Today’s obstacles can test even the most seasoned and dedicated restaurant owners. Wholesale food prices are at a four-year high. The regulatory landscape is continuously shifting, and new mandates, like the Food Safety Modernization Act, have introduced stricter requirements that must be met by 2026. Meanwhile, the labor pains persist, with hospitality continuing to have the highest quit rates of any industry.

“It’s tough. I mean, beyond tough to have a restaurant,” said Executive Chef Alisa Reynolds, founder of My 2 Cents, in the Square video series, “Running A Restaurant Is No Joke.” “[Owning a] restaurant is not something that everyone would love to do. It seems easy, but you have to have some level of, ‘I want to serve my community,’ and that’s where it came from for me,” Reynolds explained. The series offers a candid look into the realities of restaurant ownership.

But if there’s one thing restaurant owners are known for, it’s resilience. Despite the hurdles, many restaurateurs continue to thrive, driven by their passion and dedication. “We survived through the Hollywood strikes, the downturn, and we’re still here. And I’m not stopping,” Reynolds shared.

If you already run a restaurant or are thinking about starting one, the best way to set yourself up for success is to learn from those who’ve already navigated the challenges. Through conversations with successful restaurant owners, the series pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to thrive in this demanding industry. Here are some insights to help you get going.

Find your flow.

In the restaurant business, unpredictability is often the norm. One day you could be celebrating a fully booked dining room, and the next, a sudden equipment failure throws a wrench into your operations.

Success lies in how well you can adapt when the unexpected happens. “Don’t be the old dog that can’t learn new tricks,” said Amboy chef and author Alvin Cailan. “I think now we have to weather the storm, right? Because restaurants are closing left and right, and that’s because they’re reluctant to change.”

Being flexible means being ready to pivot when circumstances demand it, whether that’s changing your service model, adjusting your menu, or revamping your operations. Modern restaurant technology can help you handle these pivots with minimal disruption. With Square for Restaurants, for example, you can update menus across all channels instantly, shift between dine-in and takeout seamlessly, and adjust pricing to reflect market changes. Handheld POS systems enable you to take payments anywhere, helping you adapt to changing dining preferences — from traditional table service to food trucks or pop-up events. The important thing is to find your flow and decide when it’s time to make changes.

Take control with flexible tools.

When it comes to managing the daily chaos of restaurant operations, the concept is the same as in the kitchen — everything could be easier with the right tools. Look for systems that adapt to your workflow, not the other way around. Flexible tools save you time, reduce errors, and simplify daily operations.

As your business grows, your technology should grow with you. Choose platforms with modular features or customizable options that let you start simple and expand as your needs evolve. “We were a pop-up for a few years, but it was literally zero training,” said Keegan Fong, founder of Woon Kitchen. “As we opened, it was like, ‘Oh, doing this thing at scale is insane. We’re biting off way more than we can chew.’ And sure enough, we got through the first year. We had a lot of demand; you know, we made good food. But there comes a point where you’re like, ‘Let’s build the team that can make things very efficient and repeatable.’”

Square restaurant solutions include all the features you need to scale and support any restaurant concept, including quick-service, full-service, multi-concept, or hybrid models. For example, Square Customer Directory syncs customer information from all channels, locations, and devices where customers interact with your business. This helps you better understand who’s buying more or less — and why.

On the employee side, Square Payroll supports full-service and contractor-only arrangements, allowing you to run payroll or send 1099s quickly and accurately. And when it comes to inventory, you can track stock in real time, no matter your concept or stage of business, giving you the confidence to make informed decisions about your offerings.

Best of all, data from all your active tools is centralized in Square Dashboard, making it easy to manage your restaurant efficiently as you grow.

Increase your efficiency with integrated systems. 

Running a modern restaurant requires seamless coordination between every part of your business. Integrated systems make this possible by turning scattered data into actionable insights, connecting your front-of-house service with back-of-house operations. Your tools should talk to one another just like your staff does. When a server enters an order, it triggers a chain reaction: The kitchen gets preparation instructions, inventory adjusts automatically, and sales data flows into your analytics and reporting tools.

Using connected tools solves common restaurant business headaches, particularly with inventory management. For example, automatic inventory adjustments give you real-time insight into stock availability, so you can 86 items when supplies run low, update your menu on all channels, and avoid costly voids and comps.

Square for Restaurants streamlines this process by automatically updating inventory and menus, ensuring your operations run smoothly and efficiently. “I need efficiency. Square has given me that. It’s just plain and simple. Clarity is all I need because there’s so much chaos everywhere,” explained Executive Chef Alisa Reynolds.

Once you have the right systems in place, the final piece of the puzzle becomes customer service. Delays can quickly ruin a dining experience, and few things frustrate diners more than receiving the wrong order. A kitchen display system (KDS) eliminates these pain points by making special requests, dietary restrictions, and last-minute modifications instantly visible, ensuring the kitchen gets it right the first time.

However, the true value of a KDS lies in its integration with other systems. With Square KDS, orders from your dining room, website, and delivery platforms flow into a single, unified queue. This seamless connection ensures that instructions don’t get lost between the front and back of house. For multi-location operations, a KDS enables consistent execution across kitchens, so customers enjoy the same high-quality service whether they’re served downtown or in the suburbs.

“At the end of the day, it’s about creating an environment that people want to be in, and that’s everything,” Cailan noted.

Evolve your restaurant business.

Success in the restaurant industry requires resilience, adaptability, and the right tools to manage the daily chaos. While the challenges are real, so are the opportunities to create something meaningful and lasting in your community.

In the Square “Running A Restaurant Is No Joke“ video series, Eric Wareheim’s conversations with successful operators like Executive Chef Alisa Reynolds, Chef Alvin Cailan, and Chef Keegan Fong reveal the realities of what it takes to succeed in this demanding industry. Their stories go beyond typical business advice, offering a genuine look at the struggles and triumphs of restaurant ownership.

Watch the full series to hear their unfiltered stories, hard-won wisdom, and practical advice for navigating the restaurant business.