I’ve been managing restaurants for a really long time. Kitchen manager at TGI Fridays in Honolulu in 1980. Have bobbed and weaved through the industry for over 40 years. Had my own place for 10 years.
Most of that time the only data we had was sales and costs (based on purchases and inventory). Even with all of the data we have now; theoretical cost based on purchases and sales, tracking labor cost to the minute, being able to slice and dice every aspect of a day, things haven’t changed that much. A lot of younger managers spend so much time on analytics it feels like they lose track of what really matters. I love good numbers as well as the next guy, but the basics still matter day to day. Without all of the analytics, we still managed to keep the doors open.
Give people friendly, attentive service. Serve fresh, creative, quality food in a timely matter. Keep the place clean. The numbers usually fix themselves.