Why Busy Restaurants Still Fail: Bruce Nelson on the Math Behind Profit

Speaker A: Hey, everybody, I gotta tell you, we're gonna talk about Bilt. Bilt Hospitality. Millions of people use Bilt every day. That's right, every day. To earn awards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now, now it extends to your restaurant. That's where Bilt Hospitality comes in. Bilt Hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of. Bilt's restaurant facing platform is designed specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform. Alongside an agentic concierge. That's right. An AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guest tastes using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built Hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right, the entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, Just the right moment. Sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing. It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over. Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time. Every time. They're a regular. Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more@builtdining.com Hangout. That's BuiltDining. And check out what Built Hospitality is going to do for you and your restaurant.

Speaker B: Jimmy will get a kick out of my first restaurant I opened in, right, uh, out of College. I was 22 years old. I literally went to my nearest competitor. I copied their menu and did it for a dollar less. That was my brilliant marketing strategy at my first restaurant. And guess what? We didn't make any money.

Speaker A: I'm doing 20 ounce prime steak for $1. That was the problem. We are still live from the Spoton studios in Chicago. Jimmy, we are having a great time. It is not the big show, Jimmy. It's just the show. It is just the show and it is the hospitality hangout. And we are live. I am the restaurant guy and we have had like 15 podcasts today. And Bruce Nelson is bringing up the rear. Bringing up the rear. We haven't had that many authors on the show because we haven't had. But this is one of my favorite books. I read it all the time. Sometimes when I'm feeling sad and lonely, I cuddle up in my bed and I read the myth, the magic, the math. And if you haven't, get it where all books are. Ah, sold. And, uh, I Know, the Netflix, uh, film is coming out just very soon. So, uh, we have our friend Bruce Nelson here. Jimmy. Let's kick this baby off, huh?

Speaker C: Let's kick this baby off.

Speaker A: This is a good story.

Speaker C: I'm Jimmy Fishing. I'm, um, the finance guy. And. And we are having a blast here at the Spoton Studio.

Speaker A: You look like you're having fun, Jimmy.

Speaker C: I am having fun because we are doing the Hometown Heroes. Okay. It is, ah, it is a show we're doing about the restaurants. You know what? No matter how big a restaurant may or may not become, they all start with one. Okay? It starts with one.

Speaker A: That's right.

Speaker C: It all starts with planting the local roots. It starts with the risk that somebody took. And we're going to call those folks our hometown heroes. And we're excited to, uh, with our friends and partners at Spoton and to be sharing their stories. Today's guest not only is a hometown hero.

Speaker A: What is he, Jim?

Speaker C: He's also a hustler.

Speaker A: What do you mean?

Speaker C: He's a hospitality hustler. Why?

Speaker A: Well, I.

Speaker C: Because he started as a dishwasher at age 13. Really? Okay. From the dish. From the dish room to the boardroom. Started as a dishwasher at age 13, opened his first restaurant at 21. He taught knife skills at Cordon Blue.

Speaker A: Cordon Bleu.

Speaker C: Cordon Blue.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker C: See, I got, like, the chicken. Do I have your attention?

Speaker A: I love the chicken cord.

Speaker C: I have your attention.

Speaker A: Now you got my attention, Jimmy Grand.

Speaker C: Sweet. Um, suite level operations for the Minnesota. Minnesota Timberwolves.

Speaker A: You know who owns the Timberwolves? Who's that? I pretty sure a Rod and Mark.

Speaker C: Lori, there you go.

Speaker A: Mark Lore and a Rod. Right?

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: I think they're in the.

Speaker B: No, no, we lost. We just lost. Lost, right?

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker A: And, Jack, you are in the playoffs.

Speaker C: A theme I sense today is we've had a number of guests, including our. Our new friend, Mr. Bruce Nelson.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker C: That wears a lot of hats.

Speaker A: And you wear a lot of hats, too.

Speaker C: I wear a lot of hats, too. But you've been feeling a little like maybe you don't wear enough hats, because after all the things I just said, dishwashing, opening restaurants, teaching Knife. Knife skills. He also, as you just said, we have an author. Okay. We have an author.

Speaker A: You teach knife skill.

Speaker C: That's what I want to talk about. And now he's a fractional cfo.

Speaker A: And he's a fractional CFO behind some

Speaker C: of the most trusted brands in the great Twin Cities. So here's a guest that Bridges the boardroom to the dish room. Better than anyone in the business. Welcome to Hangout, Mr. Bruce Nelson.

Speaker A: M. Mr. Bruce Nelson, I got to tell you. Let's jump into it. So you are a chef by trade?

Speaker B: Um, I was raised in the restaurant industry, so, yes, I started learning how to cook when I was about 14 years old.

Speaker A: And you're. And. And you went to Cordon Bleu?

Speaker B: I didn't go there. I taught there.

Speaker A: You taught there?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And what does it mean when you teach knife skills? Are you teaching how to throw knives? Are you teaching how to kill people? What exactly are you doing with these?

Speaker B: Well, it depends on the student, but.

Speaker A: Right, exactly. Okay.

Speaker B: It's. It's going through all the. The French cutting, uh, knife cutting skills.

Speaker A: Now, who are better, the French or the Japanese with knife skills? Because I see these sushi guys, and they're really into their knives. Like, like, you know, and like, you could really. That's great. Like, what do you think is the French or the. The Japanese?

Speaker B: I'm gonna go Japanese all the way.

Speaker A: It is, right?

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: So were you teaching Japanese knife skills?

Speaker B: Nope, Nope, Just the basic knife skills.

Speaker A: What is a basic knife skill for Jimmy? Because he doesn't get much. He doesn't cook much.

Speaker B: Learning how to do, uh, various different cuts, julienne, um, uh, you know, uh, dicing, slicing. Um, that's a job.

Speaker A: You're teaching people how to dice and slice?

Speaker C: I don't know how to do any of those things. I could use a lesson.

Speaker A: That was a job. So if I went to Cordon Bleu, one of my classes. How to use a knife.

Speaker B: Yes. Ah.

Speaker A: All right. I like it. All right, so let's jump into a little bit over here.

Speaker B: Sure.

Speaker A: You are a temple hospitality. Tell us a little about temple hospitality.

Speaker B: Temple hospitality is a fractional, uh, executive, uh, uh, firm that I started last year.

Speaker A: CFO.

Speaker B: I'm. I am a CFO. I started. I've been in his business for 45 years.

Speaker A: 45 years.

Speaker B: And for the last 15 years before I started this company, I was a full time CFO for a restaurant group in the Twin Cities.

Speaker A: Who was that? Can you tell us?

Speaker B: I know a restaurant group.

Speaker A: Okay. They had a lot of restaurants. About 10, 10 restaurants. Okay. They were doing, like, you know, 8, 10 million a pop.

Speaker B: A little bit more than that.

Speaker A: 15, 20 million a pop.

Speaker B: Not quite that.

Speaker A: Jimmy. This is a big group. They're doing overall over $100 million. 70 million.

Speaker B: About. About 70, 70, $80 million.

Speaker A: So, uh, he's a CFO. Okay. So you Know a lot about that. You're a knife guy, Catering manager at Target Center. You're in an Italian eatery. I mean, you got a lot of things you do, right?

Speaker B: Well, I've been doing this a long time.

Speaker A: You have been doing a long time. So my question to you is, are you. Restaurants hire you to become their outsourced CFO so they can focus on the restaurant operations.

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: And you take care of the bean count. Jimmy's a finance guy.

Speaker B: I know.

Speaker A: I want to. You. Yeah. So you want. Do you want me to step out? Do you want me to step aside and let you.

Speaker C: Every day and twice on Sunday.

Speaker A: So let me not talk. All right? I'm not going to talk anymore. I'll let Jimmy go. Go, Jimmy.

Speaker C: You want to talk?

Speaker A: You talk to Bruce about. Go talk some numbers. Go talk some numbers.

Speaker C: Actually, I am excited about. I'm going to get the book. I'm going to ask Bruce to sign the book. Because I'm going to read Bruce's book.

Speaker A: Yeah, I got one signed.

Speaker B: I didn't know you were here, Jim.

Speaker C: Yeah, I'm the guy behind the guy.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: You don't get one.

Speaker C: I'm very. I will get my book. Um, but no, you. Uniquely from the dish. We joked at the, uh, top of the show that, uh, from the dish room to the boardroom, and I said, you're not just a hometown hero, you're also the ultimate hospitality hustler. Someone who starts in this business as a teenager, as even a tween. You're 13 years old. Okay. But you do bridge the gap. Um, so I think, you know most. What does it take in this industry to win? You actually started and have a feel for what dishwashers. Now, that is so freaking important. For the, for the restaurant shots, you would say, you know, that was one of the most amazing.

Speaker A: That's the backbone. The whole restaurant falls apart if the kids. If the dishwasher goes down, if they

Speaker B: don't show up, if they don't open up the restaurant for me at 6 o' clock or shut it down for me at midnight. I don't have a job.

Speaker A: That. That, that night sucks.

Speaker C: Uh, so. So here you are. The dish, the dishwasher, the chef, the cordon. We talked about those things. The Timberwolves. You opened your own restaurant, um, with a philosophy degree and a very bold pricing strategy. Okay. You sat across from, uh, table owners, bankers, investors, and you translate the reality of restaurant operations into financial terms that they can actually act on. I think that's what's a Rare thing, um, so many people enter this industry from a creativity perspective.

Speaker A: Well, it is the culinary arts, Jimmy. I'm just saying.

Speaker C: But it's also, it is.

Speaker A: Bruce went to call it cordon, um, bleu.

Speaker C: But it's also math. So talk about that. What does it mean to truly understand the business inside and out?

Speaker A: Because I think that you say one plus one equals eleven. So you don't.

Speaker C: That's a perspective that you bring. I want to hear you talk about that a little bit from a 13 year old dishwasher to now the CFO to explain people how the math works.

Speaker B: I was raised in an industry. My father was a hospitality guy. He was the, he was the guy that knew everybody's names and uh, and uh, really taught me the love of this industry. And I didn't learn until I opened my own restaurant that there actually is math behind this.

Speaker A: It's the restaurant business.

Speaker B: It's the restaurant business. In fact, the whole premise, arts restaurant business. The whole premise of that book came from a restaurant that you gave me

Speaker A: and signed for me.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: The myth, magic, the math.

Speaker B: A restaurant I opened in 99.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: That, uh, um, was unsuccessful. I closed it 13 months later. And at that point, I'd been in the business 20 years. I thought, I know how to do this. I know how to cook, I know how to schedule, I know how to write a menu, I know how to build. We built it from the ground up. But I still lost.

Speaker A: So what did you, what lesson did you learn there? Because from success you learned and from failure learned. So what did you learn that because you, uh, knew everything?

Speaker B: I learned that most restaurants don't know how to price their menu for success. Don't know how to price.

Speaker A: I think the dollar meal was probably your first mistake. Listen, I'm going McDonald's doing dollar meal. I'm doing dollar meal. I'm doing 20 ounce prime steak for $1. Well, that was the problem.

Speaker B: Jimmy will get a kick out of my first restaurant I opened in right out of College. I was 22 years old. Uh, by the way, 22 year olds shouldn't have liquor licenses. But we'll get into that later.

Speaker A: Probably any license.

Speaker B: I literally went to my nearest competitor. I copied their menu and did it for a dollar less. That was my brilliant marketing strategy at my first restaurant. And guess what? We didn't make any money.

Speaker C: Didn't make any money.

Speaker A: No, it's, it's, it's interesting. You don't, it's, it's great that you have that experience and knowledge so after that failure, did you jump back in or you're like, you know what I learned from that, I'll take those lessons and I'll apply to other things that I could be, you know, or did you go open another restaurant?

Speaker B: Well, it defines, uh, you know, it depends what you mean by jump back in. I mean, there was a lot of depression, a little bit of alcohol abuse and some things that happened after that. But yes, I ultimately got back in.

Speaker A: You got back in?

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: Yeah. That's all right. No, this is. No, I hear, you know, it's really, it's really interesting. Let's jump into, um. So. So you took some time off. Ah, and what was the next move?

Speaker B: Well, the next move was going into Nova Restaurant Group after I took some time off. I didn't write the book how many

Speaker A: restaurants they have at the time when you jumped in there.

Speaker B: When I came in there, about 13 million in four stores. And I was brought in actually as a consultant back then, saying, we don't understand why we're not cash flowing. So I open up the hood on this thing and it's like, well, you had, you know, $80,000 a month in institutional debt that you couldn't cover. And it was like, the bones were great, these guys were.

Speaker A: The food was good, the stores looked good.

Speaker B: Yeah, fabulous, fabulous. Great build out.

Speaker A: At what point I say, were they using at that particular time when you went in there?

Speaker B: Aloha.

Speaker A: Aloha. Okay, this is old.

Speaker B: This is old school. Yeah, aloha. And QuickBooks was, uh, the back office. And, uh, after, after being there for a couple of years and really figuring out what's going on, first thing we did is we restructured the debt that went from 80,000 to about $23,000 a month. It's amazing how $50,000 a month really helps swing cash flow.

Speaker A: You think that's a big number.

Speaker B: So that was a big thing. And then we ultimately ended up growing that group to the 10 stores. We switched over to actually spoton as the pos with that group. And, uh, now when you went in

Speaker A: to look for a new point of sale system, were you part, I mean, I would imagine you were part of the process to some degree.

Speaker B: I was indeed. In fact, I found this company before it was spot on. It used to be called Imagine. Uh, really? Yeah.

Speaker A: What attracted you, I mean, to this, I mean, you had been restaurants for quite a few years.

Speaker B: The technology, the, the language in which it was written. Yeah, so many. The old, old legacy systems were written in old code. And I wanted Something I knew at that time that we were all shifting to web based. I wanted something was written web based, not an old type of, uh, uh, an old.

Speaker A: What is it? Server base. Oh, we're in the server. We're in the cloud.

Speaker B: Right, exactly.

Speaker A: It wasn't really cloud. Yeah, I get it. Yeah.

Speaker B: Yeah. So they were the first ones I found. I flew my group out to, uh, Detroit to meet Marshall, uh, who was one of the original on. Spot on.

Speaker A: Right. That's amazing. So let's talk a little about AI because Jimmy's been talking about AI, uh, and we have a joke going that every time somebody mentions AI will drink. Will they get shot? You know, so, uh, Jimmy, I can't believe that can. Very quickly. Yeah, um, A.I. is all the talk, but let's just talk about hospitality and AI, because a lot of people are like AI, AI, AI. And in a lot of industries and a lot of business, it will help. And it'll certainly be a piece of hospitality to help in certain areas. And as a finance guy, I'm sure you're going to find amazing tools that you can use for reporting and analytics, but it's not going to replace hospitality.

Speaker B: Not a chance.

Speaker A: Not a chance. Right, so where are you guys? What are your, what's your take on where does AI start and stop in restaurants?

Speaker B: AI is brilliant at the analytics. We use it all the time. You know, it's, it's wonderful at setting, setting up a, uh, sequence of going in and auditing between systems. You have POS to accounting. Brilliant at that. Where I stop is if it ever gets between me and the customer.

Speaker A: See that, Jimmy? I told you. I told you, Jimmy.

Speaker C: I did see that. I want to just follow up. I know we just chatted about. Spot on. Um, but given your background and given your expertise in the financial side of the operations, you know, in 2026, what does a POS have to be to really earn that place at the center of the operation? You know, from a CFO's perspective, what does it cost an operator when the technology is not working the way it should?

Speaker B: Oh, it's devastating. This is all web based right now. And, uh, it's contingent, uh, on Internet. You lose those things, especially with the kids these days. None of them can operate a paper and a piece of. And a pencil.

Speaker A: Well, most can't write.

Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I mean, in the old days, we used to have to write stuff down and give it to the kitchen. I mean, take away the technology.

Speaker A: I think we call them hand dupes.

Speaker B: Yeah, These guys, these guys are lost. So. No, it's hugely important. The, uh, POS for me has always just been the basic driver of the business I got. You need to be able to take that order. You have to be able to send it to the kitchen accurately. You got to run that credit card and put it in my bank account and track my, my, my labor. All I want is you to do that every day. I'll take that data somewhere else and do all my analytics and everything else I need to do with it. So be the best thing you can be to run my day to day operations.

Speaker A: Yeah, you see, Jimmy, because this, the point of sale, that decision of what point of sale you're going to go with, certainly you want, you know, uh, the manager to be a part of, you know, looking at how the, you know, the user experience and interface. But your cfo, your finance guy's got to be a big part of that. Yep, because it's a big. Because it's, it's, it's tying it all together. And you got the finances right.

Speaker C: Mike. Shanti. You. You guys framed it earlier. Culinary arts, restaurant business.

Speaker A: We're going to take a break and come right back to. But before we do, Jimmy, I, you know, I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their story, but a kind of instinct or inspiration such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean. What do you think, Jimmy?

Speaker C: It's poetry. Socrates. Socrates.

Speaker A: Oh, uh, how about. Yeah, I thought you would have known immediately who that was.

Speaker C: I think it's so crates.

Speaker A: Well, that's pronounced so crates. My line out of the Myth, the Magic, the Math by Bruce Nelson. My favorite new book. All right, we're gonna take a quick break. We're get back into a little bit of the book. We're gonna go back to hospitality headlines. Jimmy, you've been terrible at it.

Speaker C: Terrible.

Speaker A: I bet you Bruce Nelson, my new favorite guest, uh, gonna kick your ass. Okay. And we're gonna be hot or not in Brandon quickfire. So don't go away. Be right back on the hospitality hangout. Presented by Spoton.

Speaker C: Spoton.

Speaker A: Hey, um, everybody, I gotta tell you, we're gonna talk about Bilt. Bilt Hospitality. Millions of people use Bilt every day. That's right, every day to earn awards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now, now it extends to your restaurant. That's where built hospitality comes in. Bilt hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of. Bilt's restaurant facing platform is designed Specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform. Alongside an agentic concierge. That's right. An AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guest tastes using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built Hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right, the entire guest journey. From delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment. Sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing. It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over. Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time. Every time. They're a regular. Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more@builtdining.com hangout. That's builtdining.com hangout. And check out what Built Hospitality is going to do for you and your restaurant. We are back, everybody, and I got to tell you, we're having a great time here in Chicago. The Hospitality Hangout live at the show.

Speaker C: The show.

Speaker A: Not to be confused with the big show, but it seems pretty big. Jimmy, a lot of fricking people here I don't like.

Speaker C: I don't think they like you saying the big show anymore.

Speaker A: Yeah, I don't mind.

Speaker C: No, just the show.

Speaker A: It's just the show. All right, we're going into the hospitality headlines with Bruce Nelson. Okay, you ready? Tempo Hospitality Group cfo.

Speaker C: I think it'll explain the game.

Speaker B: I'm gonna explain.

Speaker A: Give me a second. Jimmy, explain the game. All right, I'm gonna give you three headlines. You were to tell me two are. Two are real headlines. One is fake, Completely made up.

Speaker C: I'm ofra. I've not gotten any of these right. Today.

Speaker A: Restaurant. This is breaking news. Restaurant launches emotional support. Mozzarella sticks as an office menu category. That is breaking news. That was on CNBC yesterday. Today when I woke up, Jimmy, I read in the Wall Street Journal, Baskin Robbins released a turkey dinner ice cream flavor for Thanksgiving. That was from Wall Street Journal today. Earlier today, Jimmy. This was at lunchtime when I was sitting with you having lunch.

Speaker C: You're doing a lot of reading today.

Speaker A: I read. I read in the New York Post IKEA published a recipe written like furniture. Furniture assembly instructions. IKEA published a recipe written like furniture assembly instructions. Bruce, what say you? What is the fake story there? I thought they were all real. There was restaurant launched, emotional support mozzarella sticks. Brasskin Robbins has a turkey dinner ice cream flavor, and IKEA has a recipe that is written like a furniture assembly instruction.

Speaker B: Well, I actually think the IKEA one's true.

Speaker A: I think that's true.

Speaker B: I think it's the Baskin Robbins turkey ice cream.

Speaker A: Jimmy, what do you think?

Speaker C: So I actually, I'm. I know I'm going to be wrong, because I've been wrong every single time.

Speaker A: I don't want you thinking like that. I love the special.

Speaker C: I love the idea of emotional support mozzarella sticks. I think that's a great idea for a menu item. So I'm going to say that's the fake headline, because I think it's a great idea. I'm gonna say that's the fake headline.

Speaker A: I gotta tell you something, Jimmy. This is your lucky day. Bruce, you are incorrect. The fake story is restaurant launch, emotional support mozzarella sticks. That is absolutely untrue. But Baskin Robbins did release a turkey dinner ice cream flavor.

Speaker C: I think emotional support mozzarella sticks is genius.

Speaker A: And have you ever tried to put anything together from ikea?

Speaker B: Oh, yeah.

Speaker A: It is definitely not easy.

Speaker C: Not easy.

Speaker A: That's why I think TaskRabbit even got invented. It was just an offshoot of IKEA.

Speaker C: I think whenever we get furniture like that, I'm like, oh, we need to get the guy to assemble it. And my wife Barbara. Barbara will say, isn't that you? I'm like, no, I'm not the guy. We need a guy.

Speaker A: You need a guy. I'm calling the guy. All right, here we go. Hot or not. Are you ready? We were with Bruce Nelson, famous CFO and famous author of my new favorite book that I will be cuddling up tonight with the myth, the magic, the math. Okay, Triple M. And by the way, you know, I like about this book the most, Bruce. There's pictures in it, so I don't have to read too much. A lot of pictures in it, Jimmy. I don't know if I'm gonna read this book. Well, there's lots of mad stuff in there, too.

Speaker B: There's.

Speaker A: Actually, there's no. There was one. That's the only picture in the whole. But there's no pictures. All right. Anyway, I'll wait for the movie to come out on Netflix. All right, here we go. Hot or not. Are you ready? Bruce Nelson, famous cfo, restaurant operator. What is your, uh, ketchup on hot dogs? Hot or not?

Speaker B: Not.

Speaker A: Pen's broke his Fairmont piece of Shit pen. Could have hit somebody in the eye. Ah, I lost an eye. Mocktails. Hot or not hot? Protein, everything. Is that hot or not hot? Pickle flavored everything. Not dipping fries in Frosties.

Speaker B: Disgusting. Disgusting.

Speaker A: Private dining clubs.

Speaker B: That's a new one. Um. Hot.

Speaker A: Look at my shit. Spam.

Speaker B: I'm from Minnesota. That's where they make that stuff odd. Uh, not.

Speaker A: Wow. Music festivals turning into food festivals. Hot cloud based point of sale.

Speaker B: Insane.

Speaker A: Fractional CFOs.

Speaker B: Oh, I hope it's hot, baby.

Speaker A: Is that very hot?

Speaker B: It's actually. It's really growing.

Speaker A: Fractional CFOs writing books.

Speaker B: Not. Not.

Speaker C: Not hot.

Speaker A: Jimmy. Not hot Jimmy. Jimmy, care to opine?

Speaker C: I would have answered that last question with it's not easy. Not easy?

Speaker A: It's not easy. Which part?

Speaker C: To be a fractional CFO and dedicate the time to write a book, that's not easy. I, uh, want to go to mocktails because I, I have a lot of thoughts on this. But as a, as a numbers person, my sense is the reason why clearly there's, there's a. There's been a drop in alcohol consumption across wine, across beer.

Speaker A: I must say, Jimmy, not you.

Speaker C: Not.

Speaker A: Not you and I. Not you and I. We are still helping.

Speaker C: I don't drink anymore.

Speaker B: My industry thanks you less either.

Speaker A: Exactly.

Speaker C: No, but, but the industry is right now. We're, we're, I think a 30 year

Speaker B: low across the board.

Speaker C: So mocktails. On the one hand, it's meeting. Not alk is meeting the guests where they want to be. Mocktails, I believe is a financial engineering to try to make up for the lost revenues associated with the move away from alcohol. And my sense is that's why you're seeing it as hot. I'd love to hear you comment more on that. Am I reading the room right?

Speaker B: You are reading the room absolutely right. Alcohol sales are down across, you know, every industry that tracks it. Mocktails are one thing we're doing. Also the other thing is craft cocktails. You know, all restaurants are putting out, uh, you know, 16, $18 craft cocktails because they know if I'm going to sell you one, I'm probably only going to get one.

Speaker C: Yep.

Speaker B: Yeah. So the mocktail is just a logical follow from that because there are some people that don't drink and they'll do the same thing. They'll spend $10 on basically sugar and water. Yes.

Speaker C: So I actually think there's really almost a delineation between non elk and mocktails. Non alk is non ag is your club soda. Non Ag is your soda fountain. Non Ag juices. You know, even, you know, even. Even your Non Dog beer.

Speaker A: That's.

Speaker C: That's respectfully simple. The mocktail is a. Is a, um, crafted. It's a crafted experience for the guests. And you get to charge.

Speaker B: Exactly. Because I don't drink alcohol. So most restaurants, I can get a mineral water, a San Pellegrino, an iced tea. That's it. Yeah, you can't get any more money out of me because half those have free rifles.

Speaker A: That's why I think. That's why I think dirty sodas, which is in that whole thing, is. Yeah. Because at the end of the day, people, uh, are drinking less for a myriad of reasons. And now you can create these things that you were, you know, you had, you know, Coke or a Pepsi for, I don't know, $2,250. Now you charge like, $16. Yes. And it's like you said, it's the same, basically. Maybe you put a nice little garnish in it, you know.

Speaker B: Yeah. Has everybody been to that? Been through a swig?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Well, I mean.

Speaker A: I mean, they sold for a lot of money. We know that. Andrew, uh, Smith and the Savory guys. I m mean, really, they're opening all over the place.

Speaker B: I know it. I. I can't imagine paying that much money for a soda.

Speaker A: Uh, people are. People are digging it, man. It's. It's experience. All right. I love it. I love it. Let's go to the Branded Quickfire. Okay. Are you ready for the Branded Quickfire? Bruce Nelson edition, Spot on edition here at Chick in Chicago. Jimmy.

Speaker C: Ah.

Speaker A: Are you ready?

Speaker C: I'm ready.

Speaker A: What's your go to dish at Hazelwood? Oh, that's one of your restaurants, right? So at Hazelwood in Minnesota, that's one of the. It's one of your star restaurants that you see if I was. What do you like to eat and do they feed you and do you get a discount or as the cfo, you say, no, I like to pay full price.

Speaker B: No, I don't pay. I don't pay a dime. When I go, uh, now wait a minute.

Speaker A: Now as that. That seems to me, as a cfo, you should be like, no, no, no comping. I pay, Jimmy. Right. Am I right?

Speaker C: He paid up front. No, he did.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: We'll call it part of my compensation.

Speaker A: Okay. All right.

Speaker B: There you go. The rotisserie chicken is fabulous.

Speaker A: The rosemary chicken.

Speaker B: Rotisserie.

Speaker A: Rotisserie chicken.

Speaker B: Rotisserie chicken.

Speaker A: You like that? That's your go to. If I go In a hazel wood. I'll see you sitting there by yourself with your non out drink, reading your book, um, and saying, why the hell did I write this book? Right?

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: Favorite food city in the world for you.

Speaker B: Favorite food city in the world for me is. Boy, Chicago's one of them. I love Chicago because there's so many great independent restaurants. Without a doubt, there's not a lot of chains here. So when you walk into these restaurants, you're getting authentic.

Speaker A: You're getting authentic. I like it. How do you take your bagel? What is a. What does a Bruce, uh, Nelson do? Want a bagel. What kind of bagel? How do you take your bagel?

Speaker B: Bacon and chives, baby. Cream cheese.

Speaker A: Cream cheese. Chive cream cheese.

Speaker B: Bacon and chive cream cheese. Bacon, bacon and chive cream cheese on a bagel.

Speaker A: What kind of bagel?

Speaker B: Um, I don't know. Usually just a plain one.

Speaker A: A plain bagel?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Bacon and chive.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: You got. That's where all the flavors.

Speaker A: Bacon and chive cheese.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Jimmy, have you ever heard this?

Speaker C: I'm curious. I've not heard.

Speaker A: You've never heard that?

Speaker C: I've never heard it. I'm curious.

Speaker B: Oh, really?

Speaker C: He has me curious.

Speaker A: I've never heard. I've never heard anyone put outside a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel. I've never heard this before. You are the first.

Speaker B: I had to go to Hormel just to get some bacon right before I came over here.

Speaker A: I wonder, is bacon the next thing to be? Uh, like, people aren't gonna like, oh, don't say that.

Speaker C: Why would you say.

Speaker A: Why would you say that, Ron? Is bacon the next thing? Young people don't eat bacon anymore.

Speaker C: No.

Speaker A: You know what? I will tell you. My kids are so into protein. I got three boys. Uh, and you know what? When I grew up, we eat Slim Jims. Remember the Slim Jim?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Remember the Slim Jim? Now the Slim Jims are back. They're not Slim Jim, but now they're like these protein sticks. They're basically Slim Jims, but I guess they're healthier.

Speaker B: They are. I prefer the Jack Links over the Slim Jims, but, uh.

Speaker C: Right.

Speaker A: But I mean, it's. It's. They have, like, these healthy ones.

Speaker B: All right. Yeah.

Speaker A: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Speaker B: A hot dog sandwich?

Speaker A: No, I said it like. Like I was crazy to even ask.

Speaker C: Yes. Yeah, it's crazy.

Speaker A: Is a hamburger sandwich.

Speaker B: No, thank you.

Speaker A: Is a bagel with bacon and chive cream juice a sandwich?

Speaker B: No, no.

Speaker A: Uh, what's a sandwich to you?

Speaker B: A sandwich is anything between anything that's meat, cheese. They can be served hot or cold on a bun or on two slices of bun.

Speaker A: Wait a minute. Don't leave that. He said a bun.

Speaker B: A hot dog bun doesn't count.

Speaker A: A hamburger bun doesn't count.

Speaker C: Wait a minute.

Speaker A: You just said anything, sir, in between a bun. Do we got to go to the videotape, Bruce?

Speaker C: You are correct, sir. You are correct, sir.

Speaker A: A bun. All right, what's the last thing you googled? We're gonna put that up all over social media. I'm called Bruce. A liar, liar, pants on fire. No way.

Speaker C: No way. Bruce is an honest agent, honest man here. And he's right.

Speaker A: His pants are actually on fire, Jimmy. They're on stick.

Speaker B: Last thing I Googled was probably the hotel here I'm staying at just to find out where it was.

Speaker A: Oh, wait, are you staying there? Hyatt Regency over here?

Speaker B: Uh, no, I'm staying at the Marriott.

Speaker C: Oh, great.

Speaker B: Now everybody's gonna come find me.

Speaker C: I'm gonna find you.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Listen, if you're not.

Speaker B: If you want the world famous in

Speaker A: the lobby at the Marriott right here on Martin Luther King Boulevard or whatever it is over here, and if you want, Bruce is signing books in the lobby over there. So check it. Bring us home. Jimmy, I gotta tell you.

Speaker C: Yes, yes, yes. Bruce, you're being a fantastic, uh, guest today. Thank you for joining us on the special edition of the Hometown Heroes, powered by our friends at Spoton. Uh, we love what they're doing for the industry. Appreciate you saying some nice things about them. Um, and you're truly a hustler. The hospital hustler. Dishwasher. Thirteen, A philosophy major, uh, at Hamlin. A restaurant owner at what's Happening Hamlin.

Speaker B: Hamlin University.

Speaker C: Hamlin University.

Speaker A: He didn't say that.

Speaker C: I said it.

Speaker A: Now I know that.

Speaker C: Okay. A restaurant owner at 21 with a very creative pricing strategy. A cordon blue instructor, Timberwolves, suite operator, published author, now a fractional cfo, keeping some of the best brands in Minnesota sharp. Ladies and gentlemen, our friend Bruce Nelson. Temple Hospitality Group. One customer, one plate, one time.

Speaker A: That's right. And if we want to find Tempo Hospitality, what do we do?

Speaker B: Find us at Tempo.

Speaker A: Hg.comtempoeach.com I gotta tell you, and I forgot to ask you something. What is the hottest point of sale company right now to you?

Speaker B: I, um, think it's these guys.

Speaker A: That's what you're supposed to say.

Speaker C: These guys.

Speaker A: Thank you, Zach. I mean, he's like. He's over there. I mean, what you were supposed to say. You were supposed to say spot on.

Speaker B: Like, Zach. Well, I like my point.

Speaker C: Jesus Christ.

Speaker A: I'm like, what's the high? He's like, let me think. Uh, he was.

Speaker C: He was working his way into it.

Speaker A: You know, that Touch Feaster has been doing some really good stuff. And, uh, you know, I. I saw the shift for it when I was walking in. Very nice things over there. Spot on. Spot on. Zach. Tough guest over here, man.

Speaker C: Thank you, Bruce. Thanks, everybody.

Speaker A: Bruce Cheer.