4 Books Every Restaurant Consultant Should Read

If you work as a restaurant consultant, you know that it can be a competitive business. Not only do you have to beat out other consultants, but you have to convince restaurant owners that your services are what they need to help their business grow and thrive. When it comes to adding to your knowledge of the industry and the consulting business, there’s no better place to turn than the bookshelf. There are tons of great books out there for you to choose from, but we narrowed it down to four of our favorites. Take a look.

1. Restaurant Owners Uncorked by Wil Brawley

Brawley interviews twenty restaurant owners who have seen it all. Their combined experiences make this book as entertaining as it is informative. If you’re going to help restaurant owners with their business, you need to know how they think, what works for them, what doesn’t, and what they want from their restaurant. Every owner is different, but this book presents you with an in-depth look at some of the many different types of owners.

2. Flawless Consulting by Peter Block

On the other end of the spectrum, you have to understand the consulting business fully, and realize how you can provide the best services for your customers. Flawless Consulting revolves around the importance of relationships. Developing those relationships and allowing them to flourish is emphasized in this book. But so are different aspects of successful consulting. Block also provides an outline of the consulting process that can help anyone from seasoned pros to those just starting out.

3. Setting The Table: The Transformative Power of Hospitality In Business by Danny Meyer

Meyer is the CEO of the Union Square Hospitality Group, and he believes in a concept he calls “enlightened hospitality.” You may find this concept quite different from what you’ve seen before, as it requires hospitality to be extended to the employees first, and then the customers. Yet Meyer has been wildly successful with his restaurants, including the burger chain Shake Shack. This is definitely one to pick up if you want an inside look at the mindset behind some of the most successful restaurants in NYC and around the country.

4. The Chipotle Effect by Paul Barron

Barron, an entrepreneur and the founder of FastCasual.com, wrote The Chipotle Effect not only about Chipotle, but about the fast casual revolution that has taken over dining. Barron examines the fast casual trend and its effects on the dining world as a whole, as well providing key insights into what has allowed Chipotle and other fast casual restaurants to dominate our current era. The book is full of useful information for restaurant consultants who are looking to better understand the fast casual dining experience and what it means for their clients.

All of these books offer something unique and valuable to restaurant consultants. At Marketing Vitals, that’s also how we see our data analytics software—unique and valuable to restaurant consultants. Contact us today to learn more about what our software can do for your business.