I’m Josh Kopel, a Michelin-awarded restaurateur and the creator of the Restaurant Scaling System. I’ve spent decades in the industry, building, scaling, and coaching restaurants to become more profitable and sustainable. On this show, I cut through the noise to give you real, actionable strategies that help independent restaurant owners run smarter, more successful businesses.

In this episode, I dive into one of the most overlooked parts of running a successful restaurant—the lease. I explain how rent isn’t just an expense but a performance metric that can shape your entire business. You’ll learn how to negotiate from a position of strength, build better relationships with landlords, and know when walking away is the smartest move for your bottom line.
Takeaways

• Your lease can bankrupt you while you're succeeding.
• Treat rent as a performance metric, not a bill.
• Negotiate from proof, not panic.
• Investors don't ask for discounts, they ask for upside.
• A bad lease with great sales is just a trap.
• Know when to walk away and leave rich.
• Highlight every clause that changes over time.
• Schedule a lease review with your accountant, not your landlord.
• Your landlord is your most dangerous business partner.
• Share this with an owner still negotiating like a tenant.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Restaurant Success Strategies

01:52 Understanding the Lease as a Business Tool

05:39 Negotiation Tactics for Restaurant Owners

If you’ve got a marketing or profitability related question for me, email me directly at [email protected] and include Office Hours in the subject line. If you'd like to scale the profitability of your restaurant in only 5 days, sign up for our FREE 5 Day Restaurant Profitability Challenge by visiting https://joshkopel.com.