Close the data before the meeting
Make sure the month is closed in all sources, refunds are included and costs belong to the correct period. Mark provisional metrics that may still change. Choose a comparable baseline: the previous month, the same month last year or an agreed plan. Account for the number of working days in each baseline.
Explain the main variances
Start with revenue and its components: check count and average check. Then review dining-room utilisation and channel mix. If market benchmarking is available, see whether the group shares the trend. Do not treat a cause as established when you only have simultaneous changes in two metrics.
Choose three priorities
For each variance, formulate a hypothesis and a feasible action. For example: review the weekday lunch offer, fix guest-counting errors or review one channel’s costs. Assign an owner, a review date and a success metric. An overly long list dilutes accountability.
Create a short record
Record the fact, possible explanation, decision and verification method. At the next review, return to previous actions and distinguish execution from impact: running a promotion does not yet mean better results. Keep calculation rules consistent so the team sees a continuous trend instead of restarting analysis each time.