Passionate Supporters of the US Restaurant Alliance

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I am Robert Kaster, and I am the president of GMS Hospitality, LLC and proprietor of El Viñedo Local, a South American wine bar and restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia.  I am a 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry with experience in multiple cities across the United States.

As we all know the past few years have been unprecedented and particularly difficult for independent restaurants regardless of the status of the operation.  There have been enormous changes in the way in which we do business, connect with our guests and team members, and navigate an ever-changing supply chain.

Whether starting new or operating a long-standing business, there are challenges facing all of us.  The leadership of the US Restaurant Alliance have put together an impressive team of knowledgeable and skilled individuals who have developed a set of impactful resources to not only help operators in the current landscape, but also in the future. Even more impressive is the fact that they have found a way to make it affordable to the small business owner.

If their services were available when we started developing El Viñedo Local, they would definitely would have made the process much easier and most certainly they would have been my first call.

Again, I am Robert Kaster, and I believe in the US Restaurant Alliance! 

I am Celebrity Chef Declan Horgan, Culinary Director / Executive Chef of the Riphean Investments group. This organization owns Rebellion Bourbon Bar and Kitchen, a Veteran-owned company hailing from Fredericksburg Virginia.

Having been in the restaurant industry since 1995, I have seen many local mom and pop restaurants and bars close as they can’t compete with the bigger cookie-cutter fast casuals in countries like Ireland, France and now America.

As a hopeful restaurant owner someday, it is great to know that I will have a sounding board and a one-stop-shop of different products and services available to help me become a successful small business owner.

It is obvious that the US Restaurant Alliance has taken the time to properly think this service through to best fit small business owners. They listened to my needs and also my suggestions, which in turn makes you confident you have a group like this behind you in the restaurant business world we live in today.

Anything from accounting, HR, advertising, and buying power brokering to get the best bottom-dollar price for your small restaurant like a corporate central purchasing department without the shakes of corporate operations. In addition, their financial services can help minimize the effect of economic downturns that relate to bad weather, road construction and pandemics. They have come up with a detailed program to help in all aspects of the business.

The US Restaurant Alliance program is hands down the most exciting and coolest new service offering for the restaurant business world.  Their services will change the lives and fortunes for small operators in this market so they can run their businesses with the confidence of the big chain brands! 

I am Tim Freer, Managing Partner of the Cajun Queen Restaurant, a locally owned and operated restaurant in Charlotte NC since 1985.  Having run the restaurant since 1992, I have experienced the ups and downs that affect small, single unit restaurants.

I can tell the US Restaurant Alliance has spent a lot of time speaking to small restaurants and has really listened to the unique problems and challenges that face us. They have come up with a detailed program to help in all aspects of the business. US Restaurant Alliance’s program includes help in every stage of the business.  Help with HR and accounting that we have little time for.  Help with promotions and advertising that we have little money for and help with lowering our costs by leveraging the buying power we don’t have the size for.

I am already looking forward to working with the US Restaurant Alliance and gaining more time, money and buying power just like the big chain restaurants enjoy.  The fact that these services are provided for a reasonable price that we can afford and are based on the sales they will be helping increase is a real plus.    

My name is Preston Hagman. You may know my father, Larry Hagman who played the astronaut, Major Anthony Nelson in the TV show ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ from the 60s and as the oil baron, JR Ewing from the TV Show ‘Dallas’ in the 70s.

What you may not know is that I went on to have a successful career in aerospace engineering and software development. And as I love the food industry so much, I also started and ran a restaurant that was quite successful until the Great Recession of 2007-2009.  Like so many in the business, I had to close my doors at that time.

Much like the Great Recession, these are tough times for the restaurant and services industry. Thankfully, the services offered by US Restaurant Alliance has the potential to help this industry get back on its feet. If this was offered back when I had my restaurant it might have been a game changer.  I have known MJ for many years and believe he and his team can help lead this industry into much better times.

Again, my name is Preston Hagman and I believe in the US Restaurant Alliance! 

My name is Howard Hitchcock, I am a career business professional currently employed as the CEO of a well-known, cherished American brand. Established in my career, my wife and I decided to explore our own entrepreneurial spirt, driven to turn our passion for great wine, food and experiences into a thriving local business.

As co-owners of D’Vine Wines, LLC we are the owners of Vintner’s Hill Wine Bar & Bistro, a small independent restaurant located in the booming suburb of Mint Hill, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.

When we purchased Vintner’s Hill in the Summer of 2019, neither my wife nor I had much / any operational experience in the hospitality space or in running our own business. Rather than building from the ground up, we decided to purchase Vintner’s as an existing business, which was trending positively, but had so much more potential than what was being realized. At about the seven-month mark, we were hit with the Covid pandemic and focus immediately turned from how do we grow / expand to simply, how do we survive?

The pandemic revealed to me in a stark reality that small, proprietor owned, and operated businesses / restaurants are at a considerable disadvantage when it comes to resources, support and marketing / promotion than larger fast food or chain style restaurants. I personally had the experience of being able to witness both sides of business operations during the pandemic. As CEO, I was able to draw on departmental expertise to help manage through the challenges, react and remain operational. In our personal business, while I was able to draw from my experience as a CEO, there was no one to help other than ourselves. For the next several months we spent countless hours interpreting government mandates, seeking financial assistance programs, implementing Covid related procedures and policy, working with suppliers, many of whom were facing their own sets of challenges and seeking any advice that we could find to make the right decisions for the business. While largely successful and fortunate to have made many of the right choices, I believe that had it not been for my professional background, things could have turned out quite differently.

While restrictions have eased and there is some sense of normal, to this day there continues to be Covid or “New-Normal” related challenges including supply chain, staffing shortages and rising costs. It’s safe to say that these last few years have arguably been the hardest for the American small business in modern history.

I believe this is where the concept of the US Restaurant Alliance comes into play and becomes an invaluable resource for sole proprietor businesses. The idea of bringing together the critical tools, knowledge and skill sets needed to help establish, operate and grow your restaurant business, in a one-stop-shop format is certainly a game changer for small business entrepreneurs and would have been a welcome resource over the past several years.

USRA’s structure of bringing together years of experience with a variety of expertise and disciplines to build a diverse range of knowledge, while incorporating tangible and meaningful opportunities to leverage buying power, improve training, bolster promotion and many other needed opportunities warrants thoughtful consideration for the small business operator.

I endorse this concept and look forward to the potential opportunities and results USRA can deliver.

I am Jared Burton and I own the J-Lights Cafe in Durham, NC.

The US Restaurant Alliance is a terrific resource for restaurant owners. They have talented leadership with a ton of restaurant experience.

They can come in and help you with staff training, marketing assistance, debt restructuring and help to get your feet underneath you firmly so that you can be successful.

So if you haven’t already, you should check out the US Restaurant Alliance for your business! 

I am Tom Stroozas, and I am a long-established consultant for the foodservice industry and current publisher of the Americas Cuisine Dining Guide for the Alaska market.

Previously I served as the Executive Director of the American Culinary Federation (NC) and as the Regional Director of the NC Restaurant & Lodging Association.

So, I have been “around the globe” so to speak on many hospitality-related journeys and continue to keep my hand on the pulse of the industry.  And, as you know, the past two years have been a particular challenge for our independent operators.

Today’s business model has changed abruptly over the past couple of years which has, actually, created opportunities that were not even thought of until the worldwide pandemic came on the scene.  That is where the US Restaurant Alliance comes in. The services offered by the US Restaurant Alliance can help our independent operators, the life blood of the industry, through these uncharted times. The USRA will offer affordable services to help increase customer traffic, improve check averages and provide options for additional revenue streams.  And their well-founded systems for decreasing overall expenses while reducing risks can make a big financial difference.

I heartedly endorse the US Restaurant Alliance as a preferred means to help your company survive and thrive. 

My name is Maria Campbell, and I am a Partner at One Degree Coaching. Our team has worked with independent restaurants for years and we understand the challenges they face on a daily basis.

It's true that we’re living in very challenging times. And the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) for the restaurant and hospitality industry has never experienced such fast and extraordinary changes in such a short time.  Kirk and his team have thought long and hard about how to help overwhelmed operators who are sifting through information and advice available with little solutions before options of reduced staff/hours/services and eventually closures.

Seeking solutions, they are collectively working with their network to source power in numbers. Part of that plan includes The US Restaurant Alliance to help others work with commercial landlords to restructure property and equipment lease agreements (a fixed cost) to help keep independents alive.

Food and labor monitoring, reviewing operating costs, and strategies (variable costs) have helped only mildly for establishments looking for solutions to keep under control. But when it comes to rent, it’s much harder to bring costs down quickly.  USRA's comprehensive plan will transform their operations, marketing and more and help them to survive and thrive. This group really cares and has what it takes to find solutions. Without their innovative solutions, many independents will face dire consequences.  It takes passion to push a project of this magnitude and I know they will succeed. 

I am Chef David Buchanan, owner of Chefs-Resources.com and 30+ year veteran of the hospitality industry, having experience working at independent restaurants, chain restaurants, B&I food service operations, and resort hotel restaurants.

Hospitality industry people know that restaurant profit margins are slim with little room for error and for most independent operators, owning a restaurant is more about pride & passion than it is about getting rich. But pride & passion don’t give independent restaurants the leverage that corporations have access to. In 2020 - 2021 it’s estimated that at least 17% of US restaurants went out of business due to Covid related issues, and independent restaurants were hit the hardest because they don’t have access to the resources (buying power, lawyers, advertising, etc.) which large corporations do.

The concept that US Restaurant Alliance is developing will be a game changer for independent restaurants because it will put them into the league of being able to compete with large chain and corporate operations. US Restaurant Alliance will give independent operations access to buying power for their food and restaurant supplies, buying power for advertising, buying power for legal advice, HR development, and insurance.

Another major disadvantage of independent restaurants that US Restaurant Alliance is addressing is the lack of structured, quality training both for management and team members. Large corporations have solid training procedures, but in smaller operations training is often solely dependent upon the mentoring skills and experience (or lack thereof) of the owner, manager, & chef. US Restaurant Alliance plans to provide a suite of educational materials to help with kitchen management, food cost control, server salesmanship, margin analysis, and a variety of other teaching resources.

I am excited to see how this new concept rolls out and I fully endorse the concept as a way to help our industry evolve.