Restaurant Health Check
A fresh, experienced look at your operation—labor, food costs, service, people, and the systems holding it all together.
Outcome: Clear priorities and an actionable improvement roadmap.
For the people who built the restaurant
You built the restaurant.
Let's build the business.
Whether you're opening your first location, rebuilding an operation, or scaling a successful business, the right systems and leaders make growth sustainable.
We believe you deserve a seat at your own table.
Request a Free ConsultationExplore Our ServicesThe reason we're here
Your restaurant should work for you, too.
You didn't open a restaurant to spend every day putting out fires. We help owners build the systems, teams, and operational discipline to create a business that can thrive—without everything depending on them.
Getting ready to open?
Build a foundation for launch: hiring, training, operating standards, and opening-day readiness.
Need to turn things around?
Find what is holding results back and build practical systems, stronger leaders, and consistent execution.
Ready to scale what works?
Strengthen the systems, leadership bench, and repeatable processes that allow a successful operation to grow.
How we help01 / ASSESS 02 / IMPROVE 03 / LAUNCH 04 / SCALE
Practical help. Built around your restaurant.
From launching and stabilizing to growing a successful restaurant, our engagements are scoped to your goals and stage of business.
The Restaurant Reset
A focused 30-day partnership to improve operations, strengthen leadership, and establish practical accountability systems.
Outcome: An implementation plan built for lasting progress.
Restaurant Launch Blueprint
Pre-opening support for new owners, from staffing and training to operating procedures and launch readiness.
Outcome: A more confident, organized path to opening day.
Restaurant Growth & Scale
For established operators ready for the next level: build repeatable systems, a stronger leadership pipeline, and operational consistency across growth.
Outcome: A practical growth-readiness roadmap with priorities for execution.
A plan that fitsCLEAR PRICING FLEXIBLE SUPPORT THE RIGHT SOLUTION
Your restaurant. Your challenges. Your plan.
We offer established services with standard flat fees, but no two restaurants have the same needs, resources, or goals. We listen first, then recommend a clear, customized scope and quote.
Established flat fees
Our core programs have standard rates, so you know what to expect. We provide a written proposal before any work begins.
Right-sized engagements
If a full program isn't the right fit, we can explore a smaller scope, phased work, or focused coaching.
No unnecessary packages
Our goal isn't to sell the biggest engagement. It's to help you take the next meaningful step for your restaurant.
Focused supportFOR OWNERS FOR PROFESSIONALS FOR LEADERS
Sometimes, all you need is a conversation.
Individual consulting at $100 per hour. No long-term commitment—just practical guidance from someone who knows restaurant operations.
P&L & Operations Reviews
Walk through your restaurant's numbers, labor, food costs, and operating challenges to identify opportunities and next steps.
Interview & Career Coaching
Prepare for restaurant leadership interviews, sharpen your stories, and plan your next career move.
Leadership & Problem-Solving
Get support with coaching conversations, team development, accountability, scheduling, and everyday decisions.
Financial coaching is operational guidance, not tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Our approach
No generic playbook. Real execution.
01. Listen
Understand your vision, pressure points, and what success would look like.
02. Assess
Look closely at the operation, the numbers, and the people.
03. Build
Design practical systems and priorities for your specific business.
04. Sustain
Develop accountability and leadership so improvements can last.
A different kind of success
“The restaurant you dreamed of owning shouldn't become the restaurant that owns you.”
Stronger operations matter. So does the life you're building outside your restaurant.
Meet the founder
Kent Thornquist
Restaurant operator. Team builder. Leadership developer.
My experience started on the front lines at Avanti's, where I grew from crew member to general manager and rebuilt the training program from the ground up. That foundation shaped how I approach every restaurant: the operation only gets stronger when its people and systems get stronger.
At Chick-fil-A, I helped develop more than 50 leaders, including individuals who went on to executive leadership roles and successful careers beyond restaurants. In a financial stewardship leadership role in Bloomington-Normal, I improved systems and processes that supported meaningful progress in profitability.
I've helped grow a restaurant business from roughly $4 million to more than $9 million in annual sales, worked with operations under $1 million, and helped improve systems in businesses operating at volumes as high as $13 million. My background includes Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's, McDonald's, and Avanti's, a business degree, and completion of company-specific restaurant leadership education programs.
17+ years of hands-on experience. Real operating challenges. A record of developing people and improving execution.
Experience and results described are from prior restaurant leadership roles, not client consulting outcomes. Company names indicate prior employment or training, not endorsement or affiliation.
Pull up a chair
Let's talk about your restaurant.
No two restaurants are alike. We'll start with a conversation, learn what you're facing, and discuss a right-sized scope of support.
Our core services have standard flat fees, and every proposal clearly defines scope and cost. We can explore phased or smaller engagements when needed. Individual consulting is $100 per hour.
Whether you're preparing to open, solving operational challenges, or planning your next stage of growth, we'd love to hear your story.