Case Studies

Real Restaurant Turnarounds: 3 Case Studies That Cut Costs and Boosted Profits

No theory. Just three operators who plugged profit leaks with the RPS stack. See the before/after numbers and the exact tools they used.

RPS Case Studies • Real operators, real results
Reading time: about 9 minutes
Case Studies & Proof

The short version

Three restaurants—one casual, one fine-dining, one food truck—used free RPS calculators to diagnose leaks, then upgraded to the Live Menu Engine for live control. Food cost dropped 4–7 points, labor stayed under 30%, and net profit jumped 8–12%.

These aren’t “guru” stories. They’re operators who ran the math, fixed the line, and kept the gains.

Case #1: Urban Bistro – Food Cost Leak Fixed in 30 Days

Profile: 65-seat casual spot, $1.8M annual sales, 34% food cost, owner-managed.

The problem

  • Prime cost hovering at 68%—no room for error.
  • Monthly invoices matched budget, but plate costs were 15% over spec.
  • Staff “eyeballing” portions on high-volume items like pasta and fries.

The fix (30-day sprint)

  • Week 1: Ran Yield Test Calculator on proteins and produce—found 22% cook loss vs. 15% assumed.
  • Week 2: Built Recipe Cost Cards for top 10 sellers—locked portions with labeled scoops.
  • Week 3: Spot-weighed plates during service; retrained line on “level scoop only.”
  • Week 4: Switched to Live Menu Engine ($299 + $10/mo) to auto-update costs weekly.

The numbers

Before: Food cost 34% → After: 27.2% (saved $11,400/month on $140k food spend)

Owner quote: “I thought vendors were the issue. Turns out it was the 2 oz of cheese we were giving away nightly.”

Case #2: Downtown Steakhouse – Labor % Tamed Without Cutting Staff

Profile: 90 seats, fine-dining, $2.4M sales, labor at 36% on busy weekends.

The problem

  • Weekend rushes meant over-staffing to avoid complaints.
  • No visibility into actual vs. scheduled hours.
  • Prime cost north of 70%—owner taking home less than the GM.

The fix (45-day rollout)

  • Used Labor Planner to model sales per labor hour ($85 target).
  • Built Prime Cost Calculator dashboard—tracked daily.
  • Cut cross-training gaps; moved two cooks to flexible prep/server roles.
  • Integrated with Toast POS for live sales → scheduled hours auto-alerts.

The numbers

Before: Labor 36% → After: 29% (saved $9,200/month on $320k labor)

Bonus: Guest satisfaction up 8% (fewer rushed tables).

Case #3: Taco Truck Fleet – Delivery Margins Rescued

Profile: 3 trucks, $900k combined sales, 40% of revenue via DoorDash/Uber Eats.

The problem

  • Commission fees eating 30% of delivery checks.
  • Menu prices identical online vs. in-truck—zero margin buffer.
  • Owner guessing on “profitable” items for third-party menus.

The fix (21-day pivot)

  • Ran Delivery Margin Calculator on every item—found only 3 of 12 tacos profitable.
  • Created delivery-only menu with +15% pricing and bundled sides.
  • Used Menu Engineering Matrix to kill Dogs, push Stars on apps.
  • One-time Live Menu Engine setup ($999) to sync prices across platforms.

The numbers

Before: Delivery contribution 6% → After: 19% (added $4,800/month net)

Owner quote: “We were subsidizing Uber Eats. Now they pay us.”

Common threads across all three

  • Started with free calculators to diagnose (no cost, no risk).
  • Fixed the line before touching vendors or prices.
  • Upgraded to Live Menu Engine once manual tracking got old.
  • Measured weekly—gains held because the system enforced them.
You don’t need a consultant. Run one calculator on your biggest leak this week. The numbers don’t lie.

Where the RPS tools plug in

Every case used the same stack you have access to:

  • Recipe Cost Card + Yield Test: Lock portion reality.
  • Prime Cost + Labor Planner: Keep total costs under 60%.
  • Delivery Margin + Menu Engineering: Make third-party pay.
  • Live Menu Engine: Stop babysitting spreadsheets—let costs update live.

Simple next step for your restaurant

Pick the leak that hurts most—food cost, labor, or delivery.

  • Grab the matching calculator from The Vault.
  • Run it on your top 3 sellers this week.
  • Fix one portion, one schedule, or one delivery price.

Track the change for 14 days. If it sticks, scale it. If you want it automated, the Live Menu Engine is waiting.

Open Prime Cost Calculator Run Delivery Margin Explore The Vault

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FAQs

How quickly can I see results from fixing food cost?

Most operators see measurable improvement in 2-4 weeks with focused effort. The Urban Bistro case dropped 7 points in 30 days by fixing portions on just 10 items. Start with your top sellers—they move the needle fastest because they're ordered most often.

Do I need expensive software to fix my restaurant's profitability?

No. All three operators started with free calculators to diagnose the problem before spending anything. The Live Menu Engine came later, once they'd proven the fixes worked and wanted automation. Start free, upgrade when manual tracking gets old.

What's the biggest mistake restaurants make when trying to cut costs?

Cutting quality or staff instead of fixing the process. The steakhouse case dropped labor 7 points without firing anyone—they cross-trained and scheduled smarter. The taco truck raised prices on apps instead of shrinking portions. Fix the system, not the product.

How do I know which leak to fix first?

Look at your P&L and find the biggest gap between target and actual. If food cost is 34% and target is 28%, start there. If labor is 36% and target is 30%, start there. Run one calculator on your biggest pain point this week—the numbers will tell you exactly where the money's going.