by Landon Taylor Nelson

How I Helped a Restaurant Group Save $48,000 in 90 Days and How You Can, Too

When a multi-location restaurant group brought me in, they were not looking for a cost-cutting initiative. Their leadership team believed the problem was operational complexity, not financial inefficiency. They were growing rapidly and knew their systems could not keep up. My initial role was to help them align and simplify their technology stack so they could scale effectively.

What I found beneath the surface was something many restaurant operators miss: quiet financial leakage. Not from theft, not from labor inefficiency, but from outdated tools, forgotten subscriptions, poorly negotiated processing contracts, and disjointed reporting systems that no one trusted.

In 90 days, I helped them recover $48,000 without reducing headcount, renegotiating supplier contracts, or increasing menu prices. What follows is a detailed breakdown of how we accomplished that and how you can apply the same process to your own operation.

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1. Conduct a Merchant Services Audit

The first thing I requested, purely out of instinct, was their credit card processing statement. It was not part of the original scope, but I have seen enough of these to know that money often hides there.

Within ten minutes of reviewing their statements, I identified over $8,000 in excess fees. These were not easy to spot. They were buried under vague labels like “PCI Non-Compliance,” “Batch Settlement Fee,” and other nondescript terms that often go unquestioned.

What to do:

• Request your last three to six months of merchant services statements.
• Calculate your effective rate by dividing total fees by total volume.
• Identify any fees that are not clearly explained. Pay particular attention to regulatory fees, non-compliance charges, and service fees that are not part of your original contract.
• If your effective rate is more than 3 percent, you are likely overpaying.

Many operators assume these fees are fixed or standard. They are not. I recommend Curvoro for fair, transparent credit card processing tailored specifically to restaurants. Unlike most processors, they focus exclusively on the hospitality industry and are one of the only merchant services providers doing so without bundling POS.

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2. Perform a Comprehensive Subscription Review

The next step was to conduct a full audit of their software and system subscriptions. What we found was not surprising, but it was costly.

They were paying for duplicate POS licenses at locations that had been closed for over a year. There were legacy reporting tools no longer in use. A few platforms had been replaced by newer systems, but the billing had never been turned off. Auto-renewals were draining thousands each quarter without adding value.

What to do:

• Compile a list of all recurring software and system subscriptions.
• Cross-check each one with your location managers and department heads.
• Cancel or consolidate anything that is not actively being used or does not serve a direct operational need.

This step alone resulted in savings of $12,000 within the first quarter.

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3. Centralize and Rebuild Operational Reporting

One of the most damaging inefficiencies I see in growing restaurant groups is a lack of unified reporting. This group was no different. Managers were pulling numbers from multiple platforms—POS, labor, inventory, scheduling, and accounting—and none of the data matched.

Every department had its own version of the truth. No one trusted the reports, and as a result, decisions were delayed or based on guesswork.

We rebuilt their reporting infrastructure from the ground up using tools they already had access to. We integrated their POS system, labor scheduling platform, bank reconciliation, and vendor purchasing into a centralized dashboard that provided a real-time snapshot of the business.

What to do:

• Identify your core data sources: POS, labor, accounting, and purchasing.
• Connect these into a centralized dashboard, even if it starts with a Google Sheet.
• Make sure every leader sees and uses the same version of the data.

Clarity in reporting leads to faster decisions, fewer mistakes, and stronger performance accountability.

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4. Streamline and Align Your Tech Stack

The final phase was to simplify their entire technology ecosystem. Over time, most restaurant groups accumulate tools the same way a kitchen accumulates storage containers—one problem at a time, with little thought for long-term alignment.

They had tools overlapping in function, separate logins for each department, and frequent service breakdowns due to poorly maintained integrations.

We mapped their entire stack, identified overlaps, and eliminated everything that was not contributing directly to profitability or efficiency. We then standardized logins, user roles, and workflows across the team.

What to do:

• List every technology tool and integration in your business.
• Assign ownership of each platform and evaluate usage.
• Consolidate where possible and streamline workflows so that tools support your people, not frustrate them.

The result was a simplified ecosystem that required less training, reduced downtime, and gave leadership full visibility into what was working and what was not.

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The Outcome

• $48,000 in verified cost savings within 90 days
• Fewer billing errors
• Tighter alignment between departments
• Real-time visibility into operations
• Reduced decision fatigue across the leadership team

These were not hypothetical improvements. They were measurable, bankable, and repeatable.

This process does not require a fancy new software platform or a massive investment. It requires discipline, operational clarity, and a commitment to getting your foundation right.

If you are growing fast and starting to feel the cracks forming underneath, this is where you start.

Cut costs. Streamline operations. Scale with confidence.

And if you need someone to walk through it with you, I am here to help.

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