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Reality Check

Peter Romeo

The blog from award-winning journalist, RB Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo. Peter taps into his decades of experience covering the restaurant business at a variety of publications to discuss any number of issues related to the operations and general direction of restaurants.

Operations

Why U.S. restaurateurs should heed what's happening in the U.K.

 By Peter Romeo on Jan. 04, 2024

Reality Check: Soaring menu prices are expected to cut Britain's population of fish-and-chips joints in half. There's a lesson in there for operators on this side of the Atlantic.

Workforce

Texas' new law spells trouble for restaurants. But mum's the word

 By Peter Romeo on Dec. 20, 2023

Reality Check: The industry can't publicly condemn Abbott's anti-immigrant measure without looking like a chronic lawbreaker.

Leadership

Here's where today's big-chain chiefs are learning to lead

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 12, 2023

Reality Check: Musicians have Julliard, engineers have MIT and doctors have Johns Hopkins. The training grounds emerging as the ideal schools for restaurant CEOs are the big consultancies.

Operations

Should Cracker Barrel get out of the gift shop business?

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 01, 2023

Reality Check: The retail component of the family dining concept drew off sales and profits during the brand's most recent quarter. Maybe it's time to leave the shops out of future Cracker Barrels.

Leadership

Who's on your fantasy restaurant-management team?

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 28, 2023

Reality Check: Why bother with fantasy football when the ideal virtual C-suite is waiting to be picked? Here's my roster.

Workforce

Pluck off, Chicken Littles

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 02, 2023

Reality Check: The industry's tendency to portray every legislative or regulatory proposal as a restaurant killer is getting very old. Couldn't we be adults and focus on the real effects, like less opportunity?

Operations

Does California just hate restaurants?

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 20, 2023

Reality Check: The industry's largest state market is about to hit the business, a significant part of its economy, with all sorts of changes and new burdens. What gives?

Emerging Brands

When a 'Help Wanted' sign turns into a 'For Sale' notice

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 18, 2023

Reality Check: Five weeks of management hell was enough for this industry vet of 47 years.

Emerging Brands

3 business legends reveal their restaurant plans

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 08, 2023

Reality Check: Starbucks’ Howard Schultz, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and serial tech disruptor Marc Lore are betting they can change the restaurant industry with new ventures. Here’s a look at what they’re envisioning.

Workforce

Immigration could ease restaurants' labor woes. So why isn't it?

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 06, 2023

Reality Check: Proposals have been floated to get asylum seekers into jobs more quickly. But fears are winning out.

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