Mike Bausch

🤝 Help Restaurant Owners build Systems 📀📀 2x #1 Amazon Author I 12 Restaurants I 300+ Employees 💡 #1 Restaurant Course by an Owner for Owners

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Unsliced Profit Tweak: The One Sheet That Finds Your Missing Food Profit

When food cost is high and you “can’t figure out why,” it’s usually untracked waste.
Burnt tickets that go in the trash.
Messed‑up orders remade for free.
Food donated or comped that never gets logged.
Your POS can’t see that.
Your bank account just shows “money gone.”
You need a daily waste log. One simple sheet that captures everything you made but didn’t sell.
The rule:
If it wasn’t paid for, it goes on the sheet.
Burns, drops, wrong items, big donations. All of it.
And nobody gets in trouble for writing on it.
The second you punish honesty, the data dies and so does your margin.
Do this now:
Print a simple “Waste Log” for tonight’s shift: columns for Date, Item, Qty, Reason, Initials. Put it at expo, tell the team, “Anything we toss or give away goes here. No one’s in trouble. I just want to see the truth.” Review it tomorrow and fix ONE root issue you see (oven temp, training gap, menu confusion, etc.).
PS: You don’t fix food cost by yelling “stop wasting.” You fix it by seeing where you’re wasting and solving that item by item.
PSS: If you want help turning mystery food cost into a clear, controllable system, book a restaurant review call and we’ll map out a 90‑day plan together: https://t.co/XGdXZixwwm
-Mike

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

COMMENT "START" to book your Restaurant Review call and get your 90 day plan

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Comment MENU and I’ll send you the link to my free live training on December 9 at 10 AM CST where I’ll walk you through 10 rules to make your menu print money and give you the exact template I use in my restaurants.

#restaurantadvice #restaurantbusiness #restaurantmenu #restaurantowner

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Comment MENU and I’ll send you the link to my live training happening Dec 9 at 10am CST.

I’ll walk you through all 10 rules, and you’ll get the blueprint template free, but only if you show up live.

#restaurantbusiness #restaurantadvice #restaurantowner

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Work-life balance isn’t “soft.”
It’s strategy.
Respect their life outside of work and they’ll respect your business inside of it.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Culture is what happens when you’re not there.
Make sure it’s built on more than your mood.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

If your employee’s venting feels like a volleyball—don’t spike it.
Volley it back.
“Tell me more” beats “suck it up” every time.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Don’t scold in public.
Don’t preach.
Coach. Ask questions. Get your team to want to improve.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Quarterly evals aren’t a chore.
They’re retention gold.
Use them to align, celebrate, and solve. Or don’t—and keep hiring.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Think someone’s being passive-aggressive?
Try giving them a real feedback loop before they ghost you.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

People don’t quit great teams.
They quit chaos.
They quit disrespect.
They quit managers who don’t give a damn.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

A dishwasher who can jump in and make a salad?
That’s how you win.
Cross-training = retention.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Training isn't "sink or swim."
That’s lazy leadership.
Build a structured 5-day training plan. Day 1 is culture. Day 2 is clarity.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Your line cooks know a bad hire before you do.
Bring them into the interview. Let the team help pick the team.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Red flags during interviews:
• Blaming others
• Asking only about pay
• No curiosity
• “Cool story, bro” energy when you talk values

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

“If they’re not into your values, they’re not into you.”
If you see glazed eyes when you talk culture—it’s already a red flag.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

A guy who can chop basil isn't more valuable than someone with grit, curiosity, and coachability.
Train skills. Hire mindset.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Don’t just hire people. Attract them.
But first, ask:
Why should anyone want to work for you?
If you can’t answer that, fix it before you post the job.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

If your staff keeps quitting, it’s not bad luck.
It’s bad systems—and you can fix that.

[Mike Bausch @mikeybausch]

Most restaurant owners think they have a food cost problem. What they really have is a systems problem—and no one holding the measuring cup.