A weekly business review should answer three questions: What actually happened? Why did it happen? What will we do differently next week? The meeting is valuable only when numbers become decisions and decisions become owned actions.
Sales and demand
- Review total sales, dayparts, channels, covers/check average where useful, forecast variance, promotions, events, weather or unusual local conditions, and major menu-mix changes.
Labor and productivity
- Review labor dollars/percentage, scheduled versus actual hours, overtime, call-outs, coverage problems, productivity measures, and whether labor decisions damaged service or training.
Food cost, waste, and inventory
- Review food cost, purchase-price changes, waste categories, inventory adjustments, shortages, receiving/vendor issues, portion or recipe concerns, and high-cost items.
People and execution
- Review staffing gaps, hiring pipeline, training/certification, repeated coaching issues, employee concerns, guest complaints, maintenance, safety, and unresolved corrective actions.
End with decisions
- Choose the few priorities that matter most, name one accountable owner per action, define evidence of completion, and carry unfinished items into the next review until verified closed.
Gravity principle: Context before conclusions. Evidence before judgment. People before percentages.
Put the guide into a working system
The Restaurant Weekly Business Review Planner and Gravity Performance & Profitability system are designed for this decision rhythm.