The questions behind
a better-run restaurant.

It is a common starting point repeated by owners in the r/restaurantowners 'Pricing dishes' thread, not a rule. The price it implies is a reference, not a break-even point. Check each dish's contribution after all variable costs, and check that the whole menu's total contribution covers your fixed costs and profit at realistic volumes.

Not if your agreement charges commission on the marked-up app price; check your contract and a payout statement. To net the same as the in-store price you would need about a 33.3% markup at a 25% effective rate, before packaging differences and refunds. Calculate your effective rate from a payout statement, run the formula per item, and then decide whether to price at break-even or accept a smaller margin for volume.

For produce, dairy, eggs and many proteins, yes; those follow commodity markets. For stable items such as gloves, paper goods and frozen prepared products, frequent swings are less easily explained and worth questioning. Separate the two groups, track unit prices per SKU, and ask the distributor for price protection on the stable list.

Photograph the product with the invoice and packaging visible, note the time and who found it, and email your rep the same day asking for a credit memo. Add it to your open-credit list and close it only when a statement shows the credit. Your supplier's account terms may set a window for reporting delivery claims, so read them now rather than during a dispute.

There's no standard figure. One owner in a forum thread suggested about 25 percent of the new price or less. Work it out as a budget. Add the inspection cost and a routine repair reserve to the used price. Then stress-test it with one major failure, such as a compressor job plus discarded food, counted separately from the reserve. Compare that total with the new price plus maintenance not covered by warranty. If one major failure erases the saving, the discount is too small.

It depends on what and how much you cook, the fire code your jurisdiction has adopted, and any insurance conditions. Heavy grease cooking and long hours generally mean more frequent service. Ask your fire authority which frequency applies. In DC, that's the FEMS Office of the Fire Marshal. Don't treat a vendor's default schedule as the requirement.

Only if your local rule allows it and your measured fill stays under its limit. In Washington, DC, DC Water's guidance sets a 90-day maximum for gravity interceptors and 30 days for hydromechanical units, with earlier cleaning at 25% and 50% full respectively, so six months would not meet that guidance. Other utilities differ. Check your sewer authority's FOG program and measure fill before relying on a long interval.

Some do, especially at quick-service venues and for frequently changing lists like rotating beers. In the owner threads reviewed here, many guests said they disliked QR-only menus, citing small screens, PDFs, eyesight, dyslexia and phone use at the table, and some said they would leave. Those are forum voices, not a survey. Offer paper, use QR as a supplement, and measure your own guests' behavior.

Compare actual usage with theoretical usage for key items weekly, then subtract logged waste, measured over-portioning, unrung staff meals and comps, and receiving shortages. Theft is a reasonable hypothesis only for variance that persists after those causes are controlled, and even then it needs documented verification before any action.

The DC Attorney General's advisory says DC consumer protection law does not prohibit restaurants from adding fees, but requires clear, prominent disclosure of the type and amount at the beginning of ordering, an accurate description of why it is charged, and use only for the disclosed purpose. It applies online too. Compliance is evaluated case by case.

Shallow portions can go into refrigeration with enough capacity and airflow, if measurements show they meet the cooling limits. What fails is a deep, covered, high-volume batch in a crowded unit. In DC, DC Health states food must cool from 135F to 70F within 2 hours and to 41F within 4 more. Use shallow pans, ice baths or a blast chiller and log temperatures.

No. DC Health's Food Establishments page states that it does not assign a grade, percentage or rating. It performs a pass-fail inspection and totals the Priority, Priority Foundation and Core violations at the top of each report, then conducts follow-up inspections to confirm corrections. Grades and scores you see discussed online usually come from other jurisdictions such as New York City or North Carolina counties, which run their own systems.

Not automatically. Compare the price gap with the delay and rework risk it may avoid, using your own carrying costs. Then check the specialist's capacity: owners in forum threads credit hospitality-focused contractors with smoother projects, but a strong single-site team can still be the wrong fit if your builds overlap. Verify restaurant experience through references, not marketing photos.

Quotes often cover different scope. One may include roofing, crane and heated makeup air while another excludes electrical, gas and roof work. The building matters too: duct route, height, enclosure, structure and landlord rules can change the cost of the same hood by tens of thousands of dollars. Level bids against one scope and trace the duct route before comparing.

Sometimes, but floor area does not decide it. Size depends on the fixtures connected, the menu's grease load and the method in your adopted plumbing code and utility rules. In DC, DC Water requires an interceptor per the DC Plumbing Code unless it approves otherwise. Have a plumbing designer calculate the size and confirm the device type with the utility before buying.

Possibly, but only through the termination procedure in your contract, which usually requires written notice of the default and a cure period first. If a performance bond exists, follow its notice steps too. A termination later found to be wrongful can make you the party in breach. Document the delay causes and have a local construction attorney review notices before sending.