THE FRICTION TEST

1. Empowerment: If you left for 2 weeks, would your team solve problems or would the operation stall?

2. "Shadow Truth": Do you have a confidential way for staff to report friction without fear of retaliation?

3. Training ROI: Does your staff receive technical education at least once a month?

4. Guest Recovery: Does your team have a "Compassion Budget" to fix mistakes instantly?

5. "Third Place" Identity: Could a guest describe your "soul" in one sentence without mentioning price?

6. Waste Management: Do you track not just what was wasted, but *why*?

7. Beverage Precision: Are bar margins based on market COGS and bartenders using jiggers 100%?

8. POS Efficiency: Does your team spend more time talking to the POS than making eye contact?

9. Vendor Vigilance: Have you renegotiated top 3 vendor contracts in the last 6 months?

10. The Roadmap: Do you have a written 90-day plan or are you just "making it through"?