Synergy Restaurant Consultants was recently retained for operations assessment by Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria in Anchorage, AK.

While Joe White is pleased that his sales are up, a great place to be in this economy, he felt things could be much better. And he felt like he was stuck in a rut and in need of a jump start and operations assessment for his 16-year-old Pizzeria concept.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants was recently retained for operations assessment by Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria in Anchorage, AK.

While Joe White is pleased that his sales are up, a great place to be in this economy, he felt things could be much better. And he felt like he was stuck in a rut and in need of a jump start and operations assessment for his 16-year-old Pizzeria concept.

Joe retained Synergy Restaurant Consultants to evaluate his entire 4-unit operations via their top-down Operations Assessment. The Operations Assessment was performed over a recent 5-day period, which included visits to each of the restaurant locations, the Central Production Kitchen, and spending time with Joe and his management team to analysis and assess their accountabilities, challenges and opportunities.

“The Synergy team evaluated every aspect of our operation, from product procurement, preparation, service both in the restaurant as well as take-out and delivery, and our operations and financial structure,” explains Joe. “We also spent a great deal of time discussing marketing and sales building strategies that will have a an immediate, positive impact on our sale and bottom line profits. Prior to their departure, they compiled a list of recommendations for positive change, ‘low hanging fruit’, gleaned from the Operations Assessment, that we will begin working on as soon as possible.”

In addition to observing operations, Synergy spent a great deal of time assessing menu selections for flavor, presentation, perceived value and consistency in preparation from location to location. Furthermore, they spent several hours perusing the competition, gathering information on competitive price comparison, quality evaluations and similarities in an effort to make recommendations that will differentiate Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria from the rest of the pizza ‘pack’.

Synergy provides a portfolio of turnkey restaurant solutions designed to help operators develop sustainable brands and scalable concepts for growth. Our solid hands-on experience in hundreds of restaurants across the United States, Canada, South America and Saudi Arabia has made us a trusted authority on innovation and restaurant operating efficiencies. www.synergyconsultants.com.

Industry experts Synergy Restaurant Consultants are pleased to announce that Jim Campbell, Restaurant Supply Chain Management Veteran and Procurement Guru will join the Synergy Restaurant Consulting Team. “Jim brings an incredible amount of restaurant supply chain management knowledge and experience to our team and will be a tremendous resource to our clients,” says Dean Small, Managing Partner of Synergy Restaurant Consultants. Jim’s primary role in the Synergy organization will be to focus on mid-scale restaurants that do not have the luxury to afford someone with his vast supply chain management experience.

Industry experts Synergy Restaurant Consultants are pleased to announce that Jim Campbell, Restaurant Supply Chain Management Veteran and Procurement Guru will join the Synergy Restaurant Consulting Team. “Jim brings an incredible amount of restaurant supply chain management knowledge and experience to our team and will be a tremendous resource to our clients,” says Dean Small, Managing Partner of Synergy Restaurant Consultants. Jim’s primary role in the Synergy organization will be to focus on mid-scale restaurants that do not have the luxury to afford someone with his vast supply chain management experience.

Jim will be a great asset to our team and clients as he has extraordinary experience at negotiating long term protein and commodity contracts and has over 30 years of experience developing regional and national distribution programs
 
“We believe with Jim’s Restaurant Supply Chain Management experience and our overall ability as efficiency experts to reduce food and labor costs we now play an integral role in any organizations plans to improve their financial performance, turnaround or expansion,” continued Mr. Small.

Jim has 30 years of Restaurant Supply Chain Management experience with a dozen different restaurant concepts from fast food to fine dining. His career in Restaurant Supply Chain Management began with Far West Services as a Director of Purchasing for Ruben’s, Coco’s, and the Ruben E. Lee where he built an effective Restaurant Supply Chain Management Department and began to develop his expertise in commodity analysis and contract negotiations.

At Restaurant Enterprise Group he was a Vice President of Purchasing for concepts including El Torito, Gladstone’s for Fish, RJ’s Ribs, Baxter’s, Charlie Brown’s, Houlihan’s, Del Taco, and Jojo’s. With sales at Restaurant Enterprise Group in excess of $1 billion Jim was responsible for a Restaurant Supply Chain that spent in excess of $300 million annually. He served as Vice President of Purchasing and Distribution for American Restaurant Group concepts Black Angus Steakhouse, Spoons, Velvet Turtle, Grandy’s, and National Sports Grill.

“Jim will be a great asset to our team and clients as he has extraordinary experience at negotiating long term protein and commodity contracts and has over 30 years of experience developing regional and national distribution programs,” says Managing Partner, Dean Small.

Synergy provides a portfolio of turnkey restaurant solutions designed to help operators improve their financial performance. Our solid hands-on experience in hundreds of restaurants across the United States, Canada, South America and Saudi Arabia has made us a trusted authority on restaurant operating efficiencies and restaurant supply chain management.

Fired Up Inc., parent of the 170-unit casual-dining Johnny Carino’s Country Italian chain, has retained Synergy Restaurant Consultants to enhance and accelerate the brand with their  menu development, unique restaurant expertise and creativity.  “At Carino’s, we maintain a very aggressive development schedule, and since we have been working with Dean and Danny, our menu efforts have been the most significant and profitable they have been in our history” says Chris Peitersen, Vice President of Culinary Operations, Johnny Carino’s Italian Executive Chef.

Fired Up Inc., parent of the 170-unit casual-dining Johnny Carino’s Country Italian chain, has retained Synergy Restaurant Consultants to enhance and accelerate the brand with their  menu development, unique restaurant expertise and creativity.  “At Carino’s, we maintain a very aggressive development schedule, and since we have been working with Dean and Danny, our menu efforts have been the most significant and profitable they have been in our history” says Chris Peitersen, Vice President of Culinary Operations, Johnny Carino’s Italian Executive Chef.

Carino’s new restaurant design and hospitality showcase emphasizes their open kitchens and the open-flame grill featured in each unit.  Synergy Restaurant Consultants developed new and innovative menu selections that took full advantage of the high profile grill. At the same time, the chain launched its first national restaurant marketing campaign. It highlights the message that Carino’s is “not your garden-variety Italian.” The restaurant openings and marketing includes television commercials, billboards and print.

“The new Carino’s Italian Grill has entered into the working partnership with Dean Small and Danny Bendas of Synergy Consulting Group.  They have been assisting us with menu development over the past 12 months and their work has been crucial to the development of our new and enhanced menu.  When given the assignment to help us with that  menu development, their passion, creativity, and understanding of our kitchen operational procedures helped to create four new menu items that have shown great success.  At Carino’s, we maintain a very aggressive development schedule, and since we have been working with Dean and Danny, our menu efforts have been the most significant and profitable they have been in our history.”  

“I would highly recommend Synergy Restaurant Consultants to assist anyone in need of menu development and kitchen operations coaching.  Their restaurant consulting work is communicated in an efficient manner and contains the thorough content we need to make it successful” exclaimed Chris Peitersen Vice President of Culinary Operations.

Realizing the importance of high staff morale, and high quality ‘fuel’ for all guests, the Executive Staff decided to try a different, more innovative approach to what is really a Hospital Food Court. Because the majority of Operations Assessment projects Synergy completes involve the commercial restaurant segment, the Parkland team decided that a totally different, ‘outside-the-box’ perspective was needed. Having analyzed more than sixty (60) restaurant companies via their Operations Assessment protocol, Synergy was the perfect choice to complete this recent assessment.

Realizing the importance of high staff morale, and high quality ‘fuel’ for all guests, the Executive Staff decided to try a different, more innovative approach to what is really a Hospital Food Court. Because the majority of Operations Assessment projects Synergy completes involve the commercial restaurant segment, the Parkland team decided that a totally different, ‘outside-the-box’ perspective was needed. Having analyzed more than sixty (60) restaurant companies via their Operations Assessment protocol, Synergy was the perfect choice to complete this recent assessment.
    
“Synergy representatives spent five days with us performing their Operations Assessment, observing all aspects of our business, following the flow of purchasing, receiving, production and service to our guests through the Breakfast, Lunch and Evening meal periods”, says Celia Krazit, Operations Director for the food service venues. “They left no stone unturned, and prepared a detailed report with untold numbers of valuable recommendations that we feel will improve guest satisfaction, guest counts and revenues while making us much more productive and efficient, resulting in reduced operating costs.”

In addition to the Operations Assessment, Synergy provided Celia and her team with their objective judgments regarding food and beverage quality, price-value perceptions, plating/presentation recommendations, alternative menu selections, new product opportunities and product display suggestions, all designed to enhance the overall guest experience. Finally, they prepared a rough draft plan for a potential cafe renovation, with suggestions for new stations that will move Parkland into the next generation of food innovation designed to maintain a high degree of staff ‘dine-in’ retention and satisfaction.   

Synergy provides a portfolio of turnkey restaurant solutions designed to help operators develop sustainable brands and scalable concepts for growth. Our solid hands-on experience in hundreds of restaurants across the United States, Canada, South America and Saudi Arabia has made us a trusted authority on innovation and restaurant operating efficiencies. www.synergyconsultants.com

Corbin’s Grille, a new restaurant start up has opened next to the new convention center in Layton, Utah to overwhelming reviews. “This new restaurant start up has exceeded all of our wildest expectations” explains Jake Garn, President of Corbin’s Grille.

Corbin’s Grille a new restaurant start up has opened next to the new convention center in Layton, Utah to overwhelming reviews. “This new restaurant start up has exceeded all of our wildest expectations” explains Jake Garn, President of Corbin’s Grille.

Corbin’s Grille is the perfect destination for wedding and anniversary parties, as well as business and company dinner presentations. The restaurant start up has seating capacity of up to 80 people and Corbin’s also offers semi-private rooms in its main restaurant and can comfortably seat groups of up to 60 people.

“Corbin’s Grille is truly been a wonderful addition to our dining landscape and the restaurant start up is bringing new guests from Salt Lake City to Layton. There’s probably more business done in restaurants than in any other establishment,” says Melva Sine, president of the Utah Restaurant Association. Utah’s restaurants provide a great opportunity to take people out and add a social atmosphere to business. And, you know, the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.”

“To start up a restaurant with the goal of making money requires a combination of great ideas, sound financial advice, innovative design, great food and sound operating systems are essential.  We retained the Synergy team for our restaurant start up because of extensive knowledge and experience with new restaurant start ups.  The vision of Corbin’s Grille has been long in the planning stages with many challenges along the road.  It was our goal to make this restaurant start up successful from the moment we opened the doors and that is why we choose Synergy Restaurant Consultants as our partner. The Managing Partners Dean Small and Danny Bendas brought innovative service ideas and the passion for operational excellence which is absolutely required for any new restaurant start up. 

“We were developing a restaurant start up that featured aged Black Angus Beef and seafood cooked over hard wood and had limited restaurant start up experience, and wanted to avoid expensive pit stops along the way.  After my initial meeting with Dean Small of Synergy Restaurant Consultants I told my financial backer that if we hired Synergy our restaurant start up would win awards.  Synergy played an integral role in every step of the process in the creation of Corbin’s Grille” explains Jake Garn.

“Dean and his partner Danny Bendas were instrumental in developing the menu, all the recipes, designing the kitchen, developing the operational infrastructure, strategic planning and implementing the management systems and beverage strategy.  Within six months of the restaurant start up we received some of the converted awards. Retaining Synergy as a partner was unequivocally the best decision I made.” exclaimed Jake Garn, President, Corbin’s Grille.

Recent Corbin’s Grille Awards include:

“Best Steaks in Utah” Utah Business Magazine, Corporate Dining Awards.
“Best New Restaurant in Utah” Salt Lake City Weekly, Best in State Awards
“Best Appetizer” Spinach Artichoke Dip, Davis Chamber of Commerce, Taste of the Town Event

About Synergy Restaurant Consultants:

Synergy Restaurant Consultants specialize in a single restaurant start up or chain of locations. With 20 years of consulting experience, Synergy is the choice for a restaurant start up. With expertise in helping over 200 of the country’s leading restaurants increase profits, Synergy will help start up your restaurant the right way. 

Corbin’s Grille a new restaurant start up has opened next to the new convention center in Layton, Utah to overwhelming reviews. “This new restaurant start up has exceeded all of our wildest expectations” explains Jake Garn, President of Corbin’s Grille.

Corbin’s Grille is the perfect destination for wedding and anniversary parties, as well as business and company dinner presentations. The restaurant start up has seating capacity of up to 80 people and Corbin’s also offers semi-private rooms in its main restaurant and can comfortably seat groups of up to 60 people.

“Corbin’s Grille is truly been a wonderful addition to our dining landscape and the restaurant start up is bringing new guests from Salt Lake City to Layton. There’s probably more business done in restaurants than in any other establishment,” says Melva Sine, president of the Utah Restaurant Association. Utah’s restaurants provide a great opportunity to take people out and add a social atmosphere to business. And, you know, the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach.”

“To start up a restaurant with the goal of making money requires a combination of great ideas, sound financial advice, innovative design, great food and sound operating systems are essential.  We retained the Synergy team for our restaurant start up because of extensive knowledge and experience with new restaurant start ups.  The vision of Corbin’s Grille has been long in the planning stages with many challenges along the road.  It was our goal to make this restaurant start up successful from the moment we opened the doors and that is why we choose Synergy Restaurant Consultants as our partner. The Managing Partners Dean Small and Danny Bendas brought innovative service ideas and the passion for operational excellence which is absolutely required for any new restaurant start up. 

“We were developing a restaurant start up that featured aged Black Angus Beef and seafood cooked over hard wood and had limited restaurant start up experience, and wanted to avoid expensive pit stops along the way.  After my initial meeting with Dean Small of Synergy Restaurant Consultants I told my financial backer that if we hired Synergy our restaurant start up would win awards.  Synergy played an integral role in every step of the process in the creation of Corbin’s Grille” explains Jake Garn.

“Dean and his partner Danny Bendas were instrumental in developing the menu, all the recipes, designing the kitchen, developing the operational infrastructure, strategic planning and implementing the management systems and beverage strategy.  Within six months of the restaurant start up we received some of the converted awards. Retaining Synergy as a partner was unequivocally the best decision I made.” exclaimed Jake Garn, President, Corbin’s Grille.

Recent Corbin’s Grille Awards include:

“Best Steaks in Utah” Utah Business Magazine, Corporate Dining Awards.
“Best New Restaurant in Utah” Salt Lake City Weekly, Best in State Awards
“Best Appetizer” Spinach Artichoke Dip, Davis Chamber of Commerce, Taste of the Town Event

About Synergy Restaurant Consultants:

Synergy Restaurant Consultants specialize in a single restaurant start up or chain of locations. With 20 years of consulting experience, Synergy is the choice for a restaurant start up. With expertise in helping over 200 of the country’s leading restaurants increase profits, Synergy will help start up your restaurant the right way.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants is excited to announce that premier restaurant designer Margee Drews will partner with the firm as Senior Associate heading up restaurant conversions, remodels and new concept design.  Margee Drews has an incredible eye for turning space and restaurant design visions into reality.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants is excited to announce that premier restaurant designer Margee Drews will partner with the firm as Senior Associate heading up restaurant conversions, remodels and new concept design.  Margee Drews has an incredible eye for turning space and restaurant design visions into reality.

Margee was the Director of Restaurant Design for Acapulco Restaurants, Long Beach CA and Senior Interior Restaurant Designer at Beckham Eisenman Commercial Design in Irvine CA and In�house Interior Restaurant Designer for El Torito Restaurants located in Irvine Ca.

With leading edge innovation, dramatic resourcefulness and practical experience extending over two decades, Margee has displayed her distinctive restaurant design, amazing creativity, extensive resources and organizational abilities to restaurant organizations across the nation.  Such renowned chains and restaurants as California Pizza Kitchen, Marie Callender’s, Impresario Restaurant at the Los Angeles Music Center, Amazing Jake’s Food and Fun, Chevy’s Restaurants, Crazy Horse Saloon, Mozambique Restaurant in Laguna Beach CA and dozens of other high profile restaurants have benefited from her restaurant design efforts.

 Margee creates the magic and makes the dining experience come together in her restaurant design due to her ability to visualize the potential of a space and make creative and economical  recommendations that work with today’s new budget constraints.

Margee is an Allied Member of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH) and Illuminating Engineers Society (IES).   Ms. Drews is a graduate from California State University, Long Beach where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design with a Minor in Industrial Design.

 In her new role Ms. Drews will be an integral part of Synergy Restaurant Consultant’s trend setting, leading edge restaurant design team.  

About Synergy Restaurant Consultants: Synergy is a nationally recognized firm that holds a 20 year legacy of success developing new restaurant concepts and collaborating in restaurant design with some of the most talented restaurant designers. As a leading authority on new restaurant start-ups our restaurant design team brings a wealth of experience in developing restaurant designs that create memorable dining experiences.  Synergy’s mission is to help restaurant organizations of all sizes create the magic that comes from an extraordinary restaurant design.

Premier industry experts Synergy Restaurant Consultants is pleased to announce that veteran restaurant executive Phil Ratner has joined the firm as Managing Director.

Mr. Ratner served as a CEO for more than twenty years in the casual-full service restaurant segment leaving a record of successful turnarounds with major chains.  His financial expertise and leadership skills most recently were highlighted as President and CEO of Marie Callender’s Restaurants where he improved both sales and profits and successfully merged the company with Perkins Family Restaurants.

Mr. Ratner’s record of highly successful turnarounds includes Acapulco Restaurants where he served as President and CEO for nearly ten years, taking the nearly bankrupt company and doubling its size to $90 million in sales with a 10 percent EBITDA. As Chairman, President and CEO of Spaghetti Warehouse he reduced debt from $19 million to $6 million in less than four years. He improved earnings per share from a low of $.04 to a high of $.34 by the time the company was sold.

Phil has both a Bachelors Degree and an M.B.A from Cornell University. He has served on the boards of five publicly traded restaurant companies.

In his role with Synergy Restaurant Consultants, Mr. Ratner will spearhead restaurant turnaround efforts and provide financial, operational, and structural expertise for major restaurant, hotel and hospitality chains.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants  has been retained by the hot and trendy gourmet burger concept m:brgr restaurant based out of Montreal, Canada.  “The senior restaurant management team was looking for ways to improve restaurant kitchen throughput, service and cooking capabilities along with design strategies to reduce back of house labor and complexity while improving margins” says Dean Small, Managing Partner of Synergy Restaurant Consultants.

While Montreal’s restaurant business would best be described as fragile, m:brgr – Drummond St.’s new upscale burger bar – is averaging 300 customers a day, after barely two weeks in operation.

“Synergy was chosen as the best resource to m:brgr because Synergy Restaurant Consultants are professional chefs and heave extensive experience in restaurant kitchens all over the world.  We needed sound restaurant management advice to determine what cooking platforms would be required to meet our high volume service demands.  Other needs included an assessment of our restaurant management team and recommendations to improve our hospitality solutions.  While restaurant profits have been solid we knew that with professional restaurant management consulting on our margins could be improved upon” says Steve Belitizky, CFO.

Opened in 2008 by the same owners of the renowned Moishes Steakhouse, m:brgr donates a percentage of its proceeds to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. At M:Brgr you can build your own gourmet burger, AAA Beef, Organic beef, Kobe beef, Chicken breast, Tuna and Veggie. Add your own special toppings from the traditional to the palate-tempting (torta mascarpone, apple-wood smoked bacon and grilled pineapple…), even truffle shavings (black/white) are offered – in season.

M:brgr features a wide range of gourmet hamburgers with meat selections ranging from lean, grass fed and Kobe beef.  Other unique concept features include the guest’s ability to customize their burger with gourmet sauces, exotic cheeses and toppings.  M:brgr is also know for their incredible fries which are hand cut daily. 

At m:brgr the sides are meant to compliment the most skeptical burger critic with our trio of sweet potato fries, regular fries, French fried onions, world famous “Moishes” pickles and coleslaw, poutine and grilled vegetables. The wine list, comprised primarily of exclusive imports, pairs perfectly with the menu.  M:brgr has a spacious dining area with booths, tables and chairs and can accommodate large groups or just a seat at the bar for a single individual.

m:brgr is located at 2025 Drummond St. Open Monday to Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Thursday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Hamburgers start at $8.75. Call 514-906-2747 or visit the website www.mbrgr.com for more information.

Synergy Restaurant Consultants has been retained by Patrick Myers, President and CEO of Coliseum Entertainment to help develop, open and manage “The Coliseum” a 32,000 square foot action packed entertainment center at 415 St Johns Church Road in Camp Hill, PA. “This is no ordinary entertainment complex!” says Danny Bendas, Managing Partner Of the Synergy Consulting Group.

“The Coliseum was designed with a strong food and beverage strategy in mind offering both high quality and variety. The entertainment Megaplex features two levels with the latest gaming technology and eighteen bowling alleys with live D.J.s spinning high energy music. The main level features a sports bar, a casual theme full service restaurant called Rock & Brew and a Maggie Moos Ice Cream Shoppe. The lower level features hand tossed gourmet pizzas and appetizers to support the bowling crowd. Three full service bars froth with twenty beers on tap and experienced bartenders versed in every imaginable libation” explained Bendas.

“Opening a restaurant of this magnitude” is no easy task explains Patrick Myers. “It has always been our goal to become a multi-unit, regional entertainment operator and we needed an experienced consulting firm who understood restaurant management systems and had extensive experience with chain operators.” After an extensive consultant search we decided on Synergy Restaurant Consultants because Dean and Danny promised me that they would always be by my side and save me from myself. The synergy consulting group understood our passion for food and need to execute our food, beverage and hospitality strategy to achieve our financial goals. Opening a restaurant is no easy task and we needed sound restaurant advice to insure our success.

“This was a very exciting project as it gave our team the opportunity to participate in the conceptual development, design and value engineer the concept. The Synergy team was involved in every aspect from menu development and kitchen design through training and opening. One of the most exciting parts of the project was the facilities design and recipe development process. There was extensive research required to ensure that the food was the hero and that we were addressing all of the food we developed the right menu to support the Harrisburg market. Synergy was involved in all the planning and development stages through to training and the grand opening” says Bendas.

Dean and Danny told us that starting a restaurant is like giving birth and can be a very painful experience if you do not have the right team in place. The Synergy team delivered great food, sound restaurant operating systems and a well trained restaurant management team. “Thank you for delivering what you promised and putting me in the running to be the next HOT CONCEPT!!!” Patrick Myers, President/CEO, The Coliseum

Synergy Restaurant Consultants was retained by the highly acclaimed Desert Glory Tomato Company. Desert Glory Tomatoes are well known by highly respected chefs for its natural sweetness, rich tomato flavor and unique taste. Desert Glory markets its tomatoes under the Nature Sweet brand to leading grocery stores across the nation. Desert Glory owns and operates the largest independently owned greenhouse operation in North America.

“Our goal is to show restaurant operators the value of this sweet and underutilized tomato through innovative menu development and “WOW” plate presentations.” exclaimed Dean Small Managing Partner for Synergy Restaurant Consultants. “This sweet tomato is so unique that once operators have the opportunity to taste it there will be no doubt in their mind that it is a superior product they will seek for use in their restaurant operations.”

“In today’s competitive environment if you’re not all about flavor, it’s difficult to compete. The Desert Glory tomato compliments all salads and has a wide range of center of the plate menu applications. Besides the rich flavor, the other obvious benefits are the tomato’s durability, labor saving advantages and branding opportunities.” Small summarized.