# CRAFTING
SUCCESS

By developing proven practical solutions based on real-world experience, we help food service businesses make lasting changes to increase efficiency and profitability.
Contact Us

# CRAFTING SUCCESS

By developing proven practical solutions based on real-world experience, we help food service businesses make lasting changes to increase efficiency and profitability.
Contact Us

# X

# Testimonial

I worked directly with the Synergy team over multiple operations, menu and concept development projects and as an extension of that collaboration, worked with Jim Campbell for about a year on improving the supply chain programs for Great Wolf Lodge. Jim and I worked well together and I always found his communication with both myself and other Great Wolf team members was excellent. Together we determined the best course for the supply chain project. Jim worked directly with vendors to complete a distribution analysis and ultimately he recommended we change our distributor resulting in approximately $200,000 in annual savings. When we agreed to go through the change in distributors, Jim managed the initial implementation. There were several other key individual product projects within supply chain that he worked on for Great Wolf. Product savings for new suppliers and renegotiated price agreements from existing price agreements amounted to $300,000. Key products in the product savings number were bacon, chicken tenders, fries, and eggs. Combined distribution and product savings came to $500,000 for our company.
What was eye opening was that our new owners brought in two high profile consulting companies specifically for procurement. They estimated we had about a million in F&B savings that could be achieved in partnership by leveraging their other big brands. As they looked closer at ‘our spend’, they realized we are just super tight with our buying since we worked with Jim and Synergy. Bottom line is even these procurement consultants couldn’t find any more savings for us. I felt it is also important to mention as you navigated that agreement with USF and Foodbuy, we have managed to expand it and drive more savings so you should get the credit here for setting that foundation which allowed Great Wolf Lodge save an additional $500K.
Synergy exceeded expectations and we were very satisfied with the results. I would not hesitate to recommend them to other restaurateurs for operational or supply chain projects.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

The woodland-themed hotel chain was losing significant money in foodservice and had low guest satisfaction scores due to food quality and the overall foodservice experience. Guests frequently brought their own food to the resort or left the property to purchase food elsewhere. The leadership team felt there was an opportunity to increase F&B spending on site by evaluating opportunities in the dining operations.

# Solution

Synergy was brought in to help identify ways to improve food quality, optimize BOH operations, and to conduct a holistic operations and supply chain assessment of all units. The team identified operational efficiencies and alternative production systems to improve productivity and throughput, reduce complexity in the commissary and helped implement the corrective actions. In addition, Synergy took the leadership team through a discovery tour of their competitors to lay the foundation for concept development for three new F&B outlets that would support the brand’s overall positioning.

# Outcome & Benefits

Upon completion of the initial due diligence phase, Synergy successfully rebranded the existing pizza concept to appeal to the target audience, developed a new full-service restaurant concept that leveraged the brand equity, drove increases in POR (per occupied room) revenues and saved the brand over $900,000 via renegotiating distributors and key supply chain products and helped turn negative guest satisfaction scores around.

# X

# Testimonial

Just wanted to reach out to tell you, synergy consultants is the best thing that happened to our business. You have such an amazing team! We are extremely excited to grow with you all. Thank you for having such an awesome and experienced team! We want you guys by our side for the life of our business. BTW when we first spoke our sales were $40,000/week and now we are doing close to $70,000/week. With your team as our mentor we are pretty certain our dream of franchising will come to reality.
P.S Mike is not only great at what he does and helping us with the business but he also became our life coach. We are forever grateful for that!
From the moment Mike and Shane walked into our restaurant, we knew that they would make a dramatic impact on our business. As a restaurant that opened during covid, we found that our quick success coupled with our lack of experience would eventually hinder our growth if we didn’t get help. An extensive search led us to the synergy consultants. Fast forward numerous zoom meetings later-Mike and Shane came in to our location, did a thorough assessment of what we needed to systemize our space and created a concrete action plan for their weeklong visit. From then on it was execution time- Mike and Shane shared their know how but also valued our input and made things work specifically for our space. Everything down to the checklists and spreadsheets were customized by them for us. They left us feeling empowered, providing us with all the tools that our team needs to succeed. Mike and Shane have made an incredible impact on our business and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you both for guiding our path to success and holding us accountable along the way- the resources and knowledge these guys have is invaluable.

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# CASE STUDY

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I am profoundly grateful to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dean, Danny, Alan, Jeff, and the entire Synergy team for their unwavering dedication, perseverance, and boundless patience. These past years have been an incredible journey, one that my family and I will forever hold close to our hearts. Synergy’s exceptional service has consistently exceeded our expectations, with their commitment and care resonating deeply with us throughout our partnership.

I am thrilled to share that, thanks to the strategic guidance and support from Synergy, we have successfully welcomed crucial leadership into our company—a feat that will undoubtedly shape our future growth and solidify our brand’s legacy. The remarkable individuals we’ve brought on board have already propelled us miles ahead of our initial expectations. Their wealth of knowledge and experience is a testament to Synergy’s ability to guide us in making pivotal decisions that drive our success.

As we approach the final months of our partnership, I am confident that we will conquer any remaining challenges as we march toward the next phase of our journey. I want to extend a profound and sincere thank you to the entire Synergy team for the remarkable accomplishments we’ve achieved together. Your guidance has unquestionably set us on a path to a brighter future, enhancing not only our business but the very core of our family.

In a personal note of gratitude, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Dean, Danny, Alan, and Jeff. Your unwavering support and belief in me have been instrumental to our success. Your dedication has gone above and beyond, and as we venture into the future, I know that your influence will be etched into our brand’s journey. Thank you from the depths of my heart for being an integral part of our story.

– Alejandro Montano, Party Cake Bakery

# CASE STUDY

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I am thrilled to provide a heartfelt testimonial for Synergy Restaurant Consultants and their exceptional work at our golf course restaurant in Danuba, California. From the moment they arrived, their dedication and expertise were evident.

Synergy’s thorough assessment of our restaurant led to meaningful improvements in our food, beverage, and operations. Their culinary team completely revamped our menu, recipes, and provided hands-on training to our kitchen staff and bar employees.

The updated menu has been a tremendous success with our guests, resulting in a sales increase of over 20%. Additionally, thanks to Synergy’s guidance, our prime costs have decreased by an impressive 3 points. This financial improvement has had a significant positive impact on our bottom line.

The collaboration process with Synergy was seamless, and their on-site training was well-received. Their professionalism and competence were truly impressive. We highly recommend Synergy to any organization looking to enhance their operations and improve their food and beverage quality.

Thank you Dean and all of the Synergy Chefs, for your invaluable contributions. You have transformed our golf course restaurant and propelled us towards continued success.

# CASE STUDY

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# X

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The team at Synergy is so knowledgeable and thorough – it blew us away. They think of so many aspects to servicing that you would never have thought of on your own. It changed our plan completely, and for the better!

# CASE STUDY

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I just wanted to thank you and your associate for making our menu planning a success. Chef Shane was easy to work with and listened, he was positive and easy going. The entire team was extremely polite and friendly. They delivered professionally and on time. We appreciated all the effort that they made to break down our menu that will lay the foundation for us to serve our clients. I would indeed recommend Chef Shane and his team to anyone if they’re looking to create and scale their menu.
- Arleana Waller

# CASE STUDY

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We have been extremely pleased with our relationship with Synergy Restaurant Consultants. Danny and his team have given us some valuable tools that will help our business continue to grow and evolve in an ever competitive marketplace.

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

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# Outcome & Benefits

# X

# Testimonial

We were looking to add a lobby bar to the iconic San Carlos Hotel in midtown Manhattan and were seeking a consulting group to help us create a new bar strategy that would reenergize the brand and drive new revenue streams.

After completing our due diligence on possible resources, we chose Synergy Restaurant Consultants. In speaking with managing partner Dean Small, it became very clear to our leadership team that Synergy had a firm grasp of what was required and the experience to create a new branded venue within our property.

The Synergy team took us through their incubation process, which was truly an eye opener and helped us to understand how we could be successful in our market, with an investigation of the direct competition and other concepts in Manhattan to determine positive attributes and voids in the market.

Synergy facilitated an extremely productive collaborative development and branding session that built upon our tour experience. The concept book and financial model they created for us exceeded all of our expectations and we felt that they generally cared about our success.

Dean and his team did an amazing job for us and I would be happy to recommend them.

# CASE STUDY

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# Testimonial

Viva Primavera is a neighborhood restaurant in the affluent area of Los Gatos, California. Over the years we felt that we could be far more profitable and consistent with our food and beverage program. Also, we believed our service model and management team would benefit from an objective assessment to identify needed improvements to make us more competitive within the market.

We investigated multiple restaurant consulting firms, and after several calls with Dean Small the Founder, we landed on Synergy Restaurant Consultants. Dean provided us with a logical plan that included a holistic food, beverage, menu, operations, financial and brand assessment. The objective was to refresh the concept and find meaningful ways to improve our management supervision, execution, reduce operating expenses, drive new revenue streams, and improve the overall financial performance of our business model.

Dean and two of his consulting colleagues were on site for three days observing every aspect of our business from pre to post opening with a careful eye on low hanging fruit and quick wins for the team. They were not obtrusive and made it a point to bond with the culinary and management team as well as the hourly staff.

On the final day of the assessment, we spent a full day in a planning and brand refresh session discussing strategic ways we could evolve the brand, drive new sales and improve the financial performance of the brand. We could not have been happier with the results of the assessment, action plan, concept book and updated financial model they created for us.

I would strongly recommend the very talented and industry-leading Synergy team to any restaurant operator trying to evolve their brand and improve their financial performance. One of the best investments we have made in our brand and we look forward to working with the Synergy team as we move forward.

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# CASE STUDY

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Seamless Execution. Commitment to Excellence. A raised bar for Customer Experience. The Synergy team brought all of these resources to bear for the remodel and launch of the Steam Plant Kitchen and Brewery. We couldn’t have done our work without theirs. We are so grateful for our partnership.

# CASE STUDY

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Clyde was hired to help our fast casual grilled sub shop work on productivity, kitchen design, throughput, and so much more. Our team felt that we hit a plateau and needed some professional help to assist us with our fast growing company. I had reached out to several other restaurant owners in my network who always give great advice so I was somewhat convinced that we would not benefit a whole lot from hiring a consultant. I am glad I was completely wrong because Clyde helped us break through to the next level and I feel we have the vision and focus now to become a competitive national brand. We are just getting started and I can’t wait to continue to share our success with our friend Clyde and Synergy Restaurant Consultants! #WWCD (what would clyde do)

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Working with Dean and his Synergy team was an incredible experience. In particular, during our R&D process Synergy’s knowledge and culinary experience was instrumental in the formation of our menu and vision. They helped us formulate a budget and overall strategy in order to execute and run a successful restaurant. I can’t imagine doing this without them.

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Collections Café a vibrant restaurant connected to Chihuly Garden & Glass. The restaurant has an amazing aesthetic but had troubles, quarter after quarter, with finding the right market and managing the bottom line. After a very successful engagement with Synergy in a previous company, contacting Dean Small and his team was, in retrospect, an incredible decision.

Synergy has been incredibly helpful in guiding our management team, and myself, in developing, implementing, and carrying out strategies to help increase our efficiency and profitability. We experienced a fairly immediate turn after the engagement kicked off and the Synergy team took us from an operating loss to a profit in just four months. Today all arrows are pointing in the right direction and Synergy’s contributions to our company have been absolutely quantifiable and measurable. Labor productivity is well over PY and beat budget; costs and expenses are well under goal. We attribute a lot of our extraordinary turnaround and our operating excitement to what we learned from our work with Synergy.

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# CASE STUDY

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Simply Viet Eatery is a small Vietnamese Fast Casual restaurant that has been struggling for years to improve profitability. We decided that we needed some professional advice to guide us in growing sales and reducing labor costs. In addition, due to a tight labor market and turnover we were also experiencing consistency issues so we contacted Synergy Restaurant Consultants hoping they could help us.

The Synergy team spent two days on site evaluating every aspect of our business including our financials, recipes, food preparation and labor scheduling. The information and recommendations they shared with us was eye opening and very insightful for making changes in our business. They also provided us with a detailed action plan that helped us lower our food cost, improve consistency, increased sales and we eliminated over 60 labor hours per week.

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# CASE STUDY

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# X

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Opening a new restaurant can be overwhelming! The Synergy Team helped with all stages from conception and menu selections to layout and design. Besides being a very talented group of industry professionals they are a pleasure to work with. We couldn’t have come this far without you. Thanks guys!

# CASE STUDY

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# X

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In search of an outside analysis for our stand-alone restaurant we engaged Synergy Restaurant Consultants. We were seeking an overall assessment of our operation to determine potential profitability, strengths, weakness, and an assessment of our banquet and catering department. Brad miller was assigned to our engagement based on his experience with clubs and resort-type businesses. Our restaurant and cafe are within a large scale Homeowner Association as an amenity to owners, as well as open to the public.

His assessment started with multiple phone calls leading up to a three-day site review where Brad familiarized himself with our staff, inventory and reporting systems, FOH, BOH, and our banquet and catering services. The evaluation included our systems and controls, prep lines, dishwashing and food supplies, inventory practices, cleanliness, as well as our quality consistency and value.

After Brad completed the fieldwork, he stayed in contact with us as he prepared his final review. He continued to ask questions, requested more financial data, and was overall very thorough. We were provided with an assessment of our operation that covered the areas above, as well as a few potential problems we had not considered. We have implemented many of his suggestions including a new system of tracking our bread waste and using a new read vendor. We are pleased with the report and consider engaging Synergy Restaurant Consultants a good investments for improvement of our restaurant operation.

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# CASE STUDY

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As you have seen, via Facebook, Marco T’s Pizzeria has been getting good press from our local newspaper’s food critic and in turn bringing in the Anchorage food enthusiasts. In chatting with the tables, one of the first response to my “how was your pizza” is the amazing crust, they enjoy the toppings of coarse but it’s the crust that gets mentioned the most by those who know and enjoy their food. The greatest complements come from those who have lived on the East coast and have been exposed to true Italian pizzas, when they say “finally a pizza I can eat in Anchorage” I know we are on the right course. You remember the Italian delicatessen were you and Ethan bought some spicy sopressatta, well the Anzilotti’s owners of Originala, either come in or order out pizzas for the family once a week, so I think we are on to something.

Tim, we want to thank you for your dedication to the art of creating Real Pizzas and sharing your enthusiasm and expertise with Ethan and our staff. You truly are part of the Team that ”set Marco T’s apart in a busy pizzeria scene.

# CASE STUDY

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# X

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Just a note to say thanks for the excellent work Tim and you did for us this past week. I have spoken with many in the ownership team since arriving home yesterday and their excitement over the opportunity to put into action the things you shared with us. I’ve had the chance over the years to work with many, many consultants coming into my plants to help us improve. I would categorize your approach to be quite different. Other consultants with whom I’ve worked seemed to arrive with a predetermined model that my team was expected to embrace and implement. Your approach was to evaluate who we are, what we do, how we do it, and what our competitors are doing and then develop the action plans that we can implement to improve. I like that process much better and I can see from my partners that they are liking it to.

I would also add that the interpersonal skill of Tim and you are very complimentary to the work you do.

The go forward plan for us now will be to get your report into the hands of every partner, let them digest it, convene as a group and determine our strategy to implement an action plan that will include continuing to partner with Synergy as we move alone our growth/improvement path. Thanks again.

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# CASE STUDY

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# X

# Testimonial

Working with Clyde and the Synergy Team you feel that the troops have rolled in and that everything will be alright.

The Synergy Team has a gift to look at a restaurant not just as a restaurant business, but tries to understand the dynamics of the company culture and the people that run the business. Synergy has a special talent for bringing out each persons unique skill sets that helps make the restaurant a success so they feel that their contributions matter.

The Synergy Team will be straight forward on showing you whats wrong, what can be improved upon and present tangible recommendations with compassion to help make it right. I should have hired this company years ago!

# CASE STUDY

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# X

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I really enjoyed working with Clyde of Synergy Consultants and would recommend them to anyone wanting or needing any sort restaurant help. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the hospitality industry, he is concise and he was always attentive to my needs. He assisted in transforming and organizing my business in a timely and professional manner, his services are/were greatly appreciated.

# CASE STUDY

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Clyde of Synergy Consultants was very instrumental to the current success of Mastoris Restaurant. He has a strong skill set in teaching every aspect of management in all facets of our industry. From baking, soups, sauces, meats, front of house management and service, Clyde is a true professional and our business benefited greatly from the training he gave me. Thanks very much.

# CASE STUDY

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I utilized Synergy Restaurant Consultants in 2009 while I was serving as Director of Operational Efficiency for California Pizza Kitchen. Dean, Danny and their team performed a time and motion study on 350 prep ingredients and about 100 plate recipes. They delivered the study on time and in a very user-friendly format that allowed CPK to then use that information to determine the labor portion of the fully burdened margin for every menu item. This allowed the company to then make much better menu pricing decisions as well as re-engineer recipes for items with good sales but a low margin. The time/motion information also allowed CPK the ability to assign a prep time for each item on a daily prep list to better allocate necessary prep hours and hold employees accountable for completing that list on time.

Based on this good work by Synergy, I used its services again in late 2009 and early 2010 for a BOH Operations Assessment, where we spent a week in 3 units identifying inefficiencies within CPK’s production model. Based on the recommendations in that study, CPK was able to remove 40 to 60 BOH hours per unit per week from the labor schedules, which was quite impressive. I very much enjoyed working with Dean and Danny and appreciated their in-depth knowledge of the operational aspects of our business.

# CASE STUDY

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As part of the preparation for Capriotti’s brand expansion, our team hired Synergy to develop a standardized bread program that would allow us to expand nationally while maintaining our high-quality standards. Synergy researched, tested and presented several cooking platforms including proof and bake plus combi oven technology. Synergy also evaluated new cooking methods and products for our in-house protein roasting, leading to improvements in energy usage, a decrease in cook times, increased yields and ultimately a final product that is both easier and safer for staff to produce while enhancing taste.

Synergy made progress in a matter of months that would have taken us much longer to achieve without its help. Mark and the Synergy team were extremely professional throughout the process. I would not hesitate to recommend Synergy to anyone looking to develop a new product or move to a new cooking technology.

# CASE STUDY

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At Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., operator of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes Restaurants, we recently engaged Synergy Restaurant Consultants to perform a very focused operational assessment and cost optimization project around a pilot market that will become a model for system-wide rollout. The Synergy team was very easy to work with, had a broad base of knowledge to pull from and provided practical solutions that can be executed in our environment. They worked in partnership with a broad cross-section of our team, supported the process to bring solutions to places we felt we had issues and uncovered additional opportunities that our team was able to implement. I was very pleased with the work product and look forward to working with the Synergy team on future projects.

# CASE STUDY

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The work we have done so far with Synergy has been very useful. We have really opened our eyes and mind to figure the long-term future of the company. We appreciate the guidance that Warren, Danny and Clyde have given us. I think we have a great long-term relationship with Synergy and I’m sure we’ll continue to work together in the near future.

# CASE STUDY

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# Testimonial

I want you to know that my team and I are very impressed by the thorough, comprehensive and professional job done by you and your associates. We have implemented a number of your recommendations with great success, and there are many more suggested action steps that we are working on.

The primary benefit to date has been that our team has taken a fresh look at our food, our presentations, our beverage offerings, our physical plant and our service standards. Your insights and suggestions relative to all aspects of our restaurant have had a catalytic effect, prompting our management to come up with many ideas for improvement on their own.

You gave us three reports: Branding and Marketing, Decor and Atmosphere and an extremely comprehensive and detailed analysis of our operations containing 15 sections. Every time I read each of these, I uncover insights and ideas I had overlooked before. All in all, I find the work you have done for us to be a trove of actionable ideas and a roadmap of how to turn a mediocre money-losing operation into a profitable one based on an enhanced brand, much improved offerings and procedures, and more effective marketing. Our sales have increased and I know customer satisfaction is up—and the food tastes better!

As a former CEO of a large restaurant chain, I have had experience with a number of consulting firms with stellar reputations. Synergy does not take a back seat to anyone. The work you have done for Ignite Bistro and Wine Spot is top notch, and your fee was quite reasonable. I look forward to having you help me in the future on other endeavors.

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# CASE STUDY

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I want to take a moment to tell you how pleased we are with the operational review of our company you performed. The results of your study have given us a clear picture of where we are, with an exceptional step-by-step plan we can use that will set us up for major growth. You and your company provide a truly unique set of skills that has been immensely beneficial to us.

# CASE STUDY

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For five consecutive years, Romano’s Macaroni Grill has won the coveted Restaurant and Institutions Platinum Award as America’s Choice of Chains. Even so, we felt a little too close to our own business at times to move our brand to the next level. This is where Synergy comes in.

What started as a simple desire to increase consistency and quality, reduce unnecessary efforts, and simplify layers of complication built on 17 years of evolution resulted in a plethora of new and innovative approaches we never thought possible. Not only did our executive team fully embrace the recommendations, but our front-line managers also saw them as heroes and a voice for change.

The experience was well worth our time and money. Dean and Danny delivered beyond our expectations. I highly recommend Synergy to any restaurant operator seeking assistance to make an operation better.

# CASE STUDY

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Fantastic job! Both of you are so incredibly professional and talented, and your ability to work seamlessly in our restaurants with our Corporate Executive Chef and Chef Partners was particularly appreciated. You’ve helped us to take a new look at how we execute our menu, recommending creative ways to take signature menu items up several notches. Moreover, you counseled us on various techniques to improve productivity and quality.

Having the benefit of your experience and expertise has truly made a difference in improving all aspects of our business.

– Skip Fox, President, Fleming’s Prime Steak House and Wine Bar

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# CASE STUDY

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After much research, Roli Roti found Synergy to be the most comprehensive restaurant consulting company. Following a number of meetings to determine our detailed goals, Synergy created a Strategic Plan to grow the company. With a Brand Assessment & Concept Book, we were given a clear path for the goals to be achieved, a plan that included all the necessary tools to increase brand awareness and overall profitability. Through marketing strategies, menu development, detailed core values and SWOT analysis, we have made informed decisions to increase success.

We appreciate the expertise of Synergy’s team and the objective-driven approach they had to guide Roli Roti in the right business direction.

# CASE STUDY

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As a result of Synergy’s efforts, we have seen significant improvement in guest frequency, improved operating efficiencies, increased sales and guest satisfaction scores and improved bottom-line profits. I would strongly recommend Dean and Danny to any organization with a desire to improve food quality, upgrade menu selections and objectively assess current operations with an eye toward positive improvement.

# CASE STUDY

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We entered a relationship with Synergy Restaurant Consultants that began with a thorough Operations Assessment and Operations War College involving nearly a dozen of our key associates. As a result, Synergy has completely revamped our menu offerings, instituted professional management practices, provided training, monitored execution and followed up extensively as we progressed through our makeover. We have significantly reduced both food and labor costs. Additionally, our customer counts are improving for the first time in two years, with the first quarter being the best in the history of our company.

The restaurant industry is a challenging business! After we implemented the Synergy restaurant management program, a $20 million, 8-unit restaurant chain increased sales by 5% while reducing food cost 2% and overall labor a full 3%.

# CASE STUDY

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Danny and Dean spent the time necessary to completely understand the Saltgrass operating system by working numerous hours in many of our units. The Synergy team made change easy with their ability to create all the operational documents, manuals and recipes necessary for fast and effective change. Synergy’s talent for recognizing strengths, weaknesses and opportunities has made Saltgrass Steak House a more profitable and efficient business.

# CASE STUDY

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Over the period of two to three months, Dean and Danny have worked tirelessly with our team to not only understand the food production process and operational flow of a Vietnamese restaurant, but also study the cultural aspects of the operations. The end product is a meticulously assembled set of documents that we believe not only provide a structural approach to the operations system-wide, but also deliver a consistent handling of our products.

# CASE STUDY

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We engaged Synergy Restaurant Consultants to leverage its knowledge of the restaurant world as we developed a new television series for NBC that involved launching a small restaurant chain as a prize. As the producers of Top Chef, we know the food world quite well, but the inner workings of how restaurants get opened and how they’re operated was a bit more foreign to us.

Synergy delivered precisely the analysis we needed well within the aggressive timeline we had set. As a result, we were able to take a very well thought out plan to NBC that had a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the endeavor plus a timeline for us to work from. In the end, NBC ordered the project to series and the work Synergy did for us was invaluable.

# CASE STUDY

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We hired Dean and the team at Synergy to help us mold our restaurant idea into a viable concept for the Washington, D.C. market. With Dean’s guidance, our original idea, that in hindsight was somewhat one-dimensional, has evolved into an exciting brand that has the potential for great success and scalability. I highly recommend Synergy for restaurant startup services and welcome the opportunity to work with its team in the future on additional phases of our restaurant project.

# CASE STUDY

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Toppers Pizza has worked with Synergy on several projects and we have found them to be instrumental in helping us create strategies surrounding changes to our menu and product line. With Synergy’s out of the box thinking and practical approach to each project, we have been able to reduce operational complexity and improve profitability.

Synergy provided the type of menu analysis, operations savvy and strategic product development that allows Toppers Pizza to remain ahead of the competition.

Synergy remains a trusted consulting partner to Toppers Pizza due to our excellent experience in working with their talented team.

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Topper’s is a successful pizza delivery concept that has a strong brand following, competes directly with Papa John’s and Domino’s type operators, and has a sales mix of up to 70+% pickup or delivery. Their business model is to become the local pizza delivery concept and take market share from the national brands. The concept is challenging and difficult to operate for new franchises and the unit level profitability is not at acceptable levels for the franchise community. Moreover, management believes there is a reasonable amount of waste and there are menu items that have a very high food cost. Topper’s lacks a menu innovation/product development strategy.

# Solution

Synergy was retained by the fast growing franchise pizza brand to refine the brand’s overall positioning, conduct menu engineering of the current menu, develop new innovative menu item concepts that were a fit to their brand positioning, conduct quantitative consumer research including a TURF analysis to validate the menu and new menu concepts and then develop the new products identified in the research.

# Outcome & Benefits

At Synergy we connect your vision with our vast experience and deep knowledge of what it takes to make a restaurant successful. We’ve helped hundreds of start-ups and well-known existing foodservice operations with challenging issues. If it has to do with a restaurant, it’s in our wheelhouse.

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# Testimonial

The Synergy team did a great job helping us with our nutritional information needs. They were able to take all of our prep recipes and proprietary products to create calorie counts for our extensive menu with lots of variations. We appreciated Synergy’s diligence and attention to detail on this important project.

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Synergy Restaurant Consultants provided exactly the type of expert guidance necessary for the Marina City Club Restaurant Board to improve operational efficiency and food quality at the Marina City Club Restaurant. The Marina City Club Restaurant is a food service business that includes a full-service restaurant and bar, full service café, banquets and catering services, poolside service, take-out and delivery service to occupants of 600 condominiums, 500 outside members, 101 apartment lessees and 353 boat slip renters.

As an attorney without any prior experience in the food and beverage industry, I never expected to be appointed Interim President of a Restaurant Corporation. I was charged with the leadership of a difficult environment, and, while I am unable to divulge certain information about the circumstances underlying the engagement with Synergy Restaurant Consultants, it was a tremendously challenging environment with seemingly insurmountable barriers to achieve clarity or progress.

With Synergy’s help, I never felt like I was alone and in fact, Dean answered the phone almost every time I called at almost any hour of the day. Synergy Restaurant Consultants bravely approached and expertly navigated this challenging environment, devoted countless hours to carefully observe and thoroughly understand the food service operation, patiently listened to members of the Restaurant Board and Restaurant Committee and ultimately helped define strategies to improve operational efficiency and food quality at the Marina City Club Restaurant.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants prepared a confidential comprehensive report full of valuable information for the Restaurant Board that identified challenges as well as solutions. Dean, Monica, Anne and Gary prepared and delivered an effective PowerPoint presentation to communicate the highlights of the report that could be shared with the Marina City Club Condominium Owners Association, which was very well-received.

If you are looking for restaurant consultants with a “can-do attitude” able to navigate any environment that will provide exceptional customer service, expert guidance, information reports that communicate concrete strategies to achieve desired outcomes, and an unparalleled devotion to their work, then look no further than Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

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Since 1979, Canyon Ranch has established its reputation as the leading health and wellness resort company and wellness spa provider. The facilities that support this reputation are two world-class destination resorts (Tucson – Arizona, Lenox – Massachusetts), the largest spa in the world (Las Vegas), and 22 spas on board cruise ships (Cunard, Regent, Oceania and Celebrity).

We continue to look for expansion opportunities and have considered targeted culinary to be a prime objective. After consideration of 6 different national restaurant concept companies, we chose Synergy Restaurant Consultants based on their reputation and clear process.

When the exercise was completed we were very happy with the deliverables and valuable advice that we received. While Canyon Ranch has already opened 10+ restaurants over the years, Dean Small and his team were able to give us new insight into operational dynamics, service models and ultimately profit generation. We have hired Synergy to assist with other projects and would do so again.

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Tangled Roots Brewing Company tasked Synergy to take our underperforming Brewpub to the next level. Despite a locally sourced craft menu and an elevated environment we knew that our costs were out of line and that we were not making the most of the market opportunity. The Synergy team did an initial review of the market, operations and branding which provided a strong understanding of our challenges and a clear pathway to resolve them. We then tasked Synergy to help us define our brand positioning and evolve our menu to better serve our core guests through a chef inspired, elevated yet approachable food offering while simultaneously lowering both food costs and BOH labor. Synergy helped us complete this in 6 very short weeks with a talented team of experts. I cannot say enough about the synergy team which included Brad, Chef Tim and Natasha with their professionalism, commitment, support and experience through what was a challenging change management project.

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The team at Synergy got up to speed very quickly on our concept and drove the process of better defining our vision. Their diligence and attention to detail helped take the Pro Football Hall of Fame Restaurant from a high level concept to a fully fleshed out concept.

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Monica and the team were amazing to work with! Super professional, knowledgeable and accommodating! The all in one package to overhaul our catering business gave our restaurant a fresh new look. Monica’s ability to capture the essence of who we are and bring it to life is unparalleled!

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Dean’s team has been responsive from the moment I called them for help. Services that Dean provides are exceptionally good. He helped me with my cafe to straighten the operations, productivity and customer service. I would highly recommend him for the vast experience he hold in the food industry. I would no doubt go back to him for future consultation.

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Synergy Restaurant Consultants have been a great team to work with. They are passionate about the restaurant industry, and knowledgeable. In working with the synergy team, we were able to conduct the analysis we needed, and gain insights into how to best improve our brand. We recommend synergy to any company who truly appreciates working with a passionate and professional team of experts who want to see their consulting work make a difference!

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Royal Castle Chicken is a 34 unit fast food chicken chain that was founded in Trinidad and Tobago in 1968.

We reached out to Synergy in 2019 with the goal of creating a new optimized kitchen layout and design for our updated concept that was going to be our new prototype Restaurant. The kitchen and drive thru was a major focus and we were looking for an experienced professional with extensive fast food experience that could optimize our throughput, improve our speed of service and reduce both complexity and labor.

Working with Dean and his team have greatly improved efficiency in our restaurants. The experience and knowledge they have brought to my company is greatly appreciated and has enhanced our operation and have allowed us to save and cut costs thus improving our profitability.

The follow up by the Synergy team was always prompt and I would strongly recommend them to anyone who is looking to streamline and optimize their operations.

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We have been working with Dean and his team for the last month and can’t say enough how knowledgeable and professional the entire team is. We were in need of an expert to evaluate our operations and provide us with a plan on how to minimize costs, improve efficiency, drive sales and create a marketing plan to increase revenue in our catering and banquet operations. We are a work in progress and many thanks to the entire Synergy Team for the great work thus far!

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Bad to the Bone, a BBQ restaurant in Orange County, CA, had experienced tremendous growth, and Synergy had worked with the brand to significantly improve profitability. When COVID-19 hit the US, the restaurant world was turned upside down and the owners feared they would need to close their doors. They turned again to Synergy to create a plan for operating during stay-at-home orders.

# Solution

Synergy worked with the client on a well-rounded strategy to pivot operations to handle the new normal. Our team created family to-go meal packs as well as curbside delivery with QR code pickup, and also created graphics and outdoor signage to communicate ease of pickup. To drive guest traffic, we created new, innovative promotions. We developed and executed a robust social media strategy and conducted photo shoots to create an updated library of images to use across platforms. The team also redesigned digital and printed menu boards as well as table tents and indoor signage. To assist with staff adoption and compliance, a well-designed 33-page standard operating procedure (SOP) document was created to address new safety standards.

# Outcome & Benefits

The work the team put in paid off. The restaurant’s Mother’s Day promotion led to more than $20K in sales and Father’s Day sales topped $38K in just one day. The brand’s overall image has been elevated both digitally and in-store, and we continue to work with the team to improve operations and marketing efforts.

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Synergy has been enormously helpful to our food service business here in Saudi Arabia. Initially, its team conducted a rapid but thorough review of our current steakhouse operations and food offering, identifying a range of improvement options, many of which we are now implementing. Subsequently, Synergy assisted in the recruitment process for the new food service business Managing Director, screening hundreds of candidates to provide us with a shortlist of top-quality individuals. We’ve now just hired our preferred candidate, bringing to our business the elusive mix of hard and soft skills required to succeed in this unique market. Overall, Synergy has delivered professional work that has truly supported our business in moving to the next level. I recommend them highly.

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We interviewed numerous consultants and finally decided that Dean and Danny of Synergy Restaurant Consultants were best suited to support this endeavor because of their vast experience working with chains and their culinary, operations and training knowledge.

The Synergy partners played a pivotal role facilitating a Best Practices Round Table with our senior management team, facilitating updates of all our operations manuals, training manuals and recipe books.

We recognized the value of having Dean and Danny as our culinary partners; they were instrumental in filling the pipeline with numerous menu items that are signature to our brand. These guys are food gurus—hire them!

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The knowledge and experience that the Synergy team brought to the table was instrumental in our ability to put a complicated deal together with multiple entities. Our first meeting exceeded our expectations by a long shot, and I was amazed at what we were able to accomplish in a limited period of time. Synergy’s “out-of-the-box” thinking and expertise in concept development, branding, financial modeling and development of our business plan added a degree of experience and professionalism that very well could of been the deciding factor in us getting a sizeable loan. Having the Synergy team on our side was a great investment.

Things here could not be better. We are currently West Virginia’s largest independent restaurant according to our Sysco representative. We are looking to reach $3 million in our first year! We currently employ 72 people, and if our offsite catering continues to grow, we will have to add more.

Thank you and your Synergy team for giving us the tools and confidence to have such a tremendous start.

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Rick Larson purchased the historic Rex Restaurant & Bar in downtown Billings, Montana, with the goal of opening Buffalo Block, leveraging the unique building to create a dual-character concept split between a fine-dining steakhouse and elevated pub with a full-service bar.

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Initially, Synergy was enlisted to complete a concept development project, creating a concept book and financial model based on the brand development session. Once the concept was approved, the Synergy culinary team completed menu development using strategic ingredient planning to produce a well balanced menu that would be consistently executable by the staff. Synergy also designed the restaurant’s logo and brand identity system, helped the ownership team select and hire a Executive Chef and General Manager, and conducted a two-day strategic planning session with the new restaurant management team to establish operating and training procedures.

# Solution

The Synergy team created the culinary and operations groundwork to organize the concept for a successful launch. By first hiring the Executive Chef and General Manager, the Synergy operations team led the strategic planning session while heavily involving the new managers. The result was a smooth opening for Buffalo Block and a successful new restaurant to meet the needs of Billings’ natives and visitors.

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# Challenge

Dunkin’ Donuts was looking to develop a new brand strategy to position the brand for long-term success in the changing competitive marketplace. Synergy collaborated with Dunkin’s team as well as their chosen design firm, market researchers and agencies as the food service designer and efficiency expert.

# Solution

Synergy was asked to find opportunities for improved efficiencies and ticket times at the stores, especially at the drive through, through operational and technological improvements to be executed in a new prototype. Synergy completed an assessment of multiple franchise locations and formats in several regions of the U.S. to survey challenges to operations and opportunities for improved throughput and service through efficient back of house design and IT system architecture for the new prototype. The team identified operational efficiencies and alternative production systems to improve productivity and throughput, including an assessment of kitchen commissary operations to reduce complexity that could be executed at existing locations to improve ticket times.

# Outcome & Benefits

Ultimately, Synergy delivered a new technology system topography, new kitchen and back of house design with equipment specs for cold brew on tap and a robust beverage system. Our team collaborated with other design and consumer research consultants to create a new brand strategy and develop a cohesive new guest experience and prototype including: -An exclusive On-the-Go drive-thru lane lets DD Perks® members who order ahead via Dunkin’s Mobile App bypass the ordering lane and merge straight into the line for the pickup window. -Fully-integrated digital kiosks, guests will choose to order with or without the help of a crew member -New equipment to support a beverage-forward repositioning of the brand to include cold brew on tap, new sightlines for the beverage equipment and improved guest experience

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I worked directly with the Synergy team over multiple operations, menu and concept development projects and as an extension of that collaboration, worked with Jim Campbell for about a year on improving the supply chain programs for Great Wolf Lodge. Jim and I worked well together and I always found his communication with both myself and other Great Wolf team members was excellent. Together we determined the best course for the supply chain project. Jim worked directly with vendors to complete a distribution analysis and ultimately he recommended we change our distributor resulting in approximately $200,000 in annual savings. When we agreed to go through the change in distributors, Jim managed the initial implementation. There were several other key individual product projects within supply chain that he worked on for Great Wolf. Product savings for new suppliers and renegotiated price agreements from existing price agreements amounted to $300,000. Key products in the product savings number were bacon, chicken tenders, fries, and eggs. Combined distribution and product savings came to $500,000 for our company.
What was eye opening was that our new owners brought in two high profile consulting companies specifically for procurement. They estimated we had about a million in F&B savings that could be achieved in partnership by leveraging their other big brands. As they looked closer at ‘our spend’, they realized we are just super tight with our buying since we worked with Jim and Synergy. Bottom line is even these procurement consultants couldn’t find any more savings for us. I felt it is also important to mention as you navigated that agreement with USF and Foodbuy, we have managed to expand it and drive more savings so you should get the credit here for setting that foundation which allowed Great Wolf Lodge save an additional $500K.
Synergy exceeded expectations and we were very satisfied with the results. I would not hesitate to recommend them to other restaurateurs for operational or supply chain projects.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

The woodland-themed hotel chain was losing significant money in foodservice and had low guest satisfaction scores due to food quality and the overall foodservice experience. Guests frequently brought their own food to the resort or left the property to purchase food elsewhere. The leadership team felt there was an opportunity to increase F&B spending on site by evaluating opportunities in the dining operations.

# Solution

Synergy was brought in to help identify ways to improve food quality, optimize BOH operations, and to conduct a holistic operations and supply chain assessment of all units. The team identified operational efficiencies and alternative production systems to improve productivity and throughput, reduce complexity in the commissary and helped implement the corrective actions. In addition, Synergy took the leadership team through a discovery tour of their competitors to lay the foundation for concept development for three new F&B outlets that would support the brand’s overall positioning.

# Outcome & Benefits

Upon completion of the initial due diligence phase, Synergy successfully rebranded the existing pizza concept to appeal to the target audience, developed a new full-service restaurant concept that leveraged the brand equity, drove increases in POR (per occupied room) revenues and saved the brand over $900,000 via renegotiating distributors and key supply chain products and helped turn negative guest satisfaction scores around.

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# Challenge

Pollo Campero sought a world-class kitchen design team to create a new kitchen prototype for its rapidly expanding concept. Synergy was tasked with reducing the kitchen’s footprint by 10% to remain competitive and increase real estate opportunities. In this redesign, Pollo Campero also hoped to incorporate both operational and energy efficiencies, further reducing kitchen labor as a product of the redesign.

# Solution

Synergy first surveyed two different existing kitchen designs to understand current needs and use of space in a time-motion study, highlighting areas of improvement, kitchen shortcuts and recommended pieces of cutting-edge kitchen equipment. Synergy presented comprehensive strategic plan to provide a best-in-class and fully integrated POS, KDS, online/mobile order, call center, delivery dispatch and driver system, real-time Guest order updates, improved reporting and KPI scoreboard, and labor management systems. Synergy then helped build several new press-worthy kitchens and will be involved in retrofitting the new design into existing locations.

# Outcome & Benefits

“We are getting a 90% customer-satisfaction rating on all points: food, quality, speed of service and accuracy of order. The new kitchen design has played a key role.” - Ricardo Castillo, V.P. of Operations

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Atria Senior Living faced the challenge of avoiding repetitive menu offerings in their dining rooms while also wanting to provide their chefs with the flexibility to tailor menus to local demographics and tastes. They needed a solution that would introduce variety and excitement to their menus without compromising on the consistency and quality of their foodservice across multiple locations.

# Solution

Synergy Restaurant Consultants embarked on an extensive assessment, touring multiple Atria Senior Living locations across the country. This allowed the Synergy team to thoroughly evaluate their existing practices and identify areas for improvement. Based on the findings, comprehensive document outlining recommendations for a dynamic yet structured menu planning process was developed. This strategy aimed to strike a balance between innovation and consistency, ensuring that each location could offer unique and appealing menus while adhering to standardized procedures.

# Outcome & Benefits

The new menu planning process features diverse and appealing menus that can be adapted to regional preferences. This not only enhances the dining experience for residents but also boosts employee satisfaction by empowering chefs to be creative and responsive to local tastes.

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Toppers Pizza has worked with Synergy on several projects and we have found them to be instrumental in helping us create strategies surrounding changes to our menu and product line. With Synergy’s out of the box thinking and practical approach to each project, we have been able to reduce operational complexity and improve profitability.

Synergy provided the type of menu analysis, operations savvy and strategic product development that allows Toppers Pizza to remain ahead of the competition.

Synergy remains a trusted consulting partner to Toppers Pizza due to our excellent experience in working with their talented team.

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Topper’s is a successful pizza delivery concept that has a strong brand following, competes directly with Papa John’s and Domino’s type operators, and has a sales mix of up to 70+% pickup or delivery. Their business model is to become the local pizza delivery concept and take market share from the national brands. The concept is challenging and difficult to operate for new franchises and the unit level profitability is not at acceptable levels for the franchise community. Moreover, management believes there is a reasonable amount of waste and there are menu items that have a very high food cost. Topper’s lacks a menu innovation/product development strategy.

# Solution

Synergy was retained by the fast growing franchise pizza brand to refine the brand’s overall positioning, conduct menu engineering of the current menu, develop new innovative menu item concepts that were a fit to their brand positioning, conduct quantitative consumer research including a TURF analysis to validate the menu and new menu concepts and then develop the new products identified in the research.

# Outcome & Benefits

At Synergy we connect your vision with our vast experience and deep knowledge of what it takes to make a restaurant successful. We’ve helped hundreds of start-ups and well-known existing foodservice operations with challenging issues. If it has to do with a restaurant, it’s in our wheelhouse.

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We have been working with Dean and his team for the last month and can’t say enough how knowledgeable and professional the entire team is. We were in need of an expert to evaluate our operations and provide us with a plan on how to minimize costs, improve efficiency, drive sales and create a marketing plan to increase revenue in our catering and banquet operations. We are a work in progress and many thanks to the entire Synergy Team for the great work thus far!

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Bad to the Bone, a BBQ restaurant in Orange County, CA, had experienced tremendous growth, and Synergy had worked with the brand to significantly improve profitability. When COVID-19 hit the US, the restaurant world was turned upside down and the owners feared they would need to close their doors. They turned again to Synergy to create a plan for operating during stay-at-home orders.

# Solution

Synergy worked with the client on a well-rounded strategy to pivot operations to handle the new normal. Our team created family to-go meal packs as well as curbside delivery with QR code pickup, and also created graphics and outdoor signage to communicate ease of pickup. To drive guest traffic, we created new, innovative promotions. We developed and executed a robust social media strategy and conducted photo shoots to create an updated library of images to use across platforms. The team also redesigned digital and printed menu boards as well as table tents and indoor signage. To assist with staff adoption and compliance, a well-designed 33-page standard operating procedure (SOP) document was created to address new safety standards.

# Outcome & Benefits

The work the team put in paid off. The restaurant’s Mother’s Day promotion led to more than $20K in sales and Father’s Day sales topped $38K in just one day. The brand’s overall image has been elevated both digitally and in-store, and we continue to work with the team to improve operations and marketing efforts.

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# Challenge

Salt & Lime Modern Taqueria, a chef-driven, fast-casual restaurant, needed to refine their concept strategy, clearly articulate their vision, and develop a robust financial plan to secure their desired location and ensure a successful opening.

# Solution

Synergy Restaurant Consultants collaborated closely with Salt & Lime to refine their concept strategy. We developed a comprehensive concept book and a detailed five-year financial plan, which included market feasibility studies and collateral materials. These resources were designed to clearly communicate the founder’s vision to commercial landlords and investors.

# Outcome & Benefits

Salt & Lime Modern Taqueria secured their desired location and opened with impressive results. In the first 80 days, they achieved $246,000 in sales with an average guest check of $34.15. Catering orders exceeded projections, bringing in over $5,000 in sales. Additionally, the average guest check surpassed original goals by $8.

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# Challenge

Over a decade after the new millennium, the T.G.I. Friday’s brand was again ready to address other areas in need of change. T.G.I. Friday’s contacted Synergy Consultants to help develop a compelling new restaurant kitchen and bar prototype design that was fully optimized and would re-establish the brand’s position with innovative foods and beverages, an improved guest experience, and an updated restaurant design strategy to meet the needs of the evolving guest.

# Solution

Synergy implemented changes that reduced kitchen labor requirements by thousands of hours year over year in the optimized locations. Additionally, Synergy tested new equipment to introduce further labor efficiencies and to improve execution and ticket times, reducing energy costs by 25 percent. Synergy designed a kitchen around these efficiencies, which was implemented to great success.

# Outcome & Benefits

At Synergy we connect your vision with our vast experience and deep knowledge of what it takes to make a restaurant successful. We’ve helped hundreds of start-ups and well-known existing foodservice operations with challenging issues. If it has to do with a restaurant, it’s in our wheelhouse.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Arooga’s has strong brand recognition in their home market, but franchisees in other regions struggled to replicate the financial success of the company stores. In a collaboration between a franchisee and the founder, Synergy was asked to identify ways to increase store sales and brand awareness in the franchise markets to improve AUVs at current locations and to create a corporate structure and strategy that will support the long-term success of the brand.

# Solution

Synergy completed a holistic assessment of both company stores and franchise locations, including an assessment of the off-premise sales program and marketing strategy. In addition to identifying opportunities to improve execution of the concept, Synergy completed a sales training workshop to

# Outcome & Benefits

- Optimized catering menu with proper menu engineering, updated packages and design elements - Created local store marketing program for all Aroogas locations (franchisees and company owned) - Created SOPs for catering program - Updated custom and non custom packaging suite - Streamline and optimize 3rd party menu and partnerships - Wrote LSM playbook for all stores - Wrote catering training guide and playbook for all stores - Provided tools and templates for order taking, guest recovery, best practices and roles/responsibilities. - Negotiated lower monthly CRM rates - Recommended and assisted in onboarding for new technology to streamline takeout/delivery Training: - Local Store Marketing training with all General Managers and leadership team - Catering Training with Sales and Marketing team and catering leads - CRM Training with all General Managers and catering team

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Rick Larson purchased the historic Rex Restaurant & Bar in downtown Billings, Montana, with the goal of opening Buffalo Block, leveraging the unique building to create a dual-character concept split between a fine-dining steakhouse and elevated pub with a full-service bar.

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Initially, Synergy was enlisted to complete a concept development project, creating a concept book and financial model based on the brand development session. Once the concept was approved, the Synergy culinary team completed menu development using strategic ingredient planning to produce a well balanced menu that would be consistently executable by the staff. Synergy also designed the restaurant’s logo and brand identity system, helped the ownership team select and hire a Executive Chef and General Manager, and conducted a two-day strategic planning session with the new restaurant management team to establish operating and training procedures.

# Solution

The Synergy team created the culinary and operations groundwork to organize the concept for a successful launch. By first hiring the Executive Chef and General Manager, the Synergy operations team led the strategic planning session while heavily involving the new managers. The result was a smooth opening for Buffalo Block and a successful new restaurant to meet the needs of Billings’ natives and visitors.

# Outcome & Benefits

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Entrepreneurs looking to create a community hub and unique event venue purchased an outdated facility in a bedroom community near Calgary. The new owners asked Synergy to visit the site to evaluate the opportunity at the location, review facility capabilities to advise on renovation strategies and to survey the competitive set to develop a new concept that would fill a void in the local market.

# Solution

After reviewing the plans and walking the property, Synergy helped the client team reorganize the space to incorporate an open kitchen and dining bar and relocated the existing bar to an underutilized area of the property to create a warm and inviting lounge area at the entrance. The founders were led through a rigorous development process to define high-level details of their concept that included a review of the competitive landscape and a discovery tour in Southern California. The target market needs, wants, and expectations were clearly defined. An exploration of core values brought service and hospitality to the forefront. Throughout the start-up process, Synergy was re-engaged to provide support in the areas of kitchen design, interior design value engineering, as well as culinary support for menu development. Flores & Pine opened their doors July 2019 to rave reviews.

# Outcome & Benefits

While the restaurant was predicted to see a slow launch, covers far exceeded estimates and staff had to learn in a “trial by fire” atmosphere. What the owners discovered is that, with Synergy, they had developed the concept so well and identified the needs of their target audience so completely that their most frequent users were coming four to five times per week. Revenues are far exceeding expectations and the group expects to be profitable within 9 months of opening.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Jorge Castro and his family own and operate 7 successful Mexican restaurants in Oregon and Washington State. Jorge originally hired Synergy to develop a restaurant concept and menu items for a new restaurant. After that project was underway, he brought Synergy on for a comprehensive operations assessment to streamline operating expenses and create a solid corporate structure for his existing group, while finding meaningful ways to increase revenue through catering, delivery, and private dining sales to fund expansion plans.

# Solution

Subject matter experts from culinary, training, finance, marketing, operations, supply chain, and HR participated in a deep dive assessment and delivered a system of support services to reenergize, optimize, and systematize all of the existing restaurants. Part of this support effort included an engagement with a fractional COO to run the project and provide executive coaching. The management tem completed a DiSC assessment and evaluation with and Director-level and store-level management coaching was also provided to help build a solid management bench and platform for future growth. The Synergy team worked closely with Jorge’s organization to create an “employer of choice” culture and organizational structure to attract and keep top employees by giving them the opportunity to advance through the system.

# Outcome & Benefits

Synergy trained the culinary team on recipe optimization processes, increased revenues by implementing targeted in-house promotional strategies, helped the company hire new management team members, and institute a new catering and delivery program with a robust marketing strategy to promote the initiatives.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Synergy was asked by the chain to create a new BOH design that would improve throughput and ticket times to allow the new prototype to achieve an increased sales volume without increasing the footprint.

# Solution

Huddle House serves breakfast all day (which represents 60-65% of sales) and with the convergence of the all-day menu selection, it creates numerous “choke points” that impact productivity, capacity, throughput and flow. The goal of the assignment was to assess all areas of prep, kitchen production, line and ticket flow, expo and dining areas to identify meaningful ways to improve throughput and capacity, with the possibility for new technologies and cooking platforms to support $800.00 per hour during peak ticket times.

# Outcome & Benefits

The new prototype, Huddle House’s “Evolution” redesign is outperforming the previous store design by 31.5% in sales, the company says.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Uno Pizzeria & Grill was a 75-year-old company looking to develop a disruptive iteration of their concept focusing on the core competencies and heritage of their brand to move out of the bar and grill segment into the restaurant-bar segment, leading with pizza and beer. The goal was to develop a prototype design and revised menu for an initial location to serve as a model for future scalability and franchisee profitability while helping guests discover a new way to experience the original Chicago deep-dish pizza.

# Solution

Synergy Restaurant Consultants took the management team on a discovery tour to survey best-in-class, on-trend, and relevant concepts to provide insights for how to position their refreshed concept. This analysis culminated in a brand positioning session resulting in a conceptual framework and new brand positioning statement designed to engage younger consumers by providing faster service and multiple points of access for guests to interact with the new experiential concept. This new strategy incorporated innovative technology to facilitate quick service times as well as a “store within a store” to support off premise sales. A key focus of the project was determining the best method for baking their signature deep-dish pizza in the new prototype with the goal of creating a consistent product that was on par with the original recipe served at their heritage locations but with a shorter cook time. As part of this project, Synergy completed equipment testing to find the best method for swiftly cooking the deep-dish pies as well as a labor efficiency and BOH optimization project.

# Outcome & Benefits

Synergy’s process created alignment among Uno’s management team and key stakeholders on the new positioning and strategic direction for the brand. Based on that strategy, the Synergy design team created a dynamic new prototype design with a dedicated takeout area, central and vibrant bar and an experiential environment to support the brand’s growth goals.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

The Harbor Grill is a well-established seafood restaurant located in the Dana Point Marina. With three years left on their current lease and flatlining profits, Harbor Grill needed to streamline operations, increase sales, and evolve the concept for future success within the larger Marina Redevelopment project.

# Solution

The Synergy team performed a three-day operations and marketing assessment to determine the best potential opportunities for efficiencies, cost savings, and improvements in the execution of the brand strategy. We initially visited the restaurant as paying guests, and then observed operations procedures, management and marketing programs, and company culture to establish a baseline for future development. We ultimately delivered a comprehensive set of operations recommendations as well as a list of “low-hanging fruit” tactics that the operator could implement to immediately impact sales. To help the restaurant team focus, we encouraged them to raise check average by $3 per person by adding higher-dollar weekend specials, elevating plate presentations to enhance value perception, and promote hyper-seasonal items to create a sense of urgency.

# Outcome & Benefits

With the Harbor Grill team focused on the $3 PPA increase and implementing our strategies, they saw an increase of $4.42 per person within a month.

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# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ faced significant challenges with rising labor costs. They needed to streamline their operations and reduce expenses without compromising on product quality or customer experience.

# Solution

Solution: Synergy Restaurant Consultants conducted a thorough Operations Assessment, identifying critical areas for improvement in Lucille’s production systems. By adopting a commissary approach and centralizing prep work, we optimized the use of higher-priced employees and implemented a demand-based production schedule. This strategy saved Lucille’s roughly 25 to 30 hours per week in labor costs. Building on this success, we rolled out these efficient systems across several locations, making strategic menu recommendations to further reduce labor costs and enhance consistency. Additionally, we identified opportunities to minimize front-of-house side work and optimize overall labor deployment, leading to further cost savings.

# Outcome & Benefits

Through our comprehensive approach, Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ achieved significant time and cost savings while improving product quality. The implementation of centralized prep work and strategic operational changes enabled Lucille’s to effectively combat rising labor costs and maintain high standards of service and food quality.

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# Testimonial

# CASE STUDY

# Challenge

Prominent entrepreneurs in Oakdale, CA, acquired a former café with the vision of transforming it into an elevated yet approachable American grill. They faced several key challenges: redefining the café's concept and developing a unique, high-quality menu, designing the back-of-house, developing infrastructure to support the new concept, establishing efficient operating and training procedures for the new restaurant management team, creating comprehensive training materials and operating infrastructure, and ensuring a smooth launch with continued success.

# Solution

To address these challenges, the entrepreneurs partnered with Synergy to leverage their expertise. Synergy's team meticulously crafted a new concept and developed a menu aimed at delivering a best-in-class dining experience. They designed the BOH layout and conducted a two-day strategic planning session with the new restaurant management team to establish robust operating and training procedures. All necessary training materials and operating systems were created, and Synergy trained the opening team on the menu items and procedures, ensuring they were well-prepared for the launch. Additionally, Synergy provided on-site support throughout the opening process and continued their support for a period of 90 days to guarantee a smooth and successful opening.

# Outcome & Benefits

The collaboration between the Oakdale entrepreneurs and Synergy led to the successful transformation of the former café into an elevated American grill. The new grill featured a highly refined and appealing dining concept that attracted customers, a best-in-class menu that set it apart from competitors, and efficient operating procedures established through strategic planning. The well-trained team delivered exceptional service, and the smooth, successful launch was supported by ongoing on-site assistance, ensuring operational stability and growth during the critical initial period. This strategic partnership and comprehensive approach not only met but exceeded the entrepreneurs' vision, establishing the new grill as a standout dining destination in Oakdale, CA.

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