Podcast Summary: The Best Way to Map Out the Year Ahead

Podcast: Restaurant Strategy
Host: Chip Klose
Date: January 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the importance of intentional, strategic annual planning for independent restaurant owners. Host Chip Klose emphasizes leveraging the typically slower early weeks of the year to reflect, assess, and define actionable goals—both on the operations and marketing fronts. The aim: to consistently grow profitability and move closer to achieving a 20% return, well above industry averages. Chip breaks down practical frameworks for planning and building sustainable, predictable restaurant businesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of the New Year for Planning

• The beginning of the year presents a quieter season—an ideal time for restaurant owners to plan (02:35).
• "Right now, I believe can be one of the most powerful periods of your entire year... take this time to plan for the year ahead." (Chip Klose, 00:27)

2. The Core Principle: Profitability is Oxygen

• Profit is essential, not about excess but about sustaining and growing the business (03:25).
• “Profit is oxygen. It is the air that a business breathes.” (Chip Klose, 01:40)
• The host reiterates it's about building a business that serves the owner, not the other way around.

3. Dual Focus: Operations & Marketing

• Split annual planning into two tracks:
  a. Operations – What do you need to do for revenue and profit? b. Marketing – How do you smooth out downturns and drive growth?

4. Operations Planning Framework

• Independent restaurants should target 20% profit margins, far surpassing the industry average of 4%–5% (05:12).
• It's critical to define what the business needs to provide for the owner (05:56).
  • “Are you just as good at telling the restaurant what it needs to do for you?” (Chip Klose, 05:56)
• Practical Steps:
  • Set Realistic Growth Targets: Avoid arbitrary goals. Examine past results and set actionable plans to achieve specific growth percentages (07:15).
  • Make Growth Actionable: “If you are not making it actionable, you’re missing out on the whole thing.” (Chip Klose, 08:23)
  • Boosting Per Person Average (PPA):
    • Strategies include price adjustments, upselling, and server training.
  • Analyze Revenue Streams:
    • Break your business down into distinct products (breakfast, lunch, dinner, catering, private dining, retail).
    • Visualize last year's revenue as a pie chart to spot major and underperforming streams (09:45).

5. Marketing Planning Framework

• Identify Seasonal Dips: Map out 3–5 slow points over the year (13:15)
  • Example: NYC typically experiences lulls in July/August and January.
  • “The first thing I want to do is I want to curb the downturns.” (Chip Klose, 13:20)
• Plan Promotions Around Slow Periods:
  • Even modest increases in slow periods can have a sizable impact.
• Build a Marketing Calendar:
  • Overlay holidays, events, Restaurant Week, and other natural spikes (16:17).
  • Then, fill in quiet periods with your own campaigns.
• Review Prior Year Marketing Efforts:
  • Evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and where data is unclear (18:51).
• Assign Accountability:
  • Explicitly state who is responsible for each marketing task—ads, emails, social, collateral production, etc. (19:22)
  • “The who here is really important... If you got to run Google Ads, who’s responsible for managing the Google Ads?” (Chip Klose, 19:22)

6. Annual Review & Adjustments

• Use this time to recalibrate—reassign responsibilities, update strategies, and consider new partners or solutions (20:40).
• Take a deliberate, thorough approach; avoid frenetic, rushed decisions (21:10).
  • “Take your time, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and look back at the year and say, what went well, what do I want to replicate? What didn’t go well? What do I want to make sure to fix in the year ahead?” (Chip Klose, 21:10)

7. Call to Action: Deliberateness is Essential

• The most important takeaway is the need for intentionality in how restaurateurs approach the business (21:45).
  • “If not now, then when? If not you, then who? We have to be more deliberate with our restaurants.” (Chip Klose, 21:45)
• Owners are encouraged to use this quiet time for reflection and strategic setup, ensuring the restaurant works for them, not just the other way around.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Profit is oxygen. It is the air that a business breathes.” (01:40)
• “Are you just as good at telling the restaurant what it needs to do for you?” (05:56)
• “If you are not making it actionable, you’re missing out on the whole thing.” (08:23)
• “The first thing I want to do is I want to curb the downturns.” (13:20)
• “The who here is really important... If you got to run Google Ads, who’s responsible for managing the Google Ads?” (19:22)
• “If not now, then when? If not you, then who? We have to be more deliberate with our restaurants.” (21:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27: Opening remarks, importance of beginning-of-year planning
• 03:25: The business case for profitability and sustainability
• 05:12: Industry averages and why 20% profit is an ideal target
• 07:15: Realistic growth targets vs. arbitrary goals
• 09:45: Understanding and mapping revenue streams
• 13:15: Identify and address seasonal sales dips
• 16:17: Building and using a marketing calendar
• 18:51: Post-mortem analysis of past marketing efforts
• 19:22: Accountability in marketing execution
• 21:10: Deliberate, reflective annual review
• 21:45: Closing call to intentional action

Episode Tone

Chip’s tone is straightforward, encouraging, and practical, speaking directly to independent restaurant owners. He’s passionate about sustainability, financial savvy, and actionable steps, avoiding jargon and keeping advice tangible and real-world relevant.