Firm Overview
What we stand for
We live and breathe restaurant hospitality.
It’s the first thing we sense in any food, lodging or retail establishment. Without a true passion and dedication to the craft, and it is a craft, guest satisfaction will never be met and guests will not be satisfied. Our entire group works to mentor those hospitality values and the many little details in our clients and in their management teams.
A “service attitude” cannot be learned, but must be brought out in all of us that choose hospitality for a profession. We pride ourselves on giving our clients the tools they need to see both the big picture as well as the attention to details needed for success.
Restaurant Consulting Services, Hotel Consulting Services, and Culinary Development
Operational Assessments
We provide focused and detailed analyses of operations, the hotel and F&B guest experience, branding, staffing, customer loyalty programs, and financial results so we can work with our clients to determine the right mix of enhancements that will drive profitability. Then, we help make it happen.
Concept Development & Start-up
From the initial idea to opening the doors, our team provides strategic counsel for developing new concepts to fit any niche. Working with our team of professionals to develop your concept will streamline all efforts and bring your brand to market in the shortest amount of time possible. Post-opening, we will work with your team to reach profitability as soon as possible.
Restaurant Turn Around
Has the quality of guest experience suffered or is your profitability declining? Our proven strategies to redefine and refocus your business will put you on track to long-term success. From single units, to large-scale chains, we have the experience to provide a focused plan that will grow your brand.
Menu Design & Development
Success in your food & beverage operation starts with strategically designed menus that speak to the preferences of your guests, achieve food cost goals, have consistent methods and make a lasting positive impression on your patrons. Our team of chefs can collaborate with your own or develop menus from scratch that fit your restaurant’s brand identity.
Restaurant Branding
Your brand should tell your customers that every time they go to your restaurant or hotel they will receive the same, consistent quality and great service every time. The brand should permeate every aspect of your business, including the way you train, manage, and communicate with your internal team. Our extensive experience building new brands and strengthening existing ones allows us to provide holistic plans that cater to the unique needs of each of our clients through an open and collaborative approach.
Strategic Growth Plans
A perfect complement to our annual assessments, we will develop an overall marketing and operational plan focused on increasing revenue, making operational improvements, defining your brand in a positive way, and laying the foundation for sustainable growth. This is a collaborative process where we work with you to learn about your business, drill down into your current and future business needs, and come up with a plan that is results-driven.
Management Leadership Training & Mentoring
This unique approach puts APG in place, on the job, alongside your restaurant management. Our experienced operations team understands the hospitality world from the perspectives of the client and the owner-operator, so we provide unique insight to help you achieve results that directly affect the bottom line.
Food & Beverage P&L Review
By identifying areas for improvement to increase profitability, we focus on food cost, beverage cost, labor, supply costs, utilities and fixed costs. After review, we provide feedback on each line item and recommend potential solutions.
Revenue Growth
We will work with you on each side of the business to build revenue. We first can look at all of your operations, including purchasing, fixed costs, labor and marketing, and find ways to generate savings while maintaining quality. We are also experienced at building systems and operational standards to preserve those efficiencies. Then we will develop the marketing and industry relations strategies that can sustainably to grow that business.
Developer/Landlord Retail Screening
Choosing the right tenant or landlord can be a long arduous process. Through our connections with existing brands, as well as emerging concepts, we can shorten this process and identify the best fit for brands and properties.
Our Experts
Tom Kelley — President
Tom has spent a career creating, promoting and building brands for restaurant companies, franchises, retail, emerging businesses, trade groups, and Fortune 500 companies. Tom is a recognized authority in the hospitality industry. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association and, prior, served on the Association’s senior management team in Washington, DC. He is on the Advisory Committee for Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA); and serves on the Advisory Board of Hotel Food & Beverage magazine. He has been quoted in regional business journals, major news dailies, Bloomberg and Business Week. Tom has also appeared on CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.
Ty Peabody — Senior Restaurant Consultant
With over 30 years in every facet of restaurant leadership, creation, development, and operations, Ty embodies the true meaning and execution of hospitality. From CEO of international, multi-unit restaurant companies, to developing operational plans for brand new concepts, Ty has a proven resume and is a quintessential “restaurateur’s restaurateur.”
Ty has served as CEO of La Salsa, Swensen’s Ice Cream, Paradise Bakery as well as been involved with new restaurant development for some 40 independent and franchise operations as well as assisting chain organizations with financial reorganizations.
Ty also serves on the City Council of the City of Indian Wells, CA.
Eric Cares – Executive Chef
A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Eric has extensive experience working with boutique hotels, independent restaurants, and high-end catering, as well as, doing research and development for prominent food manufacturers. His career in the hospitality and food service world spans over thirty years, and he is frequently asked to consult for leading food service organizations, including Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Costco, among others. Eric possesses an innovative approach to the culinary arts, and he makes sure to give clients results that impress and keep their guests returning.
Dick Grotton – Senior Industry Relations Consultant
Dick has spent most of his business career starting and operating five independent restaurant properties. For 20 years Dick has served the broader restaurant community as President & CEO of the Maine Restaurant Association representing, promoting and educating the restaurant industry and speaking before the media and the legislature on behalf of restaurant operators and suppliers. Dick is a respected restaurant authority in New England and beyond and has served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Restaurant Association Executives and the Maine Tourism Association.
He was a gubernatorial appointee to the Maine Tourism Commission and has served many years on numerous college culinary advisory boards. Dick specializes in assessment consulting for independent and emerging multi-unit restaurants and in connecting and building support for industry initiatives and local restaurant and hospitality associations.
Palm Desert
