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Pricing
Engagement levels, project rates and a plain explanation of what drives a consulting fee up or down.
Engagement Levels
Three ways to work with us
Project fees are fixed and agreed in writing before work begins. Travel and third party costs such as photography, printing and legal are billed at cost with receipts.
Advisory
Operators who need answers, not a team
$285 / hour
- Hourly strategic consulting
- Concept and menu review
- P and L and cost analysis
- Lease and site opinion
- Written summary after each session
- No minimum retainer
- Monthly retainers available
Concept Package
A concept built and documented
$18,500 starting
- Full concept development and positioning
- Financial model and unit economics
- Brand identity and menu design
- Engineered menu with costed recipes
- Core operating systems and SOPs
- Equipment and layout guidance
- Investor ready presentation materials
- Fixed fee, milestone payments
Launch & Beyond
Concept through opening and scale
$48,000 starting
- Everything in the Concept Package
- Full opening management
- Hiring and training programs
- Vendor selection and negotiation
- Soft opening and first 90 days on site
- Franchise readiness documentation
- Ongoing advisory retainer available
- Dedicated senior consultant
Full Rate List
Every engagement, priced
Ranges reflect completed engagements. Scope, unit count, menu size and how much documentation already exists move the number considerably.
| Engagement | Typical Range | Timeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Free | 60 to 90 minutes | Under NDA, no obligation |
| Hourly advisory | $285 per hour | As needed | No minimum, written summary included |
| Monthly advisory retainer | $2,400 to $7,500 | Monthly | By hours and access level |
| Concept feasibility study | $4,500 to $9,500 | 3 to 5 weeks | Market, competition, financial model |
| Full concept development | $12,000 to $32,000 | 6 to 14 weeks | Positioning, model, documentation |
| Brand identity package | $7,500 to $24,000 | 6 to 12 weeks | Name, identity, standards, collateral |
| Menu engineering project | $5,800 to $14,000 | 4 to 8 weeks | Costing, pricing, design, rollout |
| Recipe costing and standardization | $3,200 to $9,000 | 3 to 6 weeks | Per menu, by item count |
| Operations manual build | $9,500 to $28,000 | 8 to 16 weeks | SOPs, recipes, training, checklists |
| Training program development | $4,800 to $15,000 | 4 to 10 weeks | Materials, certification, delivery |
| Opening management | $22,000 to $65,000 | 3 to 6 months | Critical path through first 90 days |
| Turnaround assessment | $3,800 to $8,500 | 2 to 4 weeks | Diagnostic with prioritized actions |
| Lease and site opinion | $1,500 to $3,500 | 1 to 2 weeks | Independent written opinion |
| Investor deck and model | $4,500 to $12,000 | 3 to 6 weeks | Presentation and supporting model |
| Franchise readiness package | $28,000 to $85,000 | 4 to 9 months | Playbook, economics, site criteria |
| Multi unit expansion planning | $14,000 to $45,000 | 2 to 5 months | Replication model and territory plan |
| Expert witness and analysis | $395 per hour | Per matter | Industry analysis and testimony support |
| Travel and third party costs | At cost | As incurred | Billed with receipts, approved in advance |
These are planning ranges, not quotes. Every engagement is scoped and priced in a written proposal after the initial consultation, and that proposal is the binding figure.
Cost Drivers
What moves a consulting fee
Two restaurants of similar size can require very different engagements. These are the factors that decide it, and several are within your control.
- What already exists. A client with clean financials, a defined concept and a signed lease needs far less discovery than one starting from an idea.
- Menu size. Recipe costing and standardization scale directly with item count. A 40 item menu is roughly double the work of a 20 item menu.
- Number of units. Multi unit and franchise work requires documentation built for replication, which is a different standard than single unit.
- Documentation depth. A summary operations guide and a full franchise grade manual are different orders of magnitude.
- On site time. Opening management and training are labor intensive and require our people in your building.
- Travel. Distance affects cost directly. International engagements carry additional planning time.
- Timeline pressure. Compressed schedules require more resource concurrently, not fewer hours.
Always Included
- Mutual NDA before substantive discussion
- Free initial consultation
- Written proposal with defined scope and deliverables
- Fixed project fees, not open ended hours
- Documents you own on payment
- Financial models you can update yourself
- Honest assessment, including bad news
- A named senior contact throughout
Money Questions
Fees and terms
Is the first consultation really free?
Yes, and it happens under NDA. We discuss your concept or your problem, give an initial view and tell you what an engagement would involve. There is no obligation to proceed.
Are fees fixed or hourly?
Project work is fixed fee against a written scope, paid on milestones. Advisory work is hourly with no minimum. We do not run open ended hourly engagements on project work, because that arrangement rewards the wrong behavior.
How are payments structured?
Typically a deposit to begin, with the balance across defined milestones such as strategy delivery, brand approval and manual handover. The schedule is written into your agreement.
What happens if we stop after the strategy phase?
Nothing punitive. You pay for the phases completed and keep everything produced, including the financial model and written recommendation. The go or no go point is designed to be a real option.
Do you take equity instead of fees?
In rare cases and only for concepts we believe in strongly, structured through separate legal agreements. It is the exception rather than an offer, and fee based engagements are the norm.
Do you charge for travel?
Travel is billed at cost with receipts and approved by you in advance. We batch on site work to minimize trips.
Will you work with a competitor of ours?
We disclose and manage conflicts before engaging. Where a direct conflict exists in the same trade area and format, we decline. Details are in our confidentiality policy.
Have a concept, a site or a problem?
Book a consultation and we will tell you honestly what we think, what it would take and whether we are the right firm for it.