It's the food, of course, but it's also the many little things that rookie restaurant owners overlook. He's worked with some of the biggest restaurant companies, such as The Smith & Wollensky Group, Restaurant Associates/Patina Group, Le Meridien Hotel Group, and more, and opened his own consulting firm JK Consulting in 2008. Here, he talks about what can give modern, independent restaurant owners a leg up in a highly competitive industry. What do most new restaurant owners get wrong before they even open their doors? Larger menus result in higher food costs, food waste, lower food quality, longer wait times, and increased challenges for servers to manage.