The arc — six phases over six months (longer if your buildout runs long)

Phase 1 — Foundation & Why (Weeks 1–4) We lock your concept and pressure-test that it actually fits your market, and we dig until your why is so clear it'll carry you through the hard days. Concept, location, and market have to be blended carefully — this is where we make sure they line up before you spend a dollar.

Phase 2 — The Money (Weeks 4–10) We build your costed-out model and your real opening budget — and here' s the one most people get wrong: we build in the working capital cushion to survive the lean stretch. I won't raise the money for you, but I'll show you exactly where to look and how to plan it so you're not the restaurant that's loved by everyone and still dies in a slow season.

Phase 3 — Location & Lease (Weeks 7–14) The two failure points that end the most restaurants before they ever get a chance. We evaluate sites against your concept and your numbers, and I walk you through the lease so you don't sign the thing that quietly sinks you two years in.

Phase 4 — Build It (Weeks 12–20) Kitchen designed for efficiency, menu developed and costed, vendors lined up, the right technology in the right places. The stuff I learned making pancakes fifty times and fighting cook times opening week — so you're ready for the rush from day one.

Phase 5 — Systems & People (Weeks 16–24) Hiring, training, prep sheets, recipe adherence, and the culture piece that's the real engine. Your team are your first customers. We build the systems so the place can eventually run without you living in it.

Phase 6 — Open & Stabilize (final weeks + 90 days beyond) Soft open, opening, and then I don't disappear — we dial in those first 90 days when the bad first impressions stick, until you're steady on your feet.

What's included: