Free financial training for restaurant managers — built by a 40-year industry veteran, not a software company. Six micro-lessons, one real-world quiz, one completion certificate.
Most managers run their shift by feel. This guide gives you the financial foundation to run it by facts — and make decisions that actually protect the business.
The single most important number in the industry. Food cost + labor cost = prime cost. Learn why it moves, why it matters, and exactly how to track it every week.
Target: 55–65% of salesWhere the money quietly disappears. Portioning, waste, spoilage, supplier creep — understand the four leaks and how to close them before they compound into a crisis.
Target: 28–32% of food salesYour biggest controllable expense. Early clock-ins, unmonitored overtime, habit-based scheduling — learn where labor leaks and how to stop it mid-week, not after the damage is done.
Target: 25–32% of salesNo long videos. No dense textbooks. Just the information you need, delivered one bite at a time — then a quiz to prove you've got it.
Just your name and email. No password, no credit card, no commitment. Your progress saves automatically so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
Six micro-lessons, one concept per screen. Real restaurant scenarios, real numbers, real language — not accounting textbook theory. Built to work on your phone between shifts.
Five real-world scenario questions. Pass and you earn a completion certificate with your name and date — something worth showing your owner or keeping in your own file.
When managers finish the guide and pass the quiz, they earn a certificate they can share with their owner, save for their own records, or print and frame. It's a real credential — and something most training programs don't even offer.
Quick tools for running a better shift — no login required, free like everything else here.
Spin the wheel for closing duties, shoutouts, or who's up next at pre-shift — right here, no click required.
This guide exists because good restaurants deserve better-informed managers. RH+ believes that financial clarity — at every level of the operation — is what keeps great restaurants alive.
For operators who want weekly performance intelligence, ranked priorities, and executive-level reporting across their entire operation, RH+ membership gives your whole team the tools to act on what they've learned here.
Learn about RH+ membership → ← Back to the main RH+ siteFree access — no credit card, no commitment. Enter your name and email to save your progress and earn your completion certificate.
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Restaurants run on razor-thin margins. For every $100 that comes in, the average restaurant keeps $3 to $6 as profit. Everything else goes to food, staff, rent, and bills.
When you make a scheduling call, approve an order, or let a portion slide — you are making a financial decision. This guide helps you make better ones.
Prime cost = your food & drink costs + your labor costs. It's the two biggest things you spend money on, added together.
The weekly habit that matters most: check your prime cost every week — not every month. A 3% drift caught this week costs you nothing to fix. Caught next month? That's already thousands gone.
For every $100 in food sales, you should spend $28–$32 on ingredients. If that creeps to $35 without anyone noticing, on $50k weekly sales that's $78,000 lost per year.
Your weekly habit: count your 10 most expensive ingredients every week. If the numbers don't match usage, something is leaking — find it before it compounds.
Labor isn't just wages. It's wages + payroll taxes + benefits + workers' comp. Always use the full number.
The overtime reality: 3 employees, 4 OT hours each, $16 base = $96 extra this week. Over 50 weeks? $4,800 — from just three people slipping over 40 hours.
The managers who move the business forward don't have a secret. They just check the numbers before the numbers check them.