Why It’s Not About the F*** Food!* Belongs on Every Restaurant Professional’s Bookshelf
At Turntable Consulting, we believe great restaurants are built on thoughtful strategy, resilient teams, purposeful leadership, and sustainable systems, not just excellent food. That is exactly why we recommend It’s Not About the F** Food!* by Lance Reynolds and Christina Livers to restaurant leaders who are serious about growth and long term success.
A Perspective Rooted in Reality
This book moves past the romanticized version of the hospitality industry and speaks directly to the realities operators face every day. It reinforces an essential truth we see in our consulting work: thriving restaurants are built through durable operational habits, clear leadership frameworks, and a deep understanding of how all parts of the business must work together to survive and scale. The food matters, but it is only one piece of a much larger system that must perform consistently.
Core Themes That Align With Turntable Consulting
There are several reasons we consistently recommend this book to operators, vendors, and partners across the restaurant ecosystem.
Operational Clarity Over Hype
The authors dismantle common misconceptions about what drives restaurant success. They emphasize the importance of repeatable processes, clear expectations, and measurable outcomes, principles we reinforce daily in our advisory work.
Leadership With Purpose
Restaurants are people driven businesses. This book highlights leadership approaches that elevate teams, reduce burnout, and create cultures rooted in accountability and trust. These are the same leadership fundamentals we help operators develop to support long term performance.
Systems Thinking Applied to Hospitality
At Turntable Consulting, we approach restaurants as interconnected systems rather than isolated departments. Front of house, back of house, vendors, distributors, and technology must function in alignment. This book reinforces that mindset through practical examples and real world insight.
A Resource for the Full Restaurant Ecosystem
While many hospitality books focus narrowly on chefs or front line roles, It’s Not About the F** Food!* speaks to a broader audience. Operators gain practical perspective, vendors and distributors gain clarity on the pressures restaurants face, and restaurant technology companies gain insight into what operators actually need from the tools designed to support them. This is why we recommend it across the entire ecosystem we serve.
Final Recommendation
If you are focused on strengthening your restaurant business, leading your team more effectively, or building products and partnerships that truly serve operators, this book belongs in your professional library.
Whether you are early in your journey or refining strategies built over decades, It’s Not About the F** Food!* reinforces a simple truth we stand behind at Turntable Consulting: success in this industry comes from structure, leadership, strategy, and sustained execution.
