About RPM's President

Herb Fair

Herb Fair brings over 30 years experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry to the restaurant consulting field. He has been instrumental in growing several companies utilizing many different concepts and was a successful troubleshooter during his tenure with major national restaurant companies, working in several different markets around the country.

Prior to founding Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc., Herb has functioned in a variety of roles for various organizations, ranging from front and back of the house single unit management to multi unit supervision, as well as company wide restaurant profit management duties. He is equally comfortable over a cross section of volume levels, concept niches and company cultures. His diverse experience includes hotel F & B management positions, catering and event management projects, and the overseeing of entertainment venues.

Due to Herb’s considerable experience in the creation, administration and coaching of profit and loss control systems; RPM excels at cash flow management and bottom line profit enhancement. In teaching effective company management organization and procedures we are able to direct financially prudent growth and expansion.

Based on his hands on operational experience, Herb designs systems that are not a burden to existing procedures. They are built around the client’s needs, skills and existing working timetable. Showing our clients how to achieve results fast, in an efficient, timely manner is the trademark of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc.

ABOUT OUR ASSOCIATES

Each of our Associate Consultants brings extensive hand's on industry experience to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc., especially in the areas of profit enhancement via the avenues of cost control, sales building, and management training and development.

In addition, each of these Associates also brings a unique area of expertise into the stable of service offerings for Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. Their individual and varied backgrounds allow us to offer a complete range of services covering all possible client needs.

Michael Nagode

Menu Development, Wine Programs, Strategic Planning, Operation Communications, Management Team Building

Michael Nagode brings over 30 years of broad based restaurant/foodservice ownership and management experience to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. His expertise ranges from concept creation and start-up ventures; to maintenance of on-going profitable operations; through dynamic turn around results on unprofitable performers.

He can focus on front and back-of-houseclient issues in fine dining and casual theme restaurants, off-premise catering operations, B&I foodservice and concessions/event management arenas. Everything from recipe development to staff training to developing integrated purchase/inventory/F&B cost calculation spreadsheets are within his scope of expertise.

His extensive wine knowledge makes him uniquely qualified to assist clients with establishing a complete wine program from list development through staff training and improving sales techniques.

By implementing a 360º Degree Feedback program, Michael can improve organizational communication and management team building through a "Goals and Controls" process that address client's long term strategic planning.

Alex Mendoza

Restaurant and Hotel Operations, R&D, Marketing

Alex Mendoza holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from UNLV and brings to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc., 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, at both unit and executive management levels, in concepts ranging from fine dining to coffee shops and quick service.

After graduating from UNLV, he acted as the food and beverage director for Hyatt International in Cabo San Lucas, and upon moving back to the United States, began working for a major Family Restaurant Company, working his way up to Vice President of Operations, responsible for the operations and profitability of 90 restaurants.

In 1999 Alex joined a very successful quick service Mexican Concept in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for the Operations, Maintenance, Marketing, and Food & Beverages Departments, increasing dramatically the company's profit and operational efficiency by utilizing his strengths in cost controls and customer service.

His bilingual and bicultural skills allow him to assist our clients in the development of Spanish written manuals and in the training of the Hispanic workforce resulting in low turnover and employee loyalty. Because he has a broad knowledge of the Hispanic Market cultural preference, he is able to aid in the creation of marketing strategies directed to the Latino community.

Dan Ruster

Operations, Franchise Development, Concept Revision

Dan Ruster is a multifaceted restaurant consultant bringing more than 30 years of restaurant industry experience to the table for Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. Having played an instrumental role in the development of three different franchise companies, he has extensive experience in multi unit growth development and operations.

From real estate selection, to lease negotiations, to construction oversight responsibilities, Dan is especially suited to assist our clients in the development of their new business venture by exceeding their expectations through strategic planning and the enhancement of market share and revenue base. Through his extensive operations experience, our clients will benefit from his demonstrated ability to increase efficiency and productivity.

Aside from his experience in ground floor startups and new concept development, he is equally adept at providing support and supervision for re-imaging, redevelopment and remodel projects. Dan is highly knowledgeable about kitchen and front of the house design and layout and is able to readily solve the challenges of getting the construction aspects of the project to match the concept idea, and understands the idea of how a menu must interact with ambiance.

Dan’s unique abilities help Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. offer a broad based package of restaurant consulting services to the prospective franchisee, from franchise evaluation services to investor acquisition assistance to site selection.

Mark Riley

Human Resources, Hotel Food and Beverage Operations

Mark Riley is uniquely qualified to assist the clients of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. in the area of Human Resources Management. His 20 plus years in the industry in both union and non-union environments gives him extensive experience in training, employee development and team building.

Having successfully functioned in both unit and corporate level management positions, he is able to both improve the performance of existing management team members and mold line employees into qualified manager candidates. In addition, having worked as a management level recruiter, he is able to find and secure for our clients qualified management personnel for their specific needs.

Mark's expertise also extends into the Food and Beverage Operations aspect of the Hotel Industry. From outlet manager positions up to Food and Beverage Director posts covering a 12-year time span, Mark possesses extensive knowledge in the areas of purchasing, as well as product and labor cost controls. Banquet department operations and sales are his forte as well. From the service, set up and break down of major venues to the implementation of salesplans and special promotions, Mark can help our clients seeking services for their hotel F & B operations.

Damon Scott

Night Club Operations, Concepting and Promotions

Damon Scott brings a wealth of experience from the night club domain of the hospitality industry to Restaurant Profit Management Services Inc. Having owned his own successful club, he has also worked in a General Manager capacity for two other national award winning venues, being in charge of both operations and promotions for each of these enterprises.

Damon knows what the coming trends are on the club scene and has his finger on the pulse of what is current in the areas of design, sound and lighting equipment, and music and product offerings. His operational expertise allows him to work effectively with our clients to translate those dynamic intangibles of the club business into a daily working model, especially in the areas of employee training and cost controls.

In addition, having been in charge of nightly promotion formulation as well as event planning and execution, he is able to guide our clients through the important marketing requirements unique to the night club industry. Areas such as relations with promoters and the advantages and pitfalls of live entertainment all fall within his umbrella of expertise.

Jack Raia

Menu Design, Back of the House Operations, Catering

Jack Raia has been involved in the restaurant and culinary industries his entire career. He brings to Restaurant Profit Management Services a professional lifetime of experience including over 18 years in various management positions, 12 years as an accomplished chef and 11 years of catering supervision. A graduate of the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America, Jack has managed, owned or supervised restaurant and catering operations for small and large companies, including a major upscale supermarket chain.

Jack is keenly prepared to assist restaurant industry managers in a wide array of areas - from conception and development to operational and marketing refinement and widespread overhaul.

Jack acted in a variety of managerial positions in restaurants and catering concerns throughout the New England region - including chef and owner of start-up businesses as well as established companies. He has at one time or another developed computer programs to help keep food and labor costs down, acted as liaison between catering operations and clients and vendors, and set product costs after extensive costing analyses.

Jack's culinary insights teamed with his thorough grasp of restaurant and catering operations will provide the clients of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. the necessary arsenal of skills required to grow sales, refine marketing targets, improve the overall dining experience of their guests while bolstering their bottom line.

Alan Someck

Operations, Management Training, Concept Development and Design

Alan Someck has over 26 years of restaurant leadership experience, having recently operated 2 very successful high volume New York restaurants, being responsible for all areas of the businesses. His expertise covers all aspects of the restaurant start up phase; in addition to an in depth real estate background, his service offerings include concept development, financing, site selection, lease negotiations, and front and back of the house design.

Alan has worked with numerous hospitality based franchises in promoting and developing their concepts. He has created and delivered food and beverage training programs for the New York State Restaurant Association, and has been a sales trainer, speaker and author of business articles on franchising and management strategies.

Operationally, Alan’s knowledge extends to FOH and BOH staff hiring, training and organization. He is adept is at menu development, cost control systems, and excels at executive coaching and marketing strategies and implementation. In addition, Alan brings to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. extensive experience with the development of catering and special event divisions of restaurants.

Alan has broad based expertise working with restaurants having major issues which present obstacles to increased profitability – he implements and applies proven sales growth strategies and expense control systems. Consistent with the policy of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc., Alan tailors his consulting services to the specific needs and culture of the client he works with and strongly believes in promoting the vision of the owner by clearly defining the obstacles to success and creating realistic creative solutions that produce significant results.

John Hareras

Operations, Management Training, Staff Training, Management and Staff Team Building and Motivation

John Hareras is an experienced single and multi unit manager with 25 years of restaurant experience. John’s background and training brings a great deal of flexibility to the offerings of Restaurant Profit Management Services Inc. Having directed a variety of concepts, his expertise encompasses all aspects of restaurant operations. His success in both unit and multi unit management positions enables him to develop the proper strategies to achieve the desired results at all levels. His work in training and development of both staff and management is extensive, mentoring scores of individuals to successful careers within the restaurant industry.

John’s career includes owner/operator of a large well-known local restaurant and banquet facility to corporate positions from General Manager, Multi Unit Manager, up to Director of Operations. Within these positions, John has directed a variety of projects from overseeing start up operations to successful turn around assignments. These varying tasks have enabled him to sharpen his abilities, and adapt within many styles of operations. His qualifications include problem solving, P&L analysis, cost controls, computer knowledge, and spreadsheet creation. John’s expertise also extends to writing, developing and implementing training / system manuals.

John’s high-energy approach adds a unique element to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. With his strong communication skills, working through a philosophy committed to training and team building in a goal-oriented environment, John obtains clear-cut results and increased efficiencies in daily operations.

Jose Bravo

Concept Creation, Startups and Exit Strategies, Operations and Training

Jose Carlos is a business owner, entrepreneur, business intermediary and consultant who brings more than 20 years of experience in all facets of the restaurant business to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc.

He is an experienced restaurant owner/operator who founded his own chain of Mexican Restaurants in San Diego, Ca. His lengthy career in the food services industry includes management roles in both fast food and full service restaurant / bars, with both independent companies as well as national chains, and even extends into the area of multi unit management of convenience stores.

In addition, he has spent time as a business intermediary with a national brokerage firm, enabling him to provide for the clients of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc., the knowledge necessary to structure winning deals for both buyers and sellers. His operational skills also enable him to expertly assist our clients wishing to sell their restaurants in how to have the restaurant maximize profitability so as to gain the highest selling price possible.

Aside from his well honed business skills he brings a strong educational background suited to the task of consulting; he holds an MBA and has pursued doctoral studies in the field of Public Administration. He is bilingual and is well versed in trans-border issues, making him well suited to work with our clients in both Mexico and Latin America.

Edward B. Cellini

Turn Key Projects, Funding Acquisition, Marketing and Promotions

Ed Cellini enjoyed an outstanding career as a hands-on owner and operator of a number of successful bars and restaurants, ranging from full service to themed limited menu operations. He brings to Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc. valuable experience in creating concepts from the ground up.

Ed has exceptional financial analytical background with particular strengths in profit and loss statements and creation of workable budgets and pro-formas. He is especially skilled at preparing business and financial plans that pave the way to securing funding, in both private and public sectors.

His strengths include preparing and presenting proposals for additional cash flow through refinancing debt. Having considerable knowledge and experience dealing with lenders, he knows what they want and need in order to approve a loan.

In addition, Ed’s other area of expertise is marketing/advertising and promotions, having set up and administered successful marketing campaigns for his own restaurants over the years.

His talents in all these areas make him well suited to be the point man for the clients of Restaurant Profit Management Services, Inc, in the initial and ongoing phases of turn key projects.