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SAMPLE REPORTS • FOUR DIFFERENT RESTAURANT EXAMPLES

Signal Sample Reports

Every Signal report is written in radical plain language for restaurant operators, GMs, and owners. No consulting jargon, no statistics lectures. Below are four genuinely different sample reports from four different restaurants, demonstrating our four distinct product depths.

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How to Read Our Certainty Labels
VERIFIED
“We can calculate this directly from the records you provided.”
MODELED
“This is an estimate. We have enough information to calculate a useful range, but at least one assumption is involved.”
OPPORTUNITY
“This is money the restaurant might gain if the change works. It is not money already lost.”
NEEDS VALIDATION
“We found a real pattern, but we need another report or an in-store check before we can say why it is happening.”
SIGNAL SNAPSHOT SAMPLE • $195 FIXED

Oak & Ember Kitchen

Demonstration Restaurant Data • Casual Steakhouse • Report ID: SIG-SNAP-OEK
Core Question: “Why are our discounts so high?”
Data Reviewed: 30 Days of Discount & Promo Logs
Total Volume: 3,840 Checks Reviewed
Gross Sales: $142,800.00
THE OPERATOR'S QUESTION
“Why are our discounts so high?”

The owner noticed discount expense climbed to 7.8% of sales last month. The Snapshot was hired to answer this specific question, prove the dollar amount, and identify the exact fix.

Two promotions are being stacked on the same guest bills

Priority 01 • Immediate Action
Finding ID: SNAP-01 Certainty: VERIFIED (Calculated from POS) How Hard to Fix: Very Easy (5-minute POS setting) Area: Discount Exclusivity
WHAT WE FOUND
Two discount programs—a 15% VIP guest discount and a $10 Happy Hour voucher—were applied simultaneously to the exact same 218 guest checks over the 30-day review period.
WHY IT MATTERS
Promotions were designed to bring in new diners or fill empty early tables, not give away margin twice. Stacking both discounts allowed high-spending parties to take more than 28% off their total bill, reducing net margin on prime dining hours without driving extra guest counts.
WHAT IT MAY BE COSTING
Verified in POS Records
$2,180.00 / 30d
218 checks × $10 overlapping voucher
Annualized Money Lost
$26,160.00 / yr
Direct profit loss if left unfixed
Recovery Speed
Immediate
Effective on next shift once toggled
HOW SURE ARE WE?
VERIFIED “We can calculate this directly from the records you provided.” Every dollar in this $2,180 finding comes from itemized check IDs where both discount button codes were recorded on the same receipt.
WHAT TO CHECK
For one Friday shift, go to the main bar terminal during the 5:00–7:00 PM Happy Hour transition. Test whether a server can apply the $10 Happy Hour voucher to a check that already has the 15% VIP discount applied without requiring a manager passcode.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Open your POS backend manager portal under Discounts > Rules > Combinability. Set both the "15% VIP" discount and the "$10 HH Voucher" to "Exclusive." Once toggled, entering one promotion will automatically prevent or remove the other on the same bill.
ADDITIONAL ISSUE NOTICED • OUTSIDE THIS SNAPSHOT

While reviewing check-level logs, we noticed 4 kitchen modifications (extra bacon, side avocado, sub gluten-free bun) entered as unpriced kitchen notes across 340+ checks.

Why this was not analyzed: A Signal Snapshot strictly investigates the single question you paid us to answer. We do not inflate scope or add unrequested consulting hours. If you want a discovery review across your whole operation, that is what the Signal Diagnostic is built for.

SNAPSHOT SUMMARY

“You have one question. We dig into it.”

The Snapshot answered the question ($2,180 in double-discounting), showed how to verify it on the floor, gave the exact 5-minute POS fix, and stopped. 100% of your $195 fee is credited toward a Diagnostic or Deep Dive booked within 30 days.

Get a Signal Snapshot ($195) →
SIGNAL DIAGNOSTIC SAMPLE • $595 ONE-TIME

Juniper Street Pizza

Demonstration Restaurant Data • Artisan Pizzeria (90 Seats) • Report ID: SIG-DIAG-JSP
Core Question: “What are we missing?”
Time Period: 60 Days Reviewed
Store Sales: $284,500.00 • 8,940 Checks
Labor Cost: 23.4% ($66,573.00)
THE OPERATOR'S MINDSET
“I did not tell Signal what was wrong. Signal found these things.”

The Diagnostic is broad discovery across the whole operation. We cross-analyzed check logs, hourly dayparts, timecards, modifier mix, voids, and comps to uncover 5 distinct patterns the owner didn't know to look for.

Finding What We Found What This May Be Costing How Sure Are We? How Hard to Fix What to Do Next
F-01 Unpriced Modifiers: 14% of specialty pizzas have extra toppings typed into freeform kitchen notes. ~$1,840 / mo
$22,080 / yr		 MODELED
Useful estimate		 Very Easy Program 5 modifier buttons in POS; instruct servers to use buttons instead of notes.
F-02 Low Lunch Drink Attachment: Beverage attachment is 18.2% at lunch vs 64.5% at dinner. ~$2,100 / mo
Potential margin gain		 OPPORTUNITY
Upside if change works		 Easy Test a fixed-price lunch combo (slice + side salad + beverage) for two weeks.
F-03 Sunday Morning Labor Timing Mismatch: 4 cooks clock in 2.25 hours before oven reaches bake temperature. $980 / mo
$11,760 / yr		 VERIFIED
Direct from timecards		 Easy Stagger Sunday morning punch-ins: 2 cooks move to 10:15 AM arrival.
F-04 Staff Meals Miscoded as Manager Comps: $1,640 of employee meals rung under guest recovery comp code. Unknown Until Confirmed
Reporting fix, not cash		 NEEDS VALIDATION
Confirm meal policy		 Very Easy Create dedicated "Staff Meal" button with 100% discount rule and daily cap.
F-05 Late-Night Bar Void Concentration: 74% of beer voids occur between 10:30 PM and midnight under one terminal. $620 / mo
$7,440 / yr		 VERIFIED
Direct from records		 Easy Require specific void reason codes ("Foamy Keg" vs "Order Error") at bar terminal.

F-01: Extras are being added to pizzas but not charged on the check

Priority 01 • Quick Revenue Win
Finding ID: F-01 Certainty: MODELED (Estimate with Useful Range) How Hard to Fix: Very Easy (POS Button Addition) Area: Menu Modifiers
WHAT WE FOUND
About 14% of specialty pizza orders (780 tickets over 60 days) included an extra or substitution written into the kitchen notes—such as "extra mozzarella", "add pepperoni", or "sub gluten-free dough"—without any corresponding charge added to the guest check.
WHY IT MATTERS
The kitchen consumes the premium ingredients and prep time, but the bill never collects the money. Servers use freeform notes because they are faster than hunting through sub-menus.
WHAT IT MAY BE COSTING
~$1,840.00 / month ($22,080.00 / year). Estimated from an average $2.35 menu charge across 780 unbilled modifiers.
HOW SURE ARE WE?
MODELED “This is an estimate. We have enough information to calculate a useful range, but at least one assumption is involved.” We counted the exact note occurrences; the total dollar figure assumes standard modifier pricing.
WHAT TO CHECK
For one busy Friday dinner, compare 20 kitchen bump tickets with their corresponding final guest receipts. Check how many tickets show a topping note without a line-item price on the check.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Create top-level modifier buttons on the main ordering screen for the 5 most frequent additions (Extra Mozz, Add Pepperoni, Sub GF Crust, Add Ricotta, Extra Crispy). Remove server permission to type freeform kitchen notes without manager override.

F-04: Staff meals are currently coded as manager comps

Priority 02 • Reporting Accuracy
Finding ID: F-04 Certainty: NEEDS VALIDATION (Policy Check Needed) How Hard to Fix: Very Easy (POS Button) Area: Comp Coding & Reporting
WHAT WE FOUND
$1,640 of transactions over 60 days sit inside the manager guest-recovery comp category. 92% of these comps occur strictly during shift change windows (3:30–4:30 PM and 10:30–11:00 PM) and consist of single-entree orders rung under manager approval passcodes.
WHY IT MATTERS
Current coding makes guest-recovery comp reporting unreliable. It appears that managers are comping food for dissatisfied diners when they are actually authorizing legitimate staff shift meals. This prevents the owner from knowing how much food is genuinely being given away to fix guest issues.
WHAT IT MAY BE COSTING
Unknown until staff-meal policy and allowable amount are confirmed. If staff were entitled to these meals, the food cost was already incurred as an employee benefit. Changing the POS button will not put cash back into the restaurant's bank account—it only corrects reporting accuracy.
HOW SURE ARE WE?
NEEDS VALIDATION “We found a real pattern, but we need another report or an in-store check before we can say why it is happening.” The timing and item patterns look identical to employee meals, but the GM must confirm whether staff meals are authorized.
WHAT TO CHECK
Ask your general manager whether line cooks and servers receive authorized shift meals and what button managers currently use to ring them in.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Create a separate "Employee Shift Meal" non-revenue comp code in the POS. Set a daily cap (e.g. 1 entree per shift) so staff meals no longer distort guest-satisfaction comp reports.
DIAGNOSTIC SUMMARY

“You give us the operating data. We find the things you may not know to ask about.”

The owner didn't know Sunday morning cooks were waiting 2 hours for the oven, or that modifiers were leaking $1,840/mo. The Diagnostic discovered both across existing records and separated real cash leaks from reporting errors.

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SIGNAL DEEP DIVE SAMPLE • FROM $1,250 (+60-DAY VALIDATION)

Mercury Bar & Grill

Demonstration Restaurant Data • High-Volume Bar & Grill (160 Seats) • Report ID: SIG-DEEP-MBG
Known Problem: “Labor rose from 22% to 28%. Why?”
Time Period: 90 Days Cross-System Review
Investigation Scope: Single Operational Failure
Upgrade: +60-Day Operational Validation
THE KNOWN PROBLEM
“Labor rose from about 22% to 28%. Why?”

The owner already knew labor had drifted out of control by 6.1 percentage points ($4,850/mo excess cost). They did not need another broad scan of modifiers or drinks. The Deep Dive was hired to investigate only why labor increased, isolate the true root cause, and test the fix.

Root Cause: Closing shift duration doubled due to manager overlap & new closing checklist

Root Cause Isolated
Finding ID: DEEP-01 Certainty: VERIFIED (Calculated from Timecards & Rosters) Targeted Metric: Store Labor Cost (28.2% → 22.5%) Area: Closing Shift Execution
WHAT EXPLANATIONS WE TESTED & WHAT WAS RULED OUT
RULED OUT BY DATA

Explanation 1: Sales Slump

Net sales held steady at $310,000+ with guest check counts within 0.8% of historical baseline. Lower sales did not mathematically inflate labor percentage.

RULED OUT BY DATA

Explanation 2: Peak Dinner Rush Overstaffing

Dinner sales per labor hour (SPLH) averaged $86.20. Line cooks clocked out promptly within 15 minutes of orders dropping. Overtime did not occur on dinner shifts.

CONFIRMED ROOT CAUSE

Explanation 3: Closing Shift Procedures

100% of the labor increase concentrated after 9:30 PM. Closing shifts expanded from 1.1h to 2.4h due to dual manager overlap and a new 14-step cleaning procedure.

WHAT WE FOUND (THE ROOT CAUSE)
The increase in labor is concentrated in closing shifts and is associated with manager overlap plus longer closing procedures after a menu change. Specifically:
  • Two managers (one salaried GM and one hourly shift supervisor) were scheduled to close together every night, adding 18 redundant supervisory hours weekly.
  • A 14-step cleaning checklist instituted after the menu refresh required line cooks to deep-clean cold drawers nightly rather than on rotation, trapping 4 cooks on the clock until 1:15 AM.
WHY IT MATTERS
The restaurant was spending $4,850/month in non-revenue labor after the doors were locked. Adding more daytime staff or cutting dinner rush cooks would have harmed guest service without fixing the actual leak.
WHAT IT MAY BE COSTING
Monthly Excess Payroll
$4,850.00 / mo
6.1 percentage points of labor drift
Annualized Payroll Waste
$58,200.00 / yr
48.5 post-close hours per week
Target Recovery
~22.5%
Historical operating standard
HOW SURE ARE WE?
VERIFIED “We can calculate this directly from the records you provided.” Calculated directly from timecard punch-out timestamps and shift station assignments.
CORRECTIVE TEST & SUCCESS METRIC
• Corrective Test: Stagger closing managers (hourly supervisor clocks out at 10:00 PM; sole closing manager handles cash-out and final lockup). Streamline kitchen closing checklist to daily essentials (45 min) and move drawer deep-cleans to Tuesday morning prep shifts.
• Target Closing Duration: 1.1 hours (cut from 2.4 hours).
• Success Metric: Store labor returns under 23.0% without failing health inspection logs.
60-DAY OPERATIONAL VALIDATION UPGRADE • FINAL OUTPUT TOTAL PACKAGE: FROM $1,650
1. BASELINE
28.2% Labor
Closing duration: 2.4 hours average
2. CHANGE MADE
Manager de-overlap + 45-min closing checklist
Implemented Day 1
3. 30-DAY RESULT
24.1% Labor
Closing duration fell to 1.3h (-4.1%)
4. 60-DAY RESULT
22.6% Labor
Improvement held under full volume
Financial Effect: $4,850 / month recovered ($58,200 annualized). Zero kitchen line congestion during service.
What to Do Next: Lock the revised closing checklist into the permanent employee training manual; audit closing clock-outs quarterly.
DEEP DIVE SUMMARY

“We already know something is wrong. Now we figure out why.”

The Deep Dive is not another broad audit. It takes a known operational failure, tests competing theories, isolates the root cause, and verifies the 60-day recovery.

Inquire About Deep Dive →
ONGOING REVIEW SAMPLE • $249 / MONTH

Northline Tacos

Demonstration Restaurant Data • Fast-Casual Taqueria (75 Seats) • Report ID: SIG-ONGO-NLT
Prerequisite: Completed Diagnostic & Changes Made
Review Cycle: Month 3 Post-Diagnostic
Core Goal: Compare New Numbers vs Baseline
Monthly Fee: $249 / month
THE OPERATOR'S MINDSET
“This tells me whether the fixes worked and whether anything is starting to drift again.”

Northline Tacos completed a full Diagnostic 90 days ago and made changes across modifiers, lunch attachments, and weekend comps. Ongoing Review does not perform another complete audit—it compares the new numbers against baseline to show what improved, what didn't change, what got worse, and what new thing to watch.

Metric Monitored Diagnostic Baseline (BEFORE) Current 30 Days (NOW) Status Operational Assessment
Modifier Leakage $1,840 / mo unbilled $240 / mo IMPROVED Fix held: Recaptured ~$1,600/mo. 3 of 4 POS stations fully compliant; only patio bar needs reminder.
Lunch Drink Attachment 18.2% attachment 19.1% attachment UNCHANGED Verbal prompt script failed to move the needle. Strategy shifted to printed $14 lunch combo menu.
Weekend Dinner Discounts $3,800 / mo $4,450 / mo WORSE Drifting higher: New Friday evening manager ringing discretionary "Guest Goodwill" manual comps.
Sunday Kitchen Close Duration 1.1h close duration 2.1h close duration NEW WATCH Creeping up: Sunday dish pit backlog is trapping line cooks on the clock past midnight.
01 // IMPROVED Recaptured $1,600/mo

Modifier Leakage

The new dedicated POS modifier buttons reduced uncharged extras from $1,840/mo down to $240/mo. Three front-of-house register terminals showed 98% button compliance.

Action: 5-minute shift reminder with patio bar staff to ensure outdoor POS terminal is updated.
02 // UNCHANGED Flat at 19.1%

Lunch Beverage Attachment

Verbal script prompting ("Can I get an agua fresca started?") produced negligible gain (18.2% → 19.1%). Fast-casual diners ignore verbal upsells during the midday rush.

Action: Drop verbal script. Roll out a bundled $14 Lunch Taco Combo that automatically includes a fountain drink.
03 // WORSE +$650/mo Drift

Weekend Dinner Discounts

Discounts rose from $3,800/mo to $4,450/mo. Cross-referencing manager IDs revealed a new Friday evening supervisor has been applying 20% manual comps to tables waiting past 15 minutes.

Action: Retrain new supervisor on ticket pacing escalation; cap discretionary table comps at $25/week.
04 // NEW THING TO WATCH +1.0 Hour Pacing

Sunday Kitchen Close Duration

While weekday closes averaged 1.1h, Sunday closing clock-outs crept to 2.1h. Cook timecards show they are waiting on the dish pit machine cycle before completing line sanitation.

Action: Add 1 part-time dish closer on Sunday nights from 9:30 PM to 11:30 PM to free up line cooks.
ONGOING REVIEW SUMMARY

“We compare the new numbers with the old ones and tell you what improved, what got worse, and what needs attention.”

Ongoing Review protects your operational gains. It catches bad habits before they compound and shows you exactly what changed month to month.