Stagnation Is Not a Business Strategy | Mike’s Monthly Tip

‘We’ve Always Done It That Way’ Isn’t Good for Business

There’s a story I like to tell about a kid on Christmas asking why the family cuts the corners off the holiday ham every year. The answer goes up the chain – first to his Mom, who says Grandma did it, then Grandma says Great-Grandma did it. Finally, it turns out Great-Grandma says the only reason she ever did it was because she had a very small oven and a large ham wouldn’t fit in the small pan she had to use. That’s it. No grand reason. Just a small oven.

This is the same logic I see play out every day in restaurants. People blend their cheese because “that’s how we were taught.” They pre-blend their flour mix because “it’s just what we do.” These are decisions that affect your labor costs, your brand quality and your ability to grow – and they’re being made based on nothing but historical habit, sometimes rooted in no real logic.

There’s no shame in learning from tradition, but holding tradition above scrutiny? That’s laziness dressed up as loyalty.

Measure the Results

We have a hard rule at our restaurant, Andolini’s and all our brands. No ego, only results. We experiment, track and repeat what works. That means challenging what’s always been done. It means cutting your own cheese instead of paying a premium for pre-shredded. It means comparing recipes in blind taste tests because that is all that matters, what your palate says, not the label. Everything is evaluated from a scientific perspective, not an emotional one.

Why does it matter? Because in this business, your time and your margins are too thin to waste on assumptions. Doing something “just because” is not leadership. It’s autopilot. And autopilot doesn’t work when you’re flying blind through a storm of rising costs, shrinking labor pools and ever-changing customer expectations. To not question if things can be better – or, even worse, assume you’ve peaked – goes beyond lazy to the realm of delusional.

We all need to act like scientists. Form a hypothesis. Test the outcome. Measure the results. You’d be amazed at what you uncover when you look at every part of your operation, that means every recipe, every process, every price tag, and ask, “Is this still smart? Is it still serving us?”

Sometimes it is. Often, it’s not.

Making Changes

I’m not saying overhaul your entire operation overnight. I’m saying treat nothing as sacred unless it’s been vetted. If it makes you more profitable, more consistent, and more aligned with your brand’s mission, keep it. If not, replace it. This will not only build your pride in product, but your staff will see this as well and know nothing is taken for granted. Additionally, if they are part of the vetting process for menu items and processes, they’ll have that much more buy-in on your goals.

The restaurants that progress are the ones that know why they do what they do. They’re willing to try new things, iterate and evolve.

Mike Bausch is the owner of Andolini’s Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Instagram: @mikeybausch