Pacific Management Consulting Group

Pacific Management Consulting Group, and its principal, John A. Gordon, provide strategy, operations and financial management expertise relative to restaurants. This includes expert research, consulting and testimonial projects in federal state and Canada courts. Gordon is an independent analyst, certified as a Master Analyst of Financial Forensics. Typical clients include attorneys, valuation experts, commercial banks and lenders, chain restaurant operators, securities analysts, research firms, investment banking and private equity groups, and other professional service providers. He has been deposed over twenty times and has testimonial experience before US Federal and State courts. He has a franchise standards and practice expertise, working for both franchisors and franchisees.

Services

Pacific Management Consulting Group is 100% focused on restaurant strategy, operations, earnings and economics topics.

Typical services: litigation support engagements (research, consulting, testimony), economics and earnings analysis and projections; business assessment and feasibility reviews; operational assessments, business plan and proforma creation, and review; detailed company business intelligence. Litigation support specialties: expert consulting and expert witness support for franchising matters, and securities litigation (Rule 10b5). Testified and deposed on both federal and state actions.

Also, M&A due diligence, wage and hour matters; revenue analysis (sales, average check, pricing. sales mix), cost analysis (cost of goods sold, theoretical food, bar and labor costs), other expense analysis and review, food commodity cost forecasting; marketing plan composition and execution analysis, media ROI; site selection and planning, human resources policy and recruiting matters; menu composition and review; business dispute investigation, channel checking, field work for security analysts; corporate processes review, G&A overhead review and analysis, business coaching.

Litigation Support Services

Pacific Management Consulting Group provides litigation support services in matters regarding chain restaurants, specializing in earnings, economics, and other analytical special projects, involving both expert consulting and expert witness roles, as well as research and business intelligence.

Areas of Expertise

Additional Expertise:

Restaurant Earnings Analysis, Bars/Lounges/Night Clubs.

Profile

Functional Overview: restaurant subject matter expert, focusing on operations, managerial finance, and strategy topics. Deep knowledge of US restaurant brands. Sub-specialties: restaurant franchising standards and practices, restaurant management disciplines, systems and
practices, store level earnings and economics, restaurant SEC earnings disclosure standards.

Typical Project Focus: Deep dive restaurant analytical reviews. Investor support, sell-side analyst, and buy-side analyst engagements. Management consulting firm project support. Litigation consulting via expert research, consulting, and testimonial engagements. Restaurant brand research and complex restaurant topics investigations. Brand strategy, operations, and management benchmarking. Restaurant franchise standards and practices assessment. Includes strategy consulting firm restaurant subject matter expert support, sell-side restaurant equities team research investigations, litigation consulting, restaurant equities fundamentals analysis, franchise agreements and disclosure, revenue and expense optimization, capital expenditure analysis, M&A due diligence, special projects, economic and business feasibility studies, new business startup, marketing enhancement, real estate, and site selection, corporate management systems assessment and improvement; organizational transformation advisory.

Typical Clients: investors, chain restaurant operators, management consulting firms, sell-side investment banking research team, attorneys, franchisee associations, franchisees, hedge funds, franchisors, and government agencies.

Subject Matter Expertise: Six years of progressively complex restaurant management field operations roles, eighteen years of corporate staff experience in progressively more complex financial management roles, and twenty years of restaurant industry management consulting via my founded restaurant analytical consultancy. Common project elements:
• Restaurant segments: quick-service restaurants (QSR), fast-casual, casual dining restaurants, and fine dining. Predominantly chain restaurant focus but includes non-public smaller and independent restaurant operations consulting and advisory.
• Analytical fields: strategy assessment. operations analysis, managerial finance topics such as earnings forecasting, planning, operational and capital budgeting, financial, and operational reporting. Operations, Financial Management, Franchising, Marketing, Real Estate, and Site Selection, Human Resources, Information Technology disciplines.
• Expert research, consulting, and testimonial litigation support.
• Operational and management practices and systems assessment, improvement, and implementation.
• Restaurant, hospitality, and foodservice sector organization management structure, systems, and procedures development. Balanced scorecard metrics and benchmarking.
• Business purchase due diligence and business plan creation.
• Operational analysis, revenue enhancement, and cost containment.
• New market development, site selection, and real estate analysis; marketing, information technology, human resources topics, corporate organization assessment.
• Management and business process improvement.

Topical Overview, Representative Consulting Project Engagements:
• Restaurant Strategy, Operations, and Financial Management topics expert for investment banking firm sell-side restaurant analysis team.
• Restaurant Business Subject Matter Expert for an international strategy consulting firm focusing on restaurant strategy, franchising, operations, and financial management improvement projects (many engagements).
• Restaurant Operations, Strategy Financial Management, and Corporate Governance Advisor for 250 unit multi-brand restaurant corporation to effect better organization, margins, and planning.
• Expert Consultant and Expert Witness detailed restaurant business and economics analysis, major deep-dive research project actions. New business proformas, earnings workout situations, SEC earnings (10b5 matters), franchise standards of practice, financial management, and earnings forecasting projects, wage and hour expert actions, among others. Many engagements.
• Restaurant Marketing, Menu, Sales, and Earnings Forecasting and Analysis centered on publicly traded restaurant companies. Many engagements.
• Organizational, cost, CAPEX, and business feasibility assessments for many restaurant sector clients. G&A organization assessments; new market buildout assessments.
• Research: identification of econometric factors by the market to create unit growth model, by major market, major QSR operator client. Many engagements.
• Management Systems assessment, conceptualization, planning, and implementation for retail/hospitality sector client, via a two-year-long project. Many engagements.
• Business Assessment and Profit Improvement Plan creation for service sector (restaurant and retail sector clients, numerous). Focused on operations, franchise standards of care, financial management, marketing, concept design, and human resources issues.
• New Business Start-Up planning, business plan analysis, review, counseling. Many engagements.
• Operational Reporting: assessment of operators' financial and operational systems, creation and refinement of revenue, expense, and other balance scorecard like metrics, data collection means created, worked into the financial reporting process. Years of
employment and project experience.
• Reimplementation of Standard food and labor cost system: baselining and assessment of the current system, operational gap analysis and assessment, creation of new system standards, selection of new platform, project management, creation of inputs, creation of
cost standards, system documentation, training and creation of user guides, travel and implementation to field operators, cost reporting and analysis, system maintenance, continued testing, sampling, and refreshment, for clients and employer, $400 million national chain restaurant operator. Years of employment and project experience.
• Business Intelligence projects for investors and several chain restaurant operators. Many engagements.

Detail of Representative Project Engagement Experience

• Engagements: Support of International Strategy Management Consulting Firm as restaurant subject matter expert; strategy, operations, and financial management focus, multiple engagements, ongoing.
• Engagements: Support of Investment Banking Firm, Restaurant Equity Analysis Team support; strategy, operations, and financial management focus, ongoing.
• Many engagements: Restaurant store-level revenue and operating expense analysis for cost containment, revenue improvement and proforma planning, and more.
• Several engagements: Chain Restaurant Securities and Exchange Commission (10b5) Related Earnings Disclosure Securities Action, Expert Support: chain restaurant federal securities matter (earnings disclosure) item. Provided company and relevant peer
research, intelligence, and analysis.
• Many engagements: Chain Restaurant Franchise Matters, Expert Litigation Support: Multiple Federal and State actions. Provided company and relevant sector operations, management, supply chain, financial management research, intelligence, and analysis.
• Many engagements: provide restaurant store economics, strategy, G&A organization, and earnings analysis for chain restaurant operators, hedge firms, and private equity investors.
• Several engagements: menu analysis, chain restaurant menu labeling issue: provided declaration and deposition, and relevant company intelligence, analysis, and research on the restaurant menu and sales, product mix, and financial returns topics.
• Several engagements: Franchisee Association support: provide research and analysis of financial matters to QSR sector franchisee associations, ongoing.
• Several engagements: restaurant site selection, real estate issues.
• Several engagements: financial analysis relative to restaurant partnership disputes.
• Several engagements: restaurant wage and hour, FLSA issues.

Areas Served

All States

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Professional Experience

Employment Summary:

• Principal, Pacific Management Consulting Group, 2003 to present
Management Consulting Group, 100% focused upon restaurants, focus on operational, financial, and management analysis and advisory topics.

• Managing Senior Associate, Economic and Business Analysis Practice, Booz Allen Hamilton, San Diego, CA, 2000 to 2002
Worldwide premier Management and Technology Consulting firm, Economic Analysis Group.

• Director of Finance (1996-2000), and earlier, Manager of Financial Analysis (1989-1995) Navy MWR (Hospitality) Program, Washington DC.
$700M international restaurant, hospitality and services operator, franchisor, and franchisee.

• Earlier: Cost/Financial Analyst, T, Ponderosa, INC, NYSE listed family steakhouse brand (1980-1989)

• Earlier: Multi-Unit Supervisor, General Manager, Hardee's (QSR Burger Sector) 1978-1980.

Legal Experience & Services

Litigation Support Project Experience: Twelve federal and state actions. Testimony and deposition. Representative matters:

• Engagement One: Chain Restaurant PSLRA Securities Action: chain restaurant federal securities matter (PSLRA) item. Provided company and relevant peer research, intelligence and analysis, input to complaints and answer, etc. Federal 2nd and 6th Circuit matter. 12-month engagement.

• Engagement Two: Chain Restaurant Franchisee v. Franchisor Action: Multiple Federal and State actions. Provided company and relevant sector operations, management, supply chain, financial management research, intelligence and analysis, input to complaints, answers, and pleadings. 18-month engagement, ending November 2009. Ongoing, 2010.

• Engagement Three: Chain Restaurant Menu Labeling Action: provided declaration and deposition, and relevant company intelligence, analysis and research on restaurant menu and sales, product mix and financial returns topics. Ongoing, 2010.

• Engagement Four: Chain Restaurant PSLRA Securities Action: Chain Restaurant Federal securities action, for plaintiffs. Provided company and sector research, intelligence and analysis, input to complaints and answer, etc. Ongoing, 2010.

Affiliations

National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts; National Restaurant Association (2022). Prior: Associate Member; Board Member, San Diego Food and Beverage Association, 2005-2021.

Qualifications

Extensive business and professional background. University degree and continuing studies.
Master Analyst, Financial Forensics, National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA), 2012.

Publications

Articles published via Restaurant Research, Restaurant Finance Monitor, Franchise Valuations restaurant space professional journals, among others. Widely quoted in the business press: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, National Public Radio, Nations Restaurant News and many others.

Professional References

Contact Principal for client and professional references.

Education

BS, Business, Indiana University, 1982.