Drafting a Dream: Stop Screwing Up and Start Winning | Modern Restaurant Management | The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News

“Make the Money When the Money Is Available to Be Made”In this business, there are no do-overs. Profit comes in waves, and those waves don’t wait for you to get ready. They hit hard and fast during lunch and dinner rushes. Miss them, and you’re losing not just money but momentum. Preparation isn’t optional, it’s survival. Success isn’t built in the moment; it’s earned long before the first customer walks through your door. If your systems aren’t running the business when you’re not there, you’re already halfway to failure.

This isn’t just advice; it’s a call to arms. Be relentless. Be ready. Because in this game, the money is only available for those prepared to seize it.

My book Drafting a Dream is more than just advice. It’s a roadmap built on decades of real-world experience, designed for anyone ready to take on the high-stakes restaurant industry. Whether you’re a first-time dreamer or a seasoned operator looking for an edge, it…

John Felico

John Felico, author of DRAFTING A DREAM, is a serial entrepreneur, acclaimed advisor, expert, and restaurant owner with over forty years of experience in the culinary industry. He launched his first business, selling sausages behind Kennedy Airport, when he was only seventeen. Ten years later, he opened a Dominic’s of New York food truck outside a Lowes store in Virginia. Over the next two decades, he grew the business to 175 locations and developed licensing deals to place its products in supermarkets and sports venues around the country. After creating additional concepts, including The Olde Glory Coffee Company and Staks Subs, Felico opened Auggie’s Draft Room, a self-serve tap house located in St. Augustine, Florida. Today, as Auggie’s continues to flourish, Felico works as an advisor to restauranteurs and start-ups throughout the United States.

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John Felico