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Check MateEvery task comes with a time. They come back to you.

The Check-Out RuleNobody finishes till their section is signed off.

The Ten Non-NegotiablesYour standard on one page.

The handover noteWritten every shift. Nothing left to memory.

Chase at 14 daysEvery function quote, same order, every time.

The Night-Off TestA clear Day 30 finish line.

For independent venue owners & managers

Stop chasing your team.
Put your standard on every shift.

Name: 60 Venues Later: What Every New Bar, Pub and Restaurant Owner Must Know
Author: Stewart Koziora

Real fixes from our own Melbourne venues. Written down, then plugged into AI. From an operator, not a tech guy.

Get the free one-pager ›
The Ten Non-Negotiables. Free PDF. Use it tonight.

Our venues ▸

Asian Beer CafeFather's Office QVFather's Office DowntownFollies BarMitcham SocialEltham SocialEastside SocialDonnie's Smashed BurgersNeon AlleyAsian Beer CafeFather's Office QVFather's Office DowntownFollies BarMitcham SocialEltham SocialEastside SocialDonnie's Smashed BurgersNeon Alley

~/shift/friday-4pm-closeEXAMPLE

# tonight's jobs → Check Mate tasks

> Turn my jobs into Check Mate tasks. "Come back to me by [time]."

✓ Sam: restock the bar fridges. Come back to me by 4:40pm.

✓ Jo: set section 3 for the 6pm function. Come back to me by 5:15pm.

✓ Come back by your time, done or not. I won't chase you.

! Example answer. Made-up venue. Yours will differ.

"Don't ask me to make a cocktail or tap a keg. I do know how to make money out of a hospo operation."Stewart Koziora · co-founder, Retail Savvy Group

Proof, not theory

Our own venues.
The fixes come from here.

Asian Beer CafeMelbourne Central, Level 3Since 2007

Father's Office QV249 Little Lonsdale St, MelbourneSince 2012

Father's Office Downtown121 Flinders Lane, MelbourneRestaurant & Bar

Follies BarBasement, 121 Flinders LaneBasement Bar

Mitcham Social1 Thornton Crescent, MitchamCommunity Local

Eltham Social1/70 Commercial Pl, ElthamCommunity Local

Eastside Social127 Maroondah Hwy, RingwoodOpening 18 November 2026

Donnie's Smashed Burgers123 Maroondah Highway, RingwoodComing soon

Neon Alley123 Maroondah Highway, RingwoodOpening February 2027

From our Venues page, retailsavvygroup.com/venues.

From the floor

At one CBD bar, the manager spent every shift chasing the team to get tasks done. We brought in a simple rule I call Check Mate: every task comes with a time to come back, and it's on the team member to come back, done or not. Within three to five weeks, the shifts ran themselves. Stewart Koziora · from Run It Without You

The problem

Sound like your venue?

01You hand out a job. Nobody reports back.Check Mate. "Come back to me in 40 minutes." It's on them, done or not.Team

02Your night off. Phone face up on the table. You can't switch off.The Night-Off Test. A full night off on Day 30, scored the next morning.Owner

03Every roster turns into an argument.Post it at the same time every week. Keep core shifts steady.Rosters

04Saturday, 5pm. A no-show.Same base shifts each week cut no-shows. When one happens, reset the goal in 30 seconds.No-shows

05A function enquiry sits in the inbox. The quote goes out late, or wrong.Qualify before you quote. Check the date is free. Same quote, same order. Chase at 14 days.Functions

06You walk in next morning. Bins not done. The float is out.The Check-Out Rule. Nobody finishes till a named person signs their section off.Close

…and you tell yourself you can't take a night off yet.You can. It takes a system.

The ladder

Start free.
Climb when you're ready.

The Ten Non-Negotiables

Free one-pager

Ten standards on one page. So your venue hits your standard whether you're standing in it or not. Not a 40-page manual that sits in a drawer.

FreeOne-page PDF

Get it free ›

Run It Without You

The guide · start here

The 30-day system that keeps your standards in place when you're off the floor. Four routines, the Check-Out Rule, Check Mate and the Night-Off Test.

A$973 pages · 19 print-ready templates · instant PDF

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30-day money-back guarantee. No questions, no forms.

Editable Template Pack

Add-on

All 19 templates from the guide as editable Word files. They open in Google Docs too. Add your venue's name, print, laminate, stick them up tonight.

A$519 templates · Word files (ZIP)

Get the templates ›

Buying the guide? Add the pack for A$5 at checkout.

Free tool

Free: Does your venue run without you?

10 questions, 2 minutes, your top 3 fixes.

Take the score ›

AI × hospo

AI writes fast.
It doesn't know your venue.

Give it your Ten, your routines and your rules first. Then it drafts like your best shift manager, the one who knows how you run a floor. You still decide.

Problem · standards slip when you're off

Turn scribbled notes into a handover note

Turn my rough notes into a handover note.
Use roles or first names only.
My notes: [paste your notes]
Headings: Standards, People, Guests,
Money, Safety, Equipment, For the opener.

Built from: Run It Without You, Ch 10 · The One Minute Floor Manager, Tool 3

Problem · function enquiries

Qualify it, then quote it

A function enquiry came in: [paste it].
First, list what's missing: how many?
Seated or standing? Date, day and time?
Then draft my reply in our quote order:
space, availability (with the year),
minimum spend, terms and deposit.
Remind me: check the date is free first.
Chase at 14 days.

Built from: 60 Venues Later, Ch 15 (Functions and groups)

Problem · rosters, a shift you won't be on

Roster notes for the shift leader

Write roster notes for [day] for the
shift leader, [name]. First names only.
Include: sections for each person,
tonight's named checker, break cover,
and the one thing I most want held tonight.

Built from: Run It Without You, Ch 4 and 5 · The One Minute Floor Manager, Ch 4 and 9

Problem · staff not reporting back

Check Mate task list

Turn my list of jobs into short Check Mate
tasks I can hand out at the briefing.
For each job: who, the task, and
"Come back to me by [time]."
Jobs and who: [job - name, job - name]
End with: "Come back to me by your time,
done or not. I won't chase you."

Built from: Run It Without You, Ch 4 and 6

Any AI toolCopy, fill the [brackets], paste. No app to buy.

Your standardPaste your own Ten first. Every answer follows it.

PrivacyFirst names only. No staff or guest personal details.

You decideAI drafts. You check it, fix it and own it.

Prompts shortened. Each one is built from a chapter of the guide or the books. Paste into any AI chat tool.

About the operator

The operator
behind the systems.

/ 01Started on the floor

I started at McDonald's while I was still at school. More than 40 years later, I'm still on the floor.

/ 02The numbers

Then I trained as a chartered accountant. I'm a Fellow (FCA). That's why I read a venue from the numbers first.

/ 03The big rooms

I became CEO of Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloons and brought Wagamama to Australia.

/ 04Home to Melbourne

I'm co-founder of Retail Savvy Group, the Melbourne hospitality group behind Asian Beer Cafe since 2007.

/ 0562 openings

62 venue openings across my career. I've employed thousands of young people along the way.

/ 06Why I wrote it down

So your venue hits your standard whether you're standing in it or not.

The books

Want the long version?
Two books. Paperback and Kindle.

The One Minute Floor Manager

Leading Gen Z in Bars, Pubs and Restaurants

A short, practical playbook for leading a young crew. Real shifts, real fixes, and a "Use it tonight" box in every chapter.

Paperback A$14.99 · 65 pages

Paperback, A$14.99 ›Kindle ›

60 Venues Later

What Every New Bar, Pub and Restaurant Owner Must Know

For anyone opening or running a venue. The site, the lease, the numbers and the team, from 62 venue openings.

Paperback A$19.99 · 116 pages

Paperback, A$19.99 ›Kindle ›

Books are sold on Amazon Australia.

Take the night off.
Leave your standard on.

Get the free one-pager ›
The Ten Non-Negotiables. Free PDF. Then climb the ladder.

"Are you leading the shift, or is the shift leading you?"

Guides & Books

Our own venues.The fixes come from here.