A fast casual restaurant group was expanding aggressively but flying financially blind. No location-level P&Ls, no labor efficiency metrics, no food cost variance tracking. We built the financial cockpit the business was missing.
+28%
EBITDA Growth in 6 Months
14
KPIs Tracked Per Location
2
Underperforming Locations ID'd
7→6
Portfolio Rationalized to Profit
Illustrative example based on a real engagement. Figures are representative and anonymized to protect client confidentiality.
The client had built a 7-location fast casual concept from a single location in 5 years. Revenue was $6.8M and growing. But the owner was making location expansion decisions, staffing decisions, and menu decisions based almost entirely on intuition — because no meaningful financial data existed at the location level.
Monthly P&Ls were consolidated — there was no way to know which locations were profitable, which were drag on the portfolio, or what was driving variance between locations. Labor and food cost data existed in operational systems but had never been connected to a financial reporting layer.
The result: the owner was unknowingly subsidizing two locations that were consuming the margin generated by the other five — and had been about to sign a lease for an 8th location.
No Location-Level P&Ls
All financials consolidated — no location profitability view
Labor Cost Blind Spot
No labor % tracked by location — 2 locations running 38%+ labor cost
Food Cost Not Tracked
Variance between theoretical and actual food cost not measured
No Throughput Metrics
Revenue per labor hour and check average not tracked
Redesigned the accounting structure to capture revenue and costs at location level. Integrated POS system data with financial reporting for real-time visibility.
Built a weekly dashboard reporting 14 KPIs per location: revenue, AUV, traffic count, check average, food cost %, labor %, COGS, contribution margin, prime cost, and more.
Once data was live, two locations immediately showed unsalvageable unit economics. One location was closed; the second was repositioned with a new manager and menu pricing update.
KPIs Tracked Per Location
EBITDA Growth: +28% in 6 Months
Driven by location rationalization and labor/food cost optimization across the portfolio
2 Underperforming Locations Identified Immediately
Data that should have existed for years revealed within the first week of dashboard go-live
Portfolio Food Cost: 34% → 28%
Variance tracking revealed $180K in annual waste that was immediately recoverable
Labor Cost: 38% → 31% at Problem Locations
Scheduling optimization informed by hourly revenue-per-labor-hour data
8th Location Expansion: Paused, Then Repriced
Data allowed a data-backed go/no-go decision with financial modeling for the new site
Client Outcome
"I had been running 7 restaurants and had no idea which ones were actually making money. We built the dashboard and within a week I could see the whole picture clearly for the first time. We made decisions in 30 days that I should have made two years ago."
— Owner & Operator, Fast Casual Restaurant Group (7 locations)
We'll build your location-level KPI dashboard and give you the financial visibility to make better decisions every week.
