Done-For-You Consulting
A complete prime cost deep-dive that shows exactly where your food and labor dollars are going—and how to fix it. No guesswork. No dashboards you won't use. Just a clear action plan.
The Problem
Sound familiar?
You're busy, but not profitable. Sales look fine, but there's never enough left at the end of the month. Something's eating your margin—you just can't see what.
Your P&L is a mystery. Food cost feels high. Labor feels high. But you don't have time to dig through invoices and schedules to figure out where the money's actually going. A food cost consultant can do the digging for you.
You're flying blind on portion costs. You haven't re-costed recipes since prices went up. You're guessing at margins—and guessing wrong.
You don't know what to fix first. There are a hundred things you could do. But which one actually moves the needle? Without data, you're just picking at random.
Every week you wait is another week of profit walking out the door. Most operators we work with are losing 2-5% of revenue to problems they can't see.
The Solution
We do the digging. You get the answers.
The 1 Week to Prime Audit is a done-for-you diagnostic that tears apart your food cost and labor cost to show you exactly where the leaks are—and ranks every fix by profit impact so you know what to tackle first.
This isn't a dashboard or a software subscription. It's a one-time engagement where we roll up our sleeves, analyze your actual numbers, and hand you a prioritized action plan you can start using immediately.
We break down your food cost by category and your labor cost by daypart so you can finally see what's eating your margin.
Every finding is ranked by profit impact. You'll know exactly which problems are costing you the most—and which fixes will pay off fastest.
Not just a report that sits in a drawer. You get a step-by-step implementation plan with realistic timelines and measurable targets.
Who This Is For
You run your own place and wear most of the hats. You need answers, not another software tool to manage.
Big enough that a few percentage points matter. Small enough that you don't have a CFO doing this for you.
Prices went up. Labor got expensive. You know something's off, but you can't pinpoint it.
You're not looking for a report to file away. You want to fix things and see results.
You need at least 3 months of operating data for this to be useful. If you just opened, start with our free calculators.
If you have a dedicated controller or finance department, they should be doing this work—or we should talk about a different engagement.
What's Included
Everything you get at the end of the audit
Complete breakdown of your prime cost (food + labor as a percentage of sales) with benchmarks for your concept type and market.
See exactly which categories (proteins, produce, dairy, etc.) are over-indexing and where your theoretical vs. actual variance is hiding.
Hourly labor cost mapped against sales by daypart so you can see exactly when you're overstaffed and when you're leaving money on the table.
Every finding ranked by estimated profit impact. You'll know which problems are costing you the most—and which fixes will pay off fastest.
A realistic, phased plan with specific milestones so you're not trying to fix everything at once. Week-by-week guidance on what to tackle and when.
Live video call to walk through every finding, answer your questions, and make sure you understand exactly how to act on the recommendations.
Want to see exactly what you'll receive?
View Sample Prime Audit ReportSample report using fictional data. Your audit will be customized to your operation's financials and processes.
How It Works
From kickoff to action plan in 5-7 business days
We hop on a 30-minute call to understand your operation, your concerns, and what you're hoping to find. This helps us focus the audit on what matters most to you.
You send us your P&Ls, POS reports, schedules, and recent invoices. We'll give you a simple checklist—most operators have everything we need in about an hour of gathering.
We dig into your numbers. Food cost by category. Labor by daypart. Theoretical vs. actual variance. We're looking for the leaks—and sizing up how much each one is costing you.
You get the full report plus a live video call to walk through every finding. We'll answer questions, discuss priorities, and make sure you leave ready to take action.
Investment
Flat-fee pricing based on number of locations
| Restaurant Size | Price |
|---|---|
| Single Location | $2,500 |
| 2-3 Locations | $4,000 |
| 4+ Locations | Custom Quote |
| Variable Pricing Factors | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 40+ employees on payroll | +$500 |
| Rush delivery (under 5 business days) | +25% |
Under $3,000: 100% due before work begins
$3,000 – $7,500: 50% deposit to start, 50% upon delivery
Over $7,500: 30% to start, 40% at midpoint, 30% upon delivery
Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, ACH bank transfer, check.
Virtual delivery: This audit is delivered virtually by default. No travel required.
On-site option: If you'd prefer an on-site visit (Minnesota or out-of-state), we can discuss adding that to your engagement. Out-of-state travel expenses (airfare, hotel, meals) are covered by client.
Requirements
Documents and access to get started
Don't have everything? We'll work with what you have. Part of our process is helping you identify what data exists and where to find it. We've worked with operators who had almost nothing documented—we'll figure it out together.
Have recipe cost cards? If you have recipe cards with ingredient costs for your top menu items, send those too. They unlock deeper item-level analysis and more specific recommendations.
Timeline
5-7 business days from receiving your documents to final delivery.
Timeline depends on how quickly you can gather documents and your availability for the walkthrough call.
PDF report with all findings, analysis, and recommendations.
Live video walkthrough (60-90 minutes) to review findings and answer questions.
Rush delivery available: Need it faster? We can deliver in under 5 business days for an additional 25%.
Add-Ons
Extend your engagement if you need more support
Our Advisory retainer ($1,500/month) includes continued access for implementation questions, monthly variance check-ins, and priority support. Ask about it during your walkthrough call.
Questions
Once we receive your deposit and required documents, we typically kick off within 48-72 hours. Current availability is usually 1-2 weeks out.
We'll work with what you have. Part of our process is helping you identify what data exists and where to find it. We've worked with operators who had almost nothing documented—we'll figure it out together.
We work with independent restaurants, food trucks, and small multi-unit operators. If you're doing under $10M in annual revenue and don't have a corporate finance team, we're probably a good fit.
Our deliverables are designed to be actionable without hand-holding. If you want ongoing support during implementation, we offer a 30-day Implementation Support add-on ($750) or monthly Advisory retainer ($1,500/mo).
In 100% of audits we've done, we've found actionable improvements. But if your operation is already running at benchmark prime cost with no variance issues, we'll tell you—and we'll focus the report on protecting those margins as costs change.
Your accountant tells you what happened. We tell you why it happened and what to do about it. We're operators, not accountants—we dig into the operational drivers behind the numbers.
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, ACH bank transfer, or check. Payment terms depend on project size—see pricing section above.
Our Promise
If you implement our recommendations and don't see measurable improvement within 90 days, we'll continue working with you at no additional charge until you do.
Guarantee Terms: "Measurable improvement" is defined as documented positive movement in the specific metrics addressed by this engagement (e.g., food cost percentage, labor cost percentage, prime cost, gross margin). To qualify for guarantee support, Client must: (1) implement at least 75% of recommendations within 60 days of delivery; (2) provide Restaurant Profit Systems with access to relevant financial reports, POS data, and operational documentation to verify implementation and measure results; (3) respond to reasonable requests for information within 5 business days. Restaurant Profit Systems reserves the right to audit implementation and reporting accuracy. Guarantee does not apply if lack of improvement is attributable to factors outside the scope of the engagement, including but not limited to: failure to implement recommendations, significant changes to business operations, staffing, or market conditions, inaccurate or falsified data provided by Client, or force majeure events. Additional guarantee support is limited to advisory consultation; additional on-site visits or new deliverables may be quoted separately. This guarantee is valid for 90 days from the date of final deliverable.
Let's talk about your operation. Schedule a quick call and we'll see if the Prime Audit is the right fit.