Hospitality Consulting

restaurant concept development

Thinking about starting a foodservice business? Developing a commercial property with a restaurant, brewery or coffee shop as an anchor tenant? From location scouting to developing a niche concept that meets the need of the surrounding community, we are your expert resources for research and development. We can assist with developing a sound business plan projecting startup costs and potential gross and net income.

restaurant operation deep dive

From space utilization, menu development, sourcing, pricing and staffing, our experience in best practices will help avoid costly mistakes many inexperienced restaurateurs make. For a brand new restaurant, we can provide soup to nuts service to set up both front and back of the house for success. For an existing business, we can recommend best strategies to increase your revenue and minimize costs where needed.

RESTAURANT FINANCE DEEP DIVE

We will dig deep into the financial data you have, from sales mix to Profit & Loss sheets, with the goal of providing you with a more focused understanding of how and where your revenue is being used. The end goal is for the owner/management to be intimately and acutely aware of cash flow from the point of sale to the end of month outgoing payments to make all operational decisions critically.

GUEST ACQUISITION AND RETENTION STRATEGY

We will develop an integrated menu and service strategy to attract new customers, while creating systems to maximize guest retention. We will advise on best practices to utilize available marketing resources to build and maximize brand awareness for continued success. We have built strong relationships with creative talents in restaurant design, branding, marketing and PR to assist as needed.

Our Team

chef jason alley

Simple pleasures and new adventures bring the happiest moments to Jason Alley. The love of food, the joy of seeing happy guests, the rush of a service well run – and experiencing life as a chef, husband and father of four – make the moments of Jason’s life. He inspired the elevation of Southern fare when he opened Comfort in 2002 as one of the first restaurants to feature the vibrant and important cuisine. And, Jason continues to revolutionize the food scene in Richmond by giving back to the community, trying new concepts (like The Paulie, Flora and Bingo), and by proving that great chefs can also be great hosts. Jason’s hospitality is fun and genuine – just like the relationships he builds. And he doesn’t like to be bored, so you know there will always be something new and fresh when you see him next, whether it’s a big community project or an improvement on an already great menu item. Ask him about Bruce Springsteen and why “Born to Run” is his favorite album.

restaurateur michele jones

Michele Jones is all about great people, great food and great community. As co-owner of Comfort – and Pasture, Flora, and Bingo! in Scott’s Addition – Michele is a community mover and shaker who loves to give back and delight others. Michele is a doer who loves the people who surround her, both in and outside of her restaurants. Whether she’s hosting her yearly foster-care children’s Thanksgiving or traveling to Dollywood with her best friend – and her best friend’s son – Michele has a knack for making everyone feel special, welcomed and that they have a place in the world. She was once Diane Sawyer’s person of the week – though she’ll wholeheartedly avoid talking about the press she’s received for doing good things in Richmond and beyond. She loves to travel and find small treasures to surprise others and make them feel happy. All these are probably the reasons why she loves that quote attributed to Vince Lombardi: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”