Launch price: $47 — includes the PDF, the EPUB, and all 12 operator worksheets. See what's inside

The modern restaurant operator's playbook

44,000 words. 20 chapters. 12 fill-in worksheets. 100+ cited data points. A profit and operations field manual for restaurant owners who are done leaving money on the table.

Chapters
20
Chapters
Strategies
52
Strategies
Worksheets
12
Worksheets
Citations
100+
Citations
Cover of The Modern Restaurant Operator's Playbook
$47

One-time purchase. Instant download.

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Includes: PDF edition · EPUB for e-readers
12 operator worksheets · Lifetime access

In 2026, 42% of operators reported their restaurant was not profitable. The ones who survive are not working harder — they're running better systems.

Food costs 35% above pre-pandemic levels

Every dollar you spend on ingredients costs more than it ever has. Without item-level cost tracking and weekly variance reviews, you are bleeding margin you cannot see.

Delivery platforms taking 20–30% per order

A restaurant doing $10,000 a month in delivery at 28% commission sends $33,600 to a platform annually. That is a full-time manager's salary handed to a middleman.

Turnover costing $5,864 per replacement

The industry loses 75% of its workforce annually. Most operators have never calculated their true annual turnover cost — and they are shocked when they do.

Legacy POS taking 2–3% of every transaction

On $80,000 a month in revenue, a 2.5% processing fee costs $24,000 per year — before a single module fee, hardware cost, or support charge is added.

Managing by last month's P&L

Reactive operators look at month-end reports. Proactive operators look at this week's data and act while there is still time to change the outcome.

No system — just heroics

The restaurant where every good shift requires a heroic effort is a restaurant that cannot scale. Systems produce consistent results. Heroics produce burnout.

44K
Words of operator-first content
5
Parts: finance, ops, revenue, people, tech
12
Print-ready operator worksheets
100+
Sourced citations, no fabricated stats

Five parts. Twenty chapters. Every major dimension of restaurant operations.

Part one

The financial foundation

The numbers that determine whether your restaurant survives — tracked at the right frequency, with the right benchmarks for 2026.

  • Prime cost mastery
  • Food cost control
  • Cash flow strategies
  • Labor cost optimization
Part two

Operations systems

The systems that turn a reactive operation into a proactive one — built to run without you.

  • Inventory management
  • Kitchen operations
  • Scheduling and workforce
  • POS and technology
Part three

Revenue systems

More revenue from the same tables, the same kitchen, the same team — no new costs required.

  • Menu engineering
  • Upselling and average check
  • Direct online ordering
  • Loyalty and CRM
  • Gift cards and ancillary revenue
Part four

People and leadership

The human dimension — reducing turnover, building managers who protect margins, and turning guests into regulars.

  • Reducing turnover
  • Customer service as revenue strategy
Part five

Data, analytics and technology

The intelligence layer — real-time analytics, AI tools, multi-location management, and sustainability as a financial strategy.

  • Restaurant analytics
  • AI-powered operations
  • Multi-location management
  • Sustainability as profit strategy

12 worksheets that turn reading into doing.

Print them. Fill them in. Post them in your office. These are the fill-in templates most operators wish they had years ago.

Worksheet 1
Weekly prime cost tracker
13-week rolling tracker with variance flags and quarterly trend summary.
Worksheet 2
Item-level food cost calculator
Recipe costing card with contribution margin and menu engineering classification.
Worksheet 3
13-week cash flow forecast
Rolling forecast with warning zone thresholds and response option planning.
Worksheet 4
Inventory par level setup
Complete par level table by category with reorder points and variance log.
Worksheet 5
POS evaluation scorecard
15-criterion scoring matrix with 24-month total cost of ownership calculator.
Worksheet 6
Full menu engineering matrix
Four-quadrant analysis for every menu item with prioritized action list.
Worksheet 7
Average check growth planner
Revenue impact calculator and six-discipline upselling implementation plan.
Worksheet 8
Gift card program builder
Structure decisions, annual promo calendar, and breakage revenue estimate.
Worksheet 9
Turnover cost calculator
True annual turnover cost reveal and seven-strategy retention improvement plan.
Worksheet 10
Shift manager pre-service checklist
Five-section daily checklist — data review, kitchen readiness, floor, team, post-shift.
Worksheet 11
Weekly analytics dashboard
Weekly and monthly data review template across all key operational metrics.
Worksheet 12
Multi-location benchmarking grid
Side-by-side performance comparison across up to six locations with gap analysis.

Matthew Kobilan

Founder, HubPlate · Self-taught full-stack developer

Matthew built HubPlate on his own: a cloud-native, AI-powered restaurant management platform priced at $99 a month per location, with no transaction commissions.

He spent more than a decade in the industry, working as a dishwasher, prep cook, line cook and server, so the operational realities in this book are first-hand. Before HubPlate, he shipped seven SaaS products across hospitality, automotive, creator economy, B2B lead generation, and blockchain.

This playbook is the operational knowledge base behind the HubPlate blog — 52 research-backed articles condensed into one field manual. Every strategy in it works without HubPlate. The platform just makes executing them faster.

7
SaaS products shipped across hospitality, automotive, creator economy, B2B, and blockchain
52
Research-backed HubPlate blog articles that form the source material for this playbook
$99
Flat monthly fee per location on HubPlate — no transaction fees, no hardware costs, no contracts
10+
Years working restaurant floors, kitchens, and back offices before writing any of this down

One price. Everything included. Instant download.

No subscription. No upsell. No version without the worksheets. You get everything for $47.

Complete edition

The modern restaurant operator's playbook

PDF, EPUB, and all 12 worksheets

$47

One-time purchase · Instant delivery · Lifetime access

  • Full 44,000-word playbook (PDF, print-ready)
  • EPUB edition for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and all e-readers
  • 12 print-ready operator toolkit worksheets
  • 20 chapters across finance, ops, revenue, people and tech
  • 52 strategies with 2026 benchmark data
  • 100+ sourced citations, no fabricated statistics
  • Quick reference: key formulas and benchmark tables
  • Full glossary of 18 key operator terms
Get instant access — $47

Secure checkout via Stripe. Instant download after purchase.
Questions? hello@hubplate.app

$47 is what this book costs. Here is what the problems inside it cost.

vs.

One week of uncontrolled prime cost overage

A prime cost running 5 points above target on $50,000 in weekly revenue costs $2,500 that week alone — and every week until you fix it.

vs.

Replacing one hourly employee

The industry average replacement cost per hourly worker is $5,864. This book has a full chapter and a worksheet on cutting that number.

vs.

One month of third-party delivery commissions

At 28% commission on $10,000 in delivery, you pay $2,800 this month. Chapter 11 walks you through building a direct ordering channel that removes that cost.

vs.

Two hours with a restaurant consultant

Industry consultants charge $150 to $300 an hour. For $47 you get 44,000 words of operator-first strategy based on 52 research-backed articles.

vs.

One year of leaving average check unmoved

A $4 average check lift on 1,000 weekly covers is $208,000 in additional annual revenue. Chapter 10 and Worksheet 7 show you exactly how to get there.

Common questions

Still have questions? Email us.

What format does the ebook come in?
You receive both PDF (for desktop reading and printing) and EPUB (for all e-readers including Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play Books). Both formats are included in the $47 purchase.
Are the worksheets printable?
Yes. All 12 worksheets are formatted for standard letter-size printing. They are included in the PDF so you can print them as needed, fill them in, and keep them in your office.
How current is the data?
All statistics and benchmarks are sourced from 2025 and 2026 industry reports — including the National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Industry report, McKinsey's 2026 consumer analysis, and the Toast 2025 Restaurant Technology Report. Every claim has a citation.
I run multiple locations. Is this still relevant?
Yes. Part five includes a dedicated chapter on multi-location management, and Worksheet 12 is a cross-location benchmarking grid for up to six sites. The financial and revenue strategies throughout the book apply at any scale.
Is this written for independent restaurants or chains?
Both. Every strategy in the book works at any scale — from a single-location independent to a growing multi-unit group. The chapters on multi-location management and analytics specifically address operating more than one site.
Do I need HubPlate to use this book?
No. Every strategy in this playbook stands on its own. The technology recommendations just make executing those strategies faster. You can implement these frameworks with whatever tools you currently use.
What is your refund policy?
Due to the digital nature of this product, there are no refunds on the ebook once purchased. All sales are final.

Ready to protect your margins?

Stop guessing at your numbers. Start building the systems that make your restaurant predictable and profitable.

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