Smooth Ops Advisory · Pricing guide
How much does a restaurant consultant cost?
The short answer: independent restaurant consultants commonly charge roughly $100 to $300 an hour, a few thousand dollars for a focused project, a few thousand a month on retainer, and tens of thousands for a full opening. Most firms will not tell you their price until you call. We publish ours below.
Ranges above are typical for the industry, not quotes from any named firm. Prices vary with scope, location, and who does the work.
The four ways consultants charge
Hourly
Independent restaurant consultants commonly charge roughly $100 to $300 an hour, with specialists and well known names above that.
Good for a narrow question. Hard to budget for anything bigger, because the meter runs while they learn your business.
Per project
A fixed price for a defined job: an operations review, a menu recost, a new concept, an opening. Focused reviews often run a few thousand dollars; full openings commonly run into the tens of thousands.
Easiest to budget. Make sure the scope and the deliverable are written down before you start.
Monthly retainer
Ongoing help for a set monthly fee, often a few thousand dollars a month depending on hours and visits.
Good when the problem is week to week management, not a one time fix. Ask exactly how many hours and visits the fee covers.
Percentage of sales or equity
Some consultants take a share of sales, profit, or ownership instead of, or on top of, a fee.
Can look cheap at the start and cost the most over time. Have an attorney read the agreement before you give up a share of anything.
What drives the price up or down
How much time on site
A day of review costs far less than weeks of a manager in your store. On site time is the biggest single driver.
Size and number of locations
A single cafe is a smaller job than a full service restaurant or a group of five stores.
How much is broken
A business that needs a tune up costs less to help than one losing money every week.
Who does the work
A founder or senior operator costs more than an experienced manager. Ask who will actually show up.
Travel
Openings outside the consultant's home area add flights, hotels, and meals.
Our prices
Smooth Ops Advisory is run by operators who built 20+ restaurant, cafe, hospitality, and real estate concepts over 15 years in Southern California, Hawaii, and Vietnam. These are our starting prices.
Business Wellness Checkup
1 to 2 days on site. We review labor, food cost, menu, pricing, and workflow, talk to your team, and leave a written fix list ranked by what moves your numbers fastest.
Fractional General Manager
One of our long time managers guides your team week to week: a regular on site visit, a numbers review, and quick answers in between.
Fractional CEO
Work directly with our co-founders on growth, expansion, real estate, and building your leadership team.
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
Site scouting, lease guidance, US suppliers, menu calibration, local hiring, and on the ground management for brands opening their first US location.
Every package includes 3 months of the Smooth Ops app free. The first 15 minute call is free. See all Advisory packages.
How to tell if it pays for itself
Do the math before you hire anyone. Pick the one number the consultant should move, and work out what a small change is worth to you.
Example: a cafe doing $50,000 a month in sales with labor at 35 percent. Bringing labor down 3 points, to 32 percent, keeps $1,500 a month. A $1,500 review that finds it pays for itself in the first month, and every month after is profit.
Labor and food cost are where most of the money hides. Our guides to restaurant labor cost percentage and prime cost show what good looks like, and the food cost calculator is free.
Red flags when hiring a restaurant consultant
- They have never run a restaurant or worked a shift themselves
- They will not put the price, the scope, or the deliverable in writing
- They want a long contract or a large deposit before they have seen your business
- They cannot give you references from owners like you
- They promise a specific sales number or a ranking
- They want a share of your business before they have done any work
More on what a part time manager should deliver in what a fractional general manager costs.
Restaurant consultant pricing, answered
How much does a restaurant consultant cost in Southern California?+
Independent restaurant consultants commonly charge roughly $100 to $300 an hour, a few thousand dollars for a focused project, a few thousand dollars a month on retainer, and tens of thousands for a full opening. Smooth Ops Advisory publishes its prices: a Business Wellness Checkup starts at $1,500, and a Fractional General Manager starts at $750 a week.
Is a restaurant consultant worth it for a small cafe?+
It is worth it when the fix is bigger than the fee. For a small cafe, a one or two day review that finds a few points of labor or food cost usually pays for itself within a month or two. A long retainer is rarely the right first step for a single small shop.
Do you charge for the first call?+
No. Email team@smoothopsapp.com with what you need help with. If it looks like a good fit, the 15 minute call is free.
Can I pay monthly?+
Yes. The Fractional General Manager is priced weekly and billed monthly. The Business Wellness Checkup is a one time fee. Launches and Fractional CEO work are quoted per project.
Is travel extra?+
For launches outside Southern California, travel, hotel, and meals are billed on top of the package.
What else is included?+
Every Smooth Ops Advisory package includes 3 months of the Smooth Ops app free, so the costing, scheduling, and inventory systems we set up keep running after we leave.
Start with one email
Tell us what is going on in your business. If it looks like a good fit, the 15 minute call is free and we will tell you which package fits, or if you do not need one.
Email team@smoothopsapp.com