The 90-Day Restaurant Turnaround Map

A turnaround is a sequence, not a scramble. This is the structure GGB works to — find the money first, fix the biggest leaks in order, then lock the discipline so the gains hold. Indicative timings; your real numbers set the pace.

Printable framework · GGB framework

Phase 1 · Diagnose (Weeks 1–2)

Pull the last 3 months of P&L and rebuild it by line as a % of revenue
Read food cost theoretical vs actual — by item where you can
Map labour hours against covers by daypart, not as a blanket headcount
Separate dine-in vs delivery margin after real aggregator commission
Rank every leak by AED per month — fix the biggest first

Phase 2 · Fix (Weeks 3–10)

Renegotiate the top 5 suppliers; introduce portion and yield control
Re-engineer the menu around contribution margin and mix
Re-roster labour to forecast covers; protect service at peak
Rebuild delivery pricing and channel mix to defend margin
Cut the bottom-quartile dishes; feature the high-margin favourites

Phase 3 · Lock (Weeks 11–13)

Stand up a one-page weekly P&L the owner reads every week
Set food and labour % targets per outlet, with a named owner
Document the SOPs that hold the gains after GGB leaves
Agree the monthly review cadence and the next quarter’s targets

The weekly number (the habit that makes it stick)

A turnaround fails when the numbers are only seen at month-end. Track these every week:

Metric	Target	This week	Last week
Food cost %
Labour %
Prime cost %
Net margin %

Typical full-service ranges: food 28–35%, labour 25–33%, prime cost under ~60%. Indicative only — your P&L sets your targets.