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Most restaurant owners come to me convinced they already know what's wrong.

What they usually haven't considered is
whether they're solving the right problems.

I work with independent restaurant owners to question the assumptions they’ve been operating under and rethink the business from the foundation up - 
so revenue stabilises, margins improve, and the pressure begins to lift.

Book a Restaurant Strategy Intensive

75-minute private Zoom session for restaurant owners

Davide Cerretini: 
Strategic advisor to 
independent restaurant owners

Davide Cerretini is an Italian chef and restaurant strategist based in the UK, known internationally for the Botto Bistro “one-star” protest against Yelp and for helping restaurant owners reclaim control of their businesses.

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Reserve Your Strategy Intensive

Before you change anything in your restaurant, you need to see the situation clearly. 
I invite you to join me for something simple:

A focused restaurant strategy intensive that restores clarity, authority, and  control

In this 75-minute Zoom session, we identify what’s structurally holding your restaurant back - what’s draining margin, distorting pricing, or creating hidden pressure - and define the most important move to make next.

30+ years in hospitality  •  Restaurants built & run in San Francisco  •  International press coverage

Restaurant owners usually come to us when things start to feel like this:

• Revenue is coming in, but profit keeps disappearing
• Pricing feels impossible - raise prices and guests complain, hold them steady and margins shrink
• Staff turnover is constant and morale is unpredictable
• Delivery apps, costs, and expectations keep rising while control keeps shrinking
• Every decision feels reactive instead of strategic
 

You may still be busy.
You may still be respected.

But something underneath the business isn’t working the way it should anymore.
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The Restaurant Strategy Intensive

A one-to-one strategic conversation.

75 minutes via Zoom
£375 or $500 (depending on country)
Live. Private. Direct.

No sales pitch
No follow-up obligation

This is not a discovery call. 

It's not a funnel.

It’s disciplined thinking time, where we examine your situation, your model, your positioning, and the decisions you’re avoiding so that you leave knowing exactly what to change, what to stop, and what to commit to.

For many owners, that single conversation becomes the turning point.

Not because everything is fixed in 75 minutes, but because the direction is finally clear. And when direction becomes clear, financial decisions become cleaner. Pricing becomes more confident, waste reduces and income stops feeling random. The business starts behaving like a system instead of a gamble.

 

Some clients choose ongoing support as they execute the changes. Others implement independently.

The session stands on its own.

Davide typically works with:

 ✓ Independent restaurant owners preparing to open

 

 

 ✓ Restaurants that are busy but not stable

 

 

 ✓ Restaurant owners struggling with reviews, customers or staff

 

 

 ✓ Multi-location operators

 

 

 ✓ Food truck owners

 

 

 ✓ Catering companies
 

When restaurant owners usually reach out

Restaurant strategy usually becomes urgent at two points: before opening, and after the restaurant has been operating long enough for patterns to appear.

Before Opening

When you're designing the restaurant, the structure can be set correctly from the start - pricing, positioning, expectations and operating rhythm.

 

Once customers and staff adapt to a pattern, it becomes much harder to change.

And After They're Established

Restaurants rarely collapse overnight. They drift. Margins shrink slowly. Standards soften. Compromises accumulate.

 

The session helps you step outside the day-to-day and see the pattern clearly.
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What We Do In The Intensive

During your 75-minute Zoom session, we will:

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Examine the real pressure points: online reviews, difficult customers, staffing instability, shrinking margins.. and identify which one is actually costing you the most money.

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Analyse how reputation pressure is affecting your pricing, positioning, and confidence.

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Look at your staffing structure: availability, management patterns, accountability, and whether the system supports you or drains you.

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Map the operating system (concept, leadership, food, team, customer behaviour) to find where margin is leaking and where effort isn’t translating into income.

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Decide what must change first, and what can wait until later.

What To Expect

You don’t need to prepare extensively.


You don’t need a pitch, a plan, or perfect answers.
 

I’ll ask a few orienting questions, then we work live.
 

Sometimes the session confirms what you already suspected.


Sometimes it names what you couldn’t see while inside it.
 

Either way, the goal is the same:


Clear thinking.
Restored authority.
Clean direction.

Running hard in the wrong direction is expensive.

Often a single structural correction recovers far more than the cost of the conversation.

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This Is For You If:

You’re working constantly, absorbing pressure from every direction, and it’s beginning to feel like you have less control, not more

The restaurant is running, but you can sense something is structurally misaligned

Advice so far has felt generic, or disconnected from reality

You're not looking for a programme, a long course, or ongoing coaching - you just want answers you can act on immediately

You want an experienced operator to see clearly and speak honestly — not someone recycling textbook advice that doesn’t fit your situation

You want to talk to someone who has been in your shoes and solved the kinds of problems that don’t show up in theory

What This Changes

The Shift

 

When direction becomes clear, restaurants usually stabilise.

You stop reacting to everything.
You stop chasing ten problems at once.

Instead, you focus on the few structural decisions that actually change the trajectory.

Margins improve.
Pricing becomes easier.
Waste reduces.
Income stops feeling random.

Not because you’re working harder —
but because the restaurant is finally moving in the right direction.

 

The Reality of Restaurants

 

Very few restaurants fall apart dramatically. More often, things drift.

Small compromises accumulate. Standards soften.
Pricing decisions get delayed.
You say “yes” when you know you shouldn’t — and “no” when you know you shouldn’t. Customers adapt. Staff adapt.
And slowly a situation develops that you never consciously chose.

Most owners are capable and motivated.
The real difficulty is seeing the pattern clearly when you’re right in the middle of it.

A proper strategy conversation gives you that outside view —so you can see what’s structural, what’s emotional, and what simply drifted.

And once you see it clearly, the way forward usually reveals itself.

For many owners, that shift begins with a single structured conversation with someone who has built, broken, rebuilt and repositioned restaurants for 30 years.

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What happens after you book?

1. You reserve a time

Choose a slot that works for you. You’ll receive a short confirmation email with the session link.

 

2. You share a few details

Before the session, you’ll share a few basics about your restaurant so we can start in the right place.

 

3. We work live

In the Zoom session we examine the real structure of your situation and identify the most important move to make next.

Book Your Strategy Intensive with Davide

If you're unsure whether the session is right for you, 

you are welcome to get in touch first.

About Davide

After years running multiple restaurants across California, Davide opened Cacciucco in Sausalito — the first Livornese restaurant ever established outside Italy. He later went on to open Botto Bistro, where his famous one-star campaign turned a local restaurant into one of the most talked-about food stories in the United States (read the story)

 

Today Davide is known as the “One-Star Chef” — a title that reflects both his rebellious spirit and his refusal to play by the rules of the restaurant industry.

Selected media & documentary appearances

Davide’s public challenge to Yelp became the subject of the feature-length documentary Billion Dollar Bully, a segment on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and multiple television and radio appearances across the U.S. and UK.

Schedule Time with Davide
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CASE STUDY: From a Failing Restaurant to a £500K+ Sports Bar

The Context

 

John had decades in hospitality, but by 2024 his restaurant in King's Hill, Kent, was draining him. Revenue had collapsed, foot traffic was thin and staff turnover was constant. Suppliers were calling and the pressure at home was rising.

 

The business wasn’t just struggling — it was misaligned.

 

 

The First Strategy Session

 

In our first structured conversation, we didn’t start with marketing, we diagnosed identity. Within that session it became clear the core issue wasn’t efficiency - it was fit. 

 

The restaurant concept did not align with the owner’s strengths, personality, or appetite for operational pressure.

 

That clarity changed the direction of every decision that followed. Instead of trying to optimise a model that didn’t suit him, John made a decisive pivot.

 

 

The Strategic Shift

 

Over the following months, we supported the repositioning:

 

  • Closed the restaurant concept
  • Repositioned as a sport bar
  • Removed food complexity
  • Leased the kitchen for fixed monthly income
  • Simplified staffing and operational flow

 

The Outcome

 

The sports bar now turns over more than £500,000 per year, with £2,500 per month in fixed kitchen rental income. It operates seven days a week, but John works just three. Staffing is stable. Operations are structured. His marriage is intact.

 

The transformation began with clarity.

 

The rest was execution.

Read the full case study here ➡

I didn’t go to John’s restaurant as a consultant. I went to speak with him about possibly supplying some Italian food for an event.

 

While I was there, I observed the service and the kitchen. It didn’t take long to see structural problems. The kitchen was disorganised. The freezer was full and the fridge nearly empty - which usually tells you the operation is relying on storage rather than freshness. Service lacked rhythm. Staff were active, but no one clearly owned the room.

 

John has decades in hospitality. He’s capable. He’s steady. But this particular restaurant was draining him.

Before I left, I suggested we schedule a proper strategy session - away from service, without distraction - to look at the business objectively.

 

In that first conversation, we went back to basics.

 

We simplified the menu. Cut waste. Tightened ordering. Reorganised flow. Clarified roles. Tried special nights. Adjusted pricing. Pushed social media.

 

There was some improvement.

 

But something deeper was wrong.

 

You can fix operations. You cannot fix misalignment.

 

The restaurant model demanded an identity John didn’t naturally have. It required obsession with food reviews, chef precision, constant refinement under pressure.

 

At one point I told him plainly: “This business is not yours.” Not because he wasn’t capable — but because it didn’t fit him. He didn’t want chef drama. He didn’t want to live by review culture. He didn’t want to build his identity around something that drained him.

 

What he loved was atmosphere. Beer. Sport. Conversation. Energy at the bar. Once that became clear, the decision followed.

 

Instead of trying to save a dying restaurant, he did something most owners are too afraid to do. He ended it.

He changed the name. Reworked the layout. Put screens on the walls. Removed the food pressure. Leased the kitchen to a pizza operator for £2,500 a month in fixed income. The offer became simple. The identity became clear.

 

Within weeks, the room felt different.

 

People don’t respond to marketing alone — they respond to alignment.

 

The tension lifted. Staff relaxed. Customers stayed longer. Traffic built naturally.

John chose to continue working with me as he executed the transition, refining structure and maintaining discipline during the repositioning. The clarity came quickly. The execution required commitment.

 

Today the business turns over more than £500,000 a year. It’s open seven days. It's stable and profitable and best of all, it feels wonderful when you walk through the door. John works structured hours and goes home without carrying the weight of the world. He's a happy, satisfied man whose smiling face tells the whole story.

 

The difference wasn’t a marketing trick. It was a decision.

 

Sometimes strategy isn’t about adding more. It’s about removing what doesn’t belong.
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CASE STUDY: Botto Bistro — Turning Reputational Pressure into Leverage

The Context

 

I designed Botto Bistro to be deliberately unconventional: high-quality Tuscan food served in a stripped-back, counter-service setting with a strong brand voice and clear boundaries. It had loyal customers and a distinct identity.

 

Then the pressure came from somewhere else: online reviews.

 

In the U.S., Yelp is the dominant restaurant review platform. For many independent owners, it carries enormous influence over visibility and reputation.

 

The message from their advertising team was consistent: if you advertise with us, your visibility improves.

 

For a lot of restaurant owners, that creates a feeling of dependency - or pressure.

 

 

The Move

 

Rather than react defensively, I examined where the leverage actually sat.

If star ratings were the mechanism of control, then star ratings were the pressure point.

 

Instead of protecting our score, we neutralised it - offering customers a discount for leaving a one-star review and removing the platform’s psychological hold over the business.

 

The Outcome

 

  • Rapid increase in foot traffic and revenue
  • Thousands of new customers driven by viral exposure
  • National and international press without paid PR
  • Feature-length documentary (Billion Dollar Bully)
  • Segment on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
  • Television and radio coverage across the U.S. and UK
  • Strengthened brand loyalty and long-term positioning

 

The campaign didn’t damage the business, it strengthened it.

 

It proved that when you understand the system, you can reposition it.

 

Read the full case study here ➡

Before opening Botto, I had already run a successful high-end restaurant in Sausalito, California. White tablecloths, expensive wines, well-known guests. It was profitable, but it came with constant performance pressure and a growing sense of entitlement from customers. I didn’t want to build another version of that.

 

Botto was designed differently from the beginning. It was small, counter service only, no formal table setting. The food remained authentic and high quality, but the environment made it clear this wasn’t a place for theatrics. You ordered at the counter. You carried your own plate. The tone was lighter, sharper, more direct.

We also shaped the culture deliberately. Funny signs. Clear boundaries. No free bread just because someone expected it. That tone attracted the right people. It discouraged the wrong ones. Over time, the restaurant developed a loyal following that understood what it stood for.

 

The Yelp situation didn’t begin as a grand strategy. It started with aggressive advertising calls. The message from them was always the same: if you advertise with us (the biggest review platform in the USA), your visibility improves. For many restaurant owners, that pressure feels unavoidable.

 

Instead of reacting emotionally, I looked at where the leverage actually was. Yelp’s influence rested on star ratings. So rather than trying to protect our stars, we removed their power.

 

We offered customers 25% off a pizza if they left a one-star review.

 

At first, it was a local joke. Then it went viral thanks to a local reporter. Within days, thousands of one-star reviews appeared from across the country. Business owners who were frustrated with the system participated. Customers came to see what this “worst-rated restaurant” actually was.

 

Traffic increased significantly. Revenue increased. Brand loyalty strengthened. Instead of being anxious about ratings, we controlled the narrative.

 

Yelp sent a cease-and-desist letter. We responded by doubling the discount to 50%. Media outlets picked up the story. The campaign became the subject of a feature-length documentary (Billion Dollar Bully), a segment on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and multiple television and radio appearances across the U.S. and UK.

The exposure wasn’t paid for. It wasn’t orchestrated by a PR agency. It came from taking a clear position and executing it consistently.

 

More importantly, the restaurant stopped operating from fear. Customers weren’t coming because of stars. They were coming because the place had identity. That identity became stronger than any platform rating.

The lesson wasn’t about being provocative. It was about understanding systems. When you identify where control sits, you can decide whether to comply — or redesign the game entirely.

 

That mindset is the same one I bring into every strategy conversation.

After 38 years in hospitality, I thought I had tried everything. My business was struggling badly and I was close to walking away.

 

Davide saw things I couldn’t see. He helped me make the hard decisions I needed to make.

 

I’m now out of debt, making money again, and my relationship at home is stronger. I can honestly say his guidance changed the direction of my life. 

John Fox, Owner of Liberty Square Sports Bar, Kings Hill

Book your restaurant strategy intensive

If you're ready to think clearly about your next move, this is the place to start.

No pitch. No long-term commitment. Just focused thinking time on what actually matters.

BOOK IN USD- $500

BOOK IN GBP- £375

75 minutes · Delivered live via Zoom · Recording provided

Questions

Is this only for struggling restaurants?

No.

Some clients are firefighting.
Others are profitable but know something feels misaligned.

The session is for operators who are willing to look properly at the business — not just push harder

Is this a sales call?

No.

The session is exactly what it says it is — focused thinking time.
There is no obligation to continue working together.

If further support makes sense, we can discuss it.
If not, you leave with clarity.

What should I prepare?

Bring whatever is real.

That might be your numbers.
It might be a problem you can’t quite name.
It might simply be the feeling that something isn’t working.

You don’t need a polished presentation.
You need honesty about what’s happening.

What happens after the session?

You’ll leave with clear direction.

Some clients implement independently.
Some choose ongoing advisory support.

Either way, the session stands on its own.

If you do one strategic thing this quarter, make it this conversation.

One serious conversation.
Honest assessment.
Clear direction.

Book Your Strategy Intensive Now