2. A member of the Hoboken Elks Lodge for more than three
decades, David Roberts has a long history of service to
the New Jersey city. The former mayor of Hoboken, David
Roberts also has experience managing his family’s award-
winning restaurant, East Los Angeles.
Restaurant owners and managers must employ skills in
expense management and employee relations. Expense
management includes balancing the cost of labor, food,
and waste. Creating a budget which contains detailed line
items outlining expenditures the restaurant is expected to
accrue is beneficial to managing funds.

3. From this document, owners can develop a
staff schedule that reflects labor costs and
can avoid over-staffing. In addition,
implementing portion control tools, such as
scales and measuring spoons, lessens
variance in the ingredients used. As a result,
restaurant owners may lower food and waste
costs.

4. The backbone of a restaurant is its team of
employees. A successful restaurant owner
creates a positive work environment for staff.
Balancing work and fun, an owner motivates his
or her team with incentives that encourage
productivity and reward employees for their
efforts. Giving verbal praise to staff members
who consistently excel at their jobs can be a
morale-booster.