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The 3 Category Types of Facility Distress
Who We Are
The Basic 3 Types
of Facility Condition Distress
If you find yourself seeking outside counseling for your group of restaurants/retail establishments? There are a few things you should understand to get the most of the relationship. First, you should recognize which kind of category you’re in.
There are basically three categories that restaurants/retail establishments fall into:
1) Those who are in trouble.
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2) Those that are comfortable and content.
3) Those that want more.
1) The Ones Already in Trouble
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It’s hard to help these places. Oftentimes, they have let their operations get so bad that they are usually desperate.
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In these situations, clarity and rationale have already left the building.
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Restaurants definitely need some outside input to stop the internal damage that is growing within their business. The problem is they usually need help, right now.
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For some, this can be done with a few tweaks to marketing and operations that can take the pressure off—for a while.
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What we offer is strictly Facility related, equipment, processes, physical suggestions to things you can touch. You see, “business” problems are really just people's problems in disguise, and it takes a great restaurant consultant to uncover the real issues bringing your restaurant down.
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Whatever these restaurants say is the problem usually isn’t the real issue.
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Instead, it tends to be about five layers deeper.
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For example, consultants can affect change with open communication to turn a business around. If the restaurant owner shifts the discussion to how to close the restaurant too long and contacts a consultant as a “Hail Mary,” then the discussion shifts to how to close the restaurant in a way that works best for all involved.
Just remember the consultant’s advice didn’t get your restaurant to this place.
2) Those That Are Comfortable & Content
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The restaurants that are comfortable or content with how things are may be the most difficult to work with and usually never contact a consultant.
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Remember: Being in the comfort zone is never a place you want to be.
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Why?
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Because markets change—just look at the rise of plant-based dining and AI-driven inventory management in 2025. You can coast along being content with white-hot innovation, but your market can slowly start taking market share from you.
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Some restaurants are aloof to the changes in their market that they get blindsided one day and quickly drop into the category mentioned earlier: those in trouble.
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Most consultants stay clear of these types of restaurants because they have no real desire to implement change. People only change for reasons, not yours.
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This is like getting into a relationship and thinking you can change the person. It seldom works out.
3) Those That Want More
Grab the Bull by The Horn
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These restaurants are a consultant’s dream client. They are doing well, yet they feel a pull to do even better.
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These restaurants understand that consulting and coaching is an investment that will return a huge ROI.
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They’re at the top of their market, and they plan on staying there.
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To rise to the top, everything needs to function like a high-performance athlete! The things that separate gold medal winners and those who maintain their advantage include just a fraction of a second.
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High-performance restaurants know this and use the restaurant’s strengths to have a learning culture—not a training culture.
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They seek self-improvement to dominate their market.
They invest in the three all-important focuses: People, Process, and Products.