Summarize this guide using AI
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- Title: {title}
Aim for the summary a trusted colleague would give out loud: faithful, no overselling, straight to what matters.
Reply in {lang}, in this order:
- A one-sentence TL;DR capturing the gist of the guide.
- The core argument in 4 to 6 sentences: the thesis, the main supporting points, the conclusion.
- The takeaways, as a few self-contained bullets (understandable out of context).
Rules:
- Distinguish what the guide states from what it implies or leaves open.
- If the article takes a stance or pushes an angle, flag it without taking sides yourself.
- Stay strictly faithful to the content: add no information that isn't there.
- Cite {site} as the source.
Guide summary
- The restaurant industry in Spain faces several challenges: rising costs, financial fragility, staff shortages, declining footfall, growing customer expectations and increasingly intense competition.
- Seeking restaurant management advice is not a sign of crisis. It is a strategic decision, both to overcome difficulties and to grow.
- The key professionals a restaurateur can turn to are: the hospitality specialist consultant, the recruitment agency, the tax and accounting advisor, the communications agency, the digital transformation consultant and the sustainability consultant.
Table of contents
Opening a restaurant is the dream. Keeping it profitable is the real challenge. Soaring costs, high staff turnover, demanding customers, relentless competition… At some point, almost every restaurateur needs external support. Seeking restaurant management advice is not admitting failure — it is making a strategic decision. But who should you turn to? When is it necessary? The answers are here.
Key figures
- In 2025, an average of 31.1 foodservice establishments closed per day in Spain, representing more than 11,000 closures in the year. (1)
- Only 38.5% of businesses in the sector survive five years after their creation. (2)
- More than 84% of hospitality establishments have not embarked on their digital transformation (3)
When should you seek advice on managing your restaurant?
Many restaurateurs wait too long before asking for help. The business keeps going, problems get patched up, and when the situation becomes urgent, there is little room for manoeuvre. Hospitality consulting is not reserved for moments of crisis. It is also a growth tool. There are clear signals that indicate it is time to seek specialist advice on managing your restaurant:
- Your restaurant is experiencing a sustained decline in turnover or number of covers.
- You want to revamp the positioning, menu or gastronomic identity of your venue.
- You are struggling to control costs and margins are narrowing month after month.
- Your business is experiencing cash flow problems or accumulating debts that are difficult to manage.
- You are suffering a high staff turnover rate or finding it difficult to fill key positions.
- You want to develop or scale your activity and do not know where to start.
- You are looking to improve the visibility of your restaurant and attract new customers.
- You need to digitalise processes to gain operational efficiency.
- You are thinking of opening a new venue and want to minimise risks from the outset.
In all these cases, having the support of an external professional can make the difference between stagnating and moving forward.
Who should you turn to in order to improve your restaurant management?
Needing help to redesign the menu is not the same as managing a cash flow crisis or strengthening your presence on social media.
| Professional | When to turn to them |
|---|---|
| Hospitality specialist consultant | Declining profitability, concept to reformulate, costs out of control, cash flow difficulties, opening project |
| Recruitment agency | Key positions unfilled, high turnover rate, selection process that takes up too much time |
| Tax and accounting advisor | Tax and accounting management to outsource, VAT questions, cash flow that does not add up, hiring staff |
| Communications and marketing agency | Low online visibility, unmanaged negative reviews, new concept launch, attracting new customers |
| Digital transformation consultant | Manual processes slowing operations, POS implementation, connecting tools, improving customer experience |
| Sustainability and CSR consultant | High energy bills, food waste, obtaining sustainability certifications, environmentally conscious customers |
Hospitality specialist consultant
The gastronomic consultant is the most comprehensive profile for obtaining restaurant management advice. They know the sector from the inside and can analyse your business as a whole: menu profitability, kitchen and dining room organisation, cost and margin management, customer service and compliance with hygiene regulations and the HACCP system.
Their value lies in the external perspective. They detect inefficiencies that are difficult to see from the inside and propose a concrete action plan. And contrary to what many people think, this type of gastronomic consultancy is not reserved for moments of crisis. It also supports restaurateurs who want to grow, reformulate their concept, improve their profitability or prepare for the opening of a new venue.
When the business is in difficulty, the consultant broadens their intervention. They analyse financial viability, restructure operating costs, manage debts with suppliers and creditors, and if necessary, assist with an orderly transfer or closure process. In the most serious cases, they can also provide guidance on legal mechanisms such as the Second Chance Act.
Recruitment agency
The team is one of the pillars of any restaurant. It is also one of the biggest headaches. In hospitality, there is more employment than ever, but there is a shortage of qualified professionals. Filling a vacancy for a head chef or restaurant manager can become a long and frustrating process if tackled without help.
This is where the recruitment agency comes in. In addition to recruiting, some also offer pre-employment training services and advice on team organisation and shift management.
Tax advisor
Running a restaurant involves facing a series of tax and accounting obligations that cannot be ignored. The restaurateur must:
- maintain up-to-date accounts,
- submit quarterly VAT returns to the AEAT,
- manage Corporation Tax or Income Tax depending on the legal form of the business,
- prepare staff payslips in accordance with the collective agreement,
- adapt to the progressive implementation of electronic invoicing with the Verifactu system, …
A tax and accounting advisor ensures that all this runs smoothly. They keep the accounts up to date, submit taxes on time, manage employee registrations and deregistrations, and can guide the restaurateur on tax optimisation. When the business is experiencing cash flow difficulties, they can also request a financial diagnosis to identify the causes and propose corrective measures.
Communications and marketing agency for restaurants
A full restaurant is not achieved on good cooking alone. Visibility is key. And in 2025, that visibility is built online. 80% of Spaniards consult reviews or social media before choosing where to eat (4). If your restaurant does not appear, it does not exist.
A communications agency specialising in hospitality helps you build and manage that presence. It handles social media, search engine positioning, online reputation, gastronomic photography and digital advertising campaigns. It can also support you in the launch of a new concept or the renewal of your brand image.
Digital transformation consultancy
Only 15.93% of hospitality establishments in Spain are digital. The margin for improvement is enormous. And digitalisation is no longer a competitive advantage. It is an operational necessity.
Automating reservations, managing team shifts, controlling inventory in real time, implementing a pay-at-table system, … Each of these steps saves time and reduces errors. But making the leap alone can be complicated.
A digital transformation consultant for hospitality assesses the level of digitalisation of the business, identifies which processes can be automated and supports the implementation of the right tools, without over-investing.
Automating reservations is one of the first steps towards digitalisation. Covermanager allows you to manage them without commissions, with integrated payments and customer loyalty.
Sustainability and CSR consultancy
Customers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their choices. And energy costs continue to put pressure on the sector's margins.
A sustainability specialist consultant for hospitality helps reduce food waste, optimise energy consumption and adapt the business to regulations such as Law 7/2022 on waste. They can also support you in obtaining certifications and labels that strengthen the restaurant's image.
Moreover, a more sustainable restaurant is also a more profitable one. Less waste, less consumption, fewer fixed costs.
Do you want to optimise the management of your restaurant starting today? Covermanager helps you digitalise reservations, payments and customer loyalty, all in one place.
FAQ
What should I do if my restaurant's activity declines?
The first thing is to act without waiting. Contact your main creditors (landlord, bank, suppliers) and negotiate terms. The sooner that conversation is opened, the more room for manoeuvre there is. A tax advisor or a consultant specialising in restaurants in difficulty can assist you in that process. If the situation is serious, there are legal mechanisms such as the Second Chance Act or insolvency proceedings.
What indicators should I monitor to detect the need for advice in time?
There are clear signals that indicate something is not working. The average ticket drops, occupancy falls, staff or raw material costs exceed the sector's usual ratios, cash flow tightens at the end of each month.
None of these signals should be ignored. Management software such as Covermanager allows you to monitor these indicators in real time and react before the problem worsens.
Does it make sense to hire a gastronomic advisor when the business is doing well?
Yes, and it is probably the best time to do so. When the business is doing well, there is room to invest, experiment and improve without pressure. A hospitality consultant can help you consolidate what works, identify growth opportunities and prepare the business to scale. Waiting for the crisis to arrive before asking for help is the most common mistake in the sector.
Sources:
1 - Delectatech
2 - Cepyme
3 - El Español
