Smooth Ops Advisory · Restaurant and cafe consulting in Los Angeles and Orange County
We built 20+ restaurant, cafe, hospitality, and real estate concepts across California, Hawaii, and Vietnam. Now we help owners build theirs.
Smooth Ops Advisory is the consulting arm of Smooth Ops, for cafes, bakeries, restaurants, food service, and hospitality. For 15 years we have opened, rescued, improved, and grown food businesses at home and abroad. Whether you run one neighborhood shop, several locations, or a brand opening its first US location, our advice comes from running these businesses ourselves, with options all the way up to our managers working on site alongside your team.
International brands
Bringing your brand to Southern California
We know what it takes to open in a new country because we have done it ourselves, landing in Saigon and opening in 7 days. Now we help international cafe, bakery, and restaurant brands do the same here. We can be your eyes and ears on the ground while your leadership is abroad, with weekly reports in plain language.
We are at our best when things get hard. Permits stall, a contractor walks, a supplier falls through, the numbers do not add up: we have handled all of it in our own stores, and we troubleshoot until the problem is solved. You also get our network: general contractors, lease brokers, attorneys, accountants, and other professionals we have worked with for years and trust with our own stores.
- Neighborhood research and location scouting
- Lease guidance from an operator's point of view
- US suppliers and sourcing
- Adapting your menu for local tastes while keeping your identity
- Hiring and training a local team
- Ongoing management while your leadership is overseas
We speak English, with conversational Vietnamese and Thai. How a SoCal launch works, and the step by step guide to opening a restaurant in California as a foreign brand and US market entry for Asian food brands. Brands from China and Taiwan, see Chinese tea, coffee, and restaurant brands in Southern California. Opening in Westminster or Garden Grove, read how to open a cafe or restaurant in Little Saigon.
Who we are
Operators first, with the business training to back it up
We are hands on operators, not consultants who only studied business. We have worked every shift, from opening prep to closing the register, and we have instilled those same values in our management team.
Ta, co-founder
Business strategy, growth, long term business outlook, project planning, and navigating challenging situations. CEO of a fast casual restaurant group. Master's degree in business, University of Southern California. Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Physics.
Kathy, co-founder
CEO of multiple brands, from cafes to retail. Leads creative strategy, menu creation, branding, marketing, and sourcing, and guides the management team, constantly building value for customers and team members. Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine.
Our management team
The backbone of every store. They run the day to day with their teams: hiring, training, scheduling, inventory and ordering, food safety and quality, customer service, and keeping each store running smoothly. Most have been with us for more than ten years.
Both of us eat and breathe the food and beverage world. We are never really off the clock, and constantly looking for ways to improve our business is our whole ethos. We bring that same habit to yours.
One of our brands grew from a single shop to nine locations. We have also opened a full service restaurant, quick service concepts in two states, and our own hospitality and real estate properties in California and Hawaii. Every concept we have opened has built a loyal following, with regulars who come back week after week.
Our approach
How we work
Focused on your business
Your goals, your numbers, your future. Your hard work should turn into steady profit and a business that grows in value.
Creative problem solvers
We love the problems nobody else can figure out, and we stay on them until they are fixed.
Hands on and adaptive
Every business is different. We adjust to yours instead of forcing a template.
Every dollar works
We save wherever it matters: the right contractor, better supply pricing, fairer lease terms, even the electric bill. At one of our own stores we cut electricity costs by more than $8,400 a year.
A trusted network
Contractors, lease brokers, attorneys, and accountants we have worked with for years, ready for an introduction.
Fast and confidential
Quick answers, and your business stays private.
Clients
Who we help
We are starting with local Southern California businesses and international brands opening their first location here.
International brands opening in Southern California
Cafe, bakery, and restaurant brands from abroad that want a local operating partner for their first US location.
Learn moreLocal cafes and quick service
Boba, coffee, dessert, and grab and go shops in Orange County and Long Beach that need better numbers, systems, or a second location.
Learn moreRestaurants
Full service owners in Los Angeles and Orange County dealing with labor, food cost, menu, or front and back of house problems.
Learn moreHospitality
We run hospitality properties ourselves, so we know guest experience from both sides. Good for hotels and resorts that want to open or fix a cafe, lobby market, or food and beverage outlet.
Commercial property owners
We own and operate real estate too, so we understand the landlord side. Good for owners with a vacant food space or a struggling food tenant.
Areas we serve
Restaurant consulting across Southern California
We work on site across Los Angeles County and Orange County, and we travel for launches anywhere in the US or overseas. Local pages:
Services
What we can take on
Concept and brand
- New concept development and branding
- Menu development and new items that are profitable to make
- Interior design direction: we set the bigger vision for the space and guide your design team on the details
Operations
- Food cost, recipe costing, and invoices
- Vendor sourcing and ordering
- Inventory systems, par levels, and waste tracking
- Scheduling, labor, and staff training manuals
- Standard operating procedures and daily checklists
- Tech and automation planning
Growth
- Multi-location expansion and turnarounds
- Location scouting and neighborhood research
- Lease guidance from an operator's point of view
We share lease guidance from an operator's point of view, based on our own experience signing and operating under commercial leases. We are not attorneys or real estate brokers, and we recommend every client have their own attorney review a lease before signing.
Case studies
Proof from our own stores
Saigon opening
Four months of planning from the US, then we landed and opened in 7 days. We hired and trained about 10 local team members and got our systems running in a new country.
Universal CityWalk
Seven years, 2017 to 2024, in one of the busiest, highest rent tourist spots in Los Angeles.
One shop to nine
We grew one brand from a single shop to nine locations across California, Hawaii, and Vietnam, with training, opening checklists, and hiring plans that worked without the owners in every store.
Full service restaurant
Seven years, 2018 to 2025, running front and back of house.
Read the full stories: opening in Vietnam, two openings in Hawaii at once, seven years at Universal CityWalk, and one shop to nine.
Packages
Ways to work with us
Business Wellness Checkup
1 to 2 days on site. We review labor, food cost, menu, pricing, and workflow, and leave you a clear fix list.
Fractional General Manager
One of our long time managers, trained in our systems and processes over many years, guides your team week to week.
Fractional CEO
Work directly with our co-founders, Ta and Kathy, on growth, expansion, real estate, and building your leadership team. Best for owners with multiple locations and brands opening in Southern California.
White Glove Launch
A manager on site for 2 to 6 weeks to open a new location or turn one around. Anywhere in the US or overseas.
SoCal Launch for international brands
Location scouting, lease guidance, US suppliers, menu adaptation, local hiring and training, and ongoing management while your leadership is abroad.
Every package includes 3 months of the Smooth Ops app free, so the systems we set up keep running after we leave. How we compare with typical consultant pricing: what a restaurant consultant costs.
How it works
Three steps
- 1
Email us
Send a note to team@smoothopsapp.com with what you need help with.
- 2
A 15 minute call
If it looks like a good fit for our team, we set up a 15 minute call to talk it through.
- 3
The right fit
A Checkup to review and hand you a fix list, a Fractional General Manager to guide your team week to week, or a Launch where we come on site and put it in place with you.
Advisory, answered
How is Smooth Ops Advisory different from the Smooth Ops app?+
The app is software: recipe costing, invoices, inventory, scheduling, and the rest of the back office. Advisory is the people behind the app working on your business in person. The same operators built both, and every Advisory engagement includes 3 months of the app free so the systems we set up keep running after we leave.
Do you work with brands from outside the United States?+
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons we started Advisory. We have opened overseas ourselves, landing in Saigon and opening in 7 days. For brands coming to Southern California we handle neighborhood research and location scouting, lease guidance from an operator's point of view, US suppliers, menu adaptation, local hiring and training, and ongoing management while your leadership is abroad. We can be your eyes and ears on the ground, with weekly reports in plain language. We speak English with conversational Vietnamese and Thai.
What does a Business Wellness Checkup include?+
One to two days on site. We look at labor, food cost, menu, pricing, and workflow, talk to your team, and hand you a written fix list ranked by what will move your numbers fastest. It starts at $1,500 and is usually the first step for local businesses.
What does a fractional general manager actually do?+
One of our long time managers, trained in our systems over many years, guides your team week to week: a regular on site visit, a review of your sales, labor, and food cost, and quick answers by text or email in between. It starts at $750 a week.
Can you help me find a location or review a lease?+
We scout neighborhoods and locations and share lease guidance from an operator's point of view, based on our own experience signing and operating under commercial leases. We are not attorneys or real estate brokers, and we recommend every client have their own attorney review a lease before signing.
Who do you work with?+
Owners who are as committed as we are. We are starting with local Southern California cafes, restaurants, hotels, and property owners, plus international brands opening their first location here.
How do I start?+
Email team@smoothopsapp.com with what you need help with. If it looks like a good fit for our team, we set up a 15 minute call to talk it through and recommend the right package.
Tell us what is going on
One email with what you need help with. If it looks like a good fit, we set up a 15 minute call.
Email team@smoothopsapp.com