Bridging the Gap Between Culinary Passion & Business Success
Mise & Margin is a restaurant and hospitality advisory group built by operators, for operators. We’ve opened and operated 30+ restaurants across the U.S. and Asia over the last two decades. We’ve felt the highs and the lows. We know what works, what breaks, and where the money goes. Led by Rick Camac, we bring grounded strategy, operational discipline, and market-tested experience to help owners / operators avoid costly mistakes and build businesses that last.
WHO WE WORK WITH
You’re Opening a Restaurant
From Vision to Opening Night
The vision is clear. The passion is real. But passion doesn’t negotiate your lease, build your financial model, or tell you how much you should actually be spending on build-out. We’ve opened 30+ restaurants. We know exactly where first-time owners get burned, and we’ll make sure you don’t.
Your Restaurant Needs Help
Find the Gaps, Fix the Margin
You didn’t open a restaurant to stare at spreadsheets at midnight wondering where the money went. But here you are. Something’s off and you can’t quite see it from inside the operation. We can. We’ll find the gaps, prioritize what matters, and build a path back to profitability before it’s too late.
You’re Ready to Grow
Scale Without Breaking
Growth is the goal. But growth without systems is just chaos in more locations. Whether it’s a scaling to the next venue, launching a CPG line, or a licensing deal, we help you figure out the right model, build the infrastructure, and scale in a way that’s actually sustainable. Not just bigger. Better.
Work at Pace
We’re efficient in developing a clear understanding of your business, challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions — informed by diagnostics, internal data, and external insights.
Market Insight
We are attuned to the restaurant and hospitality market: where business is trending, what customers expect, and what operators need to do to build profitable, sustainable brands.
Holistic Solutions
Our core competencies span Strategy & Development, Brand & Marketing, Operations, and Financial Management – and our network of specialist partners across PR, HR, Legal, Accounting, Construction, and Design.
Empathy from Experience
We’ve personally succeeded and failed in this business. We understand the experience of opening, running, and closing restaurants.
What We Do
Expertise Across the Restaurant Lifecycle. We meet you where you are in your restaurant journey: pre-opening, optimizing your operations, growth mode, reconcepting, or preparing to exit.
- Business Plans
- Financial Modeling: Capital Budgets, Use of Funds, Projections
- Lease Negotiation
- Operating Agreements
- Investor & Real Estate Term Sheets
- Vendor Selection
- Menu Development
- Staff Planning
- Brand & Concept Development
- Food & Beverage Program Development
- Expansion Playbooks
- Innovation Advisory
- Multi-Unit Strategy
- Events & Programming
- Brand Identity & Storytelling
- Marketing Strategy
- Content Strategy
- FOH Operations: Steps of Service, SOPs, Handbooks
- Technology: Selecting the Right Stack for Your Business
- Team: Culture, Training & Team-building
- Supply Chain & Purchasing
- P&L Analysis and Cost Management
- Sales Mix & Contribution Analysis
- Menu Engineering
- Scheduling & Labor Efficiency
- Inventory Control
- Product Concepting and Testing
- Production Management
- Packaging & Labeling
- Regulatory Approvals
- Brand Identity Reset
- Operational Restructuring
- Financial Restructuring
- Market Refresh
- Preparation for Sale/Exit
- Valuation & Investor Term Sheets
- Growth, Succession Planning & Exits
- Preparation for Public Offerings
How we Work
Understand (Discovery)
We listen first. We learn the vision, the nuances, and the fundamentals of your business before we offer a single recommendation.
Solve (Build and Adapt)
We provide specific, actionable guidance, co-creating solutions with you rather than handing down prescriptions. We pull in our network of experts as needed.
Implement & Test
We help you put the plan into action and measure what’s working.
Support & Coach
We build your capabilities and self-sufficiency. We do this with you, not for you leaving your team in a stronger position than we found them, with more time to focus on your brand, growth, and a better work/life balance.