Roger Lee recently published an article in QSR Magazine entitled “4 of the Biggest Mistakes Restaurant Operators Make,” which discusses how to identify and safeguard against common operational and legal missteps often inadvertently made by quick-service and fast-casual restaurant operators. Drawing on his experience advising restaurateurs, Roger discusses recurring issues related to workforce management, digital ordering systems, menu design and legal compliance - areas critical for the success of a restaurant.
“When more than half of new hires quit within the first 90 days, culture has clearly become a P&L issue, not a soft concern,” Roger writes, describing how operators who treat their employees as the core product rather than a cost tend to do substantially better long-term.
Roger also explains how ignoring the digital guest experience can drive guests to competitors, while overcomplicated menus can ruin consistency and negatively affect guest trust. Most importantly, he stresses that treating legal compliance as an afterthought can expose operators to costly wage-and-hour claims, lawsuits, and in severe cases, bankruptcy. As his article demonstrates, early decisions made in these key areas set a trajectory that determines whether a restaurant scales successfully or faces avoidable disruption.
