THE VENUE PERFORMANCE REVIEW
Turning good venues into great businesses
A fixed-scope diagnostic that surfaces the real problem and hands you a 90-day roadmap. Low commitment, and the entry point into everything The Ball Group does.
60% → 45%
reduction in labour costs in $25M venue
$12M → $25M
increase in annualised revenue in six months
BEFORE DAY 1: PRE-REVIEW DISCOVERY
Before we start: the Discovery Questionnaire
Before day one, you complete a short questionnaire. It takes about fifteen minutes.
It asks what’s concerning you most about the venue right now, where you think the business is losing money or momentum, and what a good result would actually look like ninety days from now. It also captures anything specific to your business, heavy seasonality, a functions arm, a lease or site constraint, that needs building into the six streams before we arrive.
It means we arrive already knowing where to look, so the days on site go straight to depth instead of background. It also means we agree what success looks like before the work starts, not at the presentation.
HOW THE REVIEW WORKS
Six focused days. A clear 90-day roadmap.
A hands-on review of the floor, the numbers, the systems and the people—followed by a practical direction for the next 90 days.
1&2
Days 1 & 2 - On Site
3&4
Days 3 & 4 - Off Site
P&L, cost of sales (COS) and labour cost analysis, wage compliance check, systems and SOP gap mapping, and competitive position review. Organisational chart and position descriptions updated. Further one-on-ones with key stakeholders as required. Findings built out across all six operational streams.
5
Day 5 - Presentation
2 days onsite, 2 days offsite, 1 day presentation. Delivered inside a single week.
SIX OPERATIONAL STREAMS
Nothing gets missed.
Every Review breaks the venue down across the same six streams, giving every report a complete and consistent operational view.
People
Culture, organisation structure, position descriptions (PDs), RACI, recruitment and induction, training, 1-on-1s, reviews, succession planning, and accountability
Customer
Guest experience, sequence of service by area, CSAT and review management, response times, ambience, and every customer touchpoint.
Profit
P&L, Cost of Sales, costed rosters against forecast, stocktakes with actual vs theoretical variance, supplier and competitor reviews, and margin control.
Product
Menu and pricing, fully costed recipes, order guides and PAR levels, allergy management, waste tracking, and quality control.
Communication & IT
POS, booking, rostering and stock platforms, EOD reporting and cash-ups, meeting rhythm, and how the team actually communicates.
Environment
Food safety and WH&S compliance, permits, plans and certificates kept audit-ready, preventative maintenance, and physical systems.
Not sure the Review is the right first step?
Start with a Venue Walkthrough: one 3–4 hour session, onsite or by video, working through the two or three things actually holding the business back, and find out whether a Review, a Project, or nothing at all is the right next move. A short written summary within 48 hours. No obligation to continue. $1,500 + GST.