Stop Wasting Money on High Turnover: 7 Mentoring Hacks for a “Forever” Team
At Soderblom Consulting LLC, we believe that small hospitality businesses lose the most when turnover becomes normal. If you run a neighborhood restaurant, bar, cafe, or small growing chain with 1 to 50 employees, losing one strong bartender, one reliable line cook, or one steady opener does not create a small inconvenience. It creates coverage […]
Stop Hiring Managers From Outside — Your Next Leader Is Already on Your Line (Here’s How to Spot Them)
Your best server has been with you for 2 years. They know your menu better than you do. They have never asked for a promotion — but they are getting restless. How do you turn them into a manager without losing them? We believe that this is one of the most important leadership questions a […]
Does Your Manager’s Emotional Intelligence Really Matter in 2026? Here’s the Truth
If you own a small restaurant, bar, cafe, startup concept, or growing chain with 1 to 50 employees, you are probably doing the job of five people right now. You are opening, closing, hiring, covering call-outs, fixing guest issues, watching labor, and wondering how long you can keep working 80-hour weeks without burning out. In […]
10 Reasons Your Management Team Is Burning Out (And How Coaching Fixes It)
We believe that burnout is not a big-company problem. It is often the small business problem. If you run an independent restaurant, bar, cafe, or a small growing chain with 1-50 employees, you feel leadership strain fast. When you only have 3-5 key people and one manager starts checking out, calling off, or breaking under […]
You’re the Owner, the Manager, and the Dishwasher : Here’s How Coaching Gets You Out of the Weeds
It’s 2:00 AM on a Tuesday. The dining room is dark, the chairs are up on the tables, and you’re still there. You’ve spent the last fourteen hours answering phones, jumping on the line because a cook called out, and scrubbing the floors because you don't have a reliable cleaning crew. Now, you’re sitting at […]
The Proven Recipe Costing Framework to Stabilize Profit During Sales Volatility
We believe that every establishment has the potential to maintain robust financial health regardless of the external economic climate. In an industry defined by its narrow margins and the unpredictable nature of supply chains, the difference between a thriving restaurant and one that is merely surviving often rests on the precision of its operations. Sales […]
Stop Wasting Profit on Heavy Discounts: Try These 7 Value-Driven Loyalty Hacks
We believe that every establishment has the potential to cultivate a devoted following without eroding its bottom line through aggressive price-cutting. In the competitive landscape of modern hospitality, many operators fall into the trap of "coupon culture," assuming that the only way to drive foot traffic is to offer the deepest discount. However, years of […]
10 Reasons Your Management Training Isn’t Sticking (And How to Build a Leadership Bench)
We believe that every establishment has the potential to cultivate exceptional leadership from within. However, in our years of experience within the hospitality industry, we have observed a recurring frustration among owners and operators: management training programs that yield temporary enthusiasm but fail to produce permanent behavioral change. When the initial excitement of a seminar […]
The Owner’s Guide to Mastering Vendor Relationships for Lower Food Costs
We believe that every establishment has the potential to transform its bottom line by moving beyond simple transactional interactions with suppliers. In the high-stakes world of hospitality, the difference between a struggling margin and a thriving profit often resides in the strength and sophistication of your supply chain. Mastering vendor relationships is not merely about […]
7 Mistakes You’re Making with Menu Pricing (and How to Protect Your Guest Count)
We believe that every establishment has the potential to achieve peak profitability without sacrificing the guest experience. In the modern hospitality landscape, achieving true restaurant efficiency requires a delicate balance between covering rising operational costs and maintaining the value proposition that keeps tables full. Many operators view menu pricing as a simple mathematical equation: food […]
