saying not to coupon/discount (that’s a different post); couponing needs to be accounted for when calculating food cost. In short, know how much it costs to make each product on your menu and the percentage that cost is to the menu price or coupon price.

Portion Control

No matter who makes the dish or on what day, it should always be the same. Same ingredients and same portions. Make charts and plate builds are key to ensuring consistency. These handy guides will have the name of the dish, a breakdown of each ingredient, cooking instructions, plating/garnish instructions and step by step photos. Make charts are beefed-up recipe manuals. These how to guides are the lifeline of successful kitchens. Inconsistent portions are a fast track to high food costs.

Projections

Finding the perfect mix of prep, waste and sales is key to manageable food cost. You’re going to have waste, but it can and should be minimized. This is where projections and prep charts come in – how much are you targeting to do in sales and how much prep do you need to do to support those sales? Tracking/monitoring waste is very important. When it comes to a new restaurant, projections can be daunting – are we going to have as many guests as we did yesterday or last week? Did we prep enough or too much? Honestly, all restaurants ask these questions but we’re in this for the thrills, right?

Packaging

Believe it or not, packaging is a piece of food cost. Pizza boxes, to-go cups, the plastic utensils – all of it goes into food cost. All those fancy biodegradable bowls and plates and compostable pizza boxes influence food cost. Eco Friendly is not pocket friendly for restaurants. Most of the eco friendly packaging will run two if not three times more than the dreaded Styrofoam. For this reason, packaging plays a very important role in food cost, especially for restaurants looking to increase delivery or takeout business. Make those prices with third party vendors (delivery providers) count, they should not be the same price as dine in.

The Four Ps of Food Cost is where we start and usually lead to at least one issue to address. Sometimes it’s one P, like projections – we’re missing our sales projections by 10% so we’re taking on more waste. Sometimes it’s a Code Blue and all the Ps are impacted. Whatever the case the Balanced team is standing by to help!


About Balanced

Put simply, we are your partner. We help find balance in the crazy and exciting world of restaurant. Our clients are some of Austin’s favorite eateries. We help with bookkeeping & financial services, human resources, marketing, operations and all the fun in between.

Ready to get started? Us too. Contact us today–

Becoming Balanced: Foodservice Management Systems is now Balanced

Becoming Balanced: Foodservice Management Systems is now Balanced

For Bill Boone, there was never a doubt of the success Foodservice Management Systems (FMS) would experience – it was simply a matter of when. Bill established FMS to meet a need – he was opening restaurants across the country and needed a support center, a home base of sorts.  You see, Bill founded Foodservice Management Systems to allow his General Managers to focus on providing an excellent service and dining experience for guests. While the restaurants were busy focusing on service, the support center was processing payroll, invoices, marketing support, operational reporting and more. Although this need was specific to Bill’s restaurants, he had a gut feeling that other restaurateurs would benefit from his company as well, again it was just a matter of when.

As Bill’s restaurant count continued to grow, he worked to build a support team that was hungry for growth and that knew the restaurant business. Bill recruited Nick Moore to lead Operations and restaurant expansion. Nick was a restauranteur himself and had extensive experience with new openings. Nick soon became an integral part of FMS and a true partner to Bill.

Bill remembers the first call from a perspective client – it was a friend in the pizza business “Hey Bill, seems like you’ve got a pretty good setup – think you can help us out? We opened two new stores and we just don’t have the time to do everything.” With that one call, FMS was off to the races.

Over the next twenty years, Bill continued to get phone calls from friends in the industry looking for support. During this time, he recruited another partner to oversee the consulting business, his daughter Jenny. The pair decided to purchase a couple of accounting firms to add another layer of service to FMS. Bill found his niche and was ready to make it the forefront of his business.

With Jenny’s leadership, the FMS consulting business grew to 50% of the company’s revenue and all signs were pointing to continued growth. With a hungry team in place and a mission in mind, Bill and Jenny found it necessary to update the company name – a name that would speak to the all-encompassing service capabilities. In launching Balanced, Bill said “Our leadership team is young but has moxie – they are the future of this company and will take it to the next level. They needed a modern name, something that didn’t take five minutes to say.”

The Balanced team has recently doubled its client count and is on pace to double in size again by 2020. Speaking to the future of Balanced, Bill said “The restaurant industry is tough, the big names have big budgets to spend on talent. The smaller guys can’t compete with salary, but they need the experience. That’s where Balanced comes in. Our team has the experience and as consultants are affordable for the smaller single or multi-unit owners. Everything is being outsourced now and it makes sense. Find what you’re good at and do it. That’s Balanced.”