Every hospitality venue has them — slow weeks. Rain, events, holidays, or just bad luck. But when sales fall short of the plan, most managers either shrug or start blaming.
That’s where they go wrong.
With the PERI framework, slow weeks aren’t an excuse — they’re a signal. A signal to act, adjust, and improve.
Here’s how to respond when your venue’s sales don’t hit the mark — and still stay on track for profit.
1. Don’t Ignore the Forecast
The forecast isn’t just a number. It’s your benchmark for decision-making. When actual sales start falling behind early in the week, the forecast tells you one thing clearly: adjust now.
Many chefs and managers will say, “We just run the same roster every week.” That’s a mistake. If your Tuesday lunch trade is quiet, your Tuesday night team doesn’t need full hours.
This is your chance to protect profit.
2. Use Daily Numbers to Adjust
The strength of the PERI framework is in daily visibility. You don’t wait until the week ends — you’re watching sales and wages live.
If you’re having a slow sales day, make sure you don’t go over roster. It’s that simple.
One day of overspending can be the difference between profit and loss for the whole week. Make small cuts. Drop an hour here, an overlap there. It adds up.
3. Let the Numbers Drive the Conversation
In the Results phase, you’re looking at:
- Actual vs forecasted sales (daily and weekly)
- Wage cost percentage (daily and weekly)
- Weekly COGS vs sales
- Total wages and a weekly profit estimate
- 8-week trends for sales and wages
- The Profitability Matrix, showing the current performance in profit/loss zones
With this view, you’re no longer arguing about opinions. The numbers speak clearly.
4. Improve, Don’t Excuse
In the Improve phase, the team looks at what happened and how to do better. Not with blame — with data.
If you had a slow week but kept your wage % down, that’s a win.
If you improved over a similar sales week last month, that’s growth.
If you didn’t adjust midweek, that’s your gap.
Use the review to learn. Plan sharper. Execute tighter.
Real Venues Do This Every Week
At Profitability Partners, we coach pub and restaurant groups through the PERI process — and we’ve seen it work in every type of venue.
One chef we worked with insisted nothing had changed — that he was running the same roster. But when we showed him the 8-week trend, it was clear: he’d improved by $1,000 a week without even realising it.
Why?
Because the numbers made him think.
The system made him act.
And now he was in control.
Want to Install This System?
We help hospitality venues implement PERI with forecasting, weekly coaching, and real-time profit tools — including our internal Profitability Matrix.