Tip pooling rules: who can share, and who can’t
Managers can’t take from a tip pool, and cooks can join only if you pay full minimum wage. The federal rules, where states go further, and what to record.
Insights
For the people running the floor.
Page 3 of 11.
Appointment reminder texts that get a reply
A reminder nobody answers tells you about a no-show only after it happens. Examples to copy, when to send them, and the consent rules for a salon or restaurant.
Food cost percentage: the formula and the trap
The formula is one line; the number is only as good as your inventory count. How to calculate food cost, what a good percentage is, and why yours drifts.
How much does a salon owner actually make?
Salary sites say $40,000 to well over $100,000. A worked P&L for a six-chair salon shows where the money goes, and why owner pay and profit differ.
Restaurant profit margins: what is normal
Everyone quotes 3–5%; survey data says the typical full-service restaurant kept less. What a $1.2M restaurant keeps, and whether the owner’s pay is in it.
How to get more Google reviews, by the rules
Ask everyone, ask at the right moment and make it one tap. What works for salons and restaurants, and the review rules the FTC and Google now enforce.
After-hours answering: the three options compared
Voicemail, a message-taking service, or something that can book. What each costs, what after-hours callers want, and how to cover it without a new number.
What an AI phone answering service actually does
The four things that happen on the call, what it handles well, where it falls short, and the three questions that tell a real one from a phone tree.
How much does an answering service cost?
The quoted rate is not the bill — your minutes are. How to model a busy month, the four hidden costs, and why lost callbacks dwarf the price difference.
Virtual receptionist: the word means two different things
A remote human and a software receptionist share one phrase. Only one can book. How to sort your calls into three piles and pick on evidence.
What an AI receptionist costs, by pricing model
Per minute, per call, per booking or flat. Why a $50 service can cost more than a $200 one, the fees outside the headline rate, and what “free” means.
AI appointment setter: outbound and inbound are not the same
One calls people who did not ask. The other answers people who did. Which one an appointment business needs, and where it should refuse the booking.