Veteran restaurateurs are rethinking late nights and labor headaches in favor of scalable concepts with strong economics and livable hours.
In the restaurant industry, long hours and labor headaches have long been considered the cost of doing business. But today’s experienced operators are rethinking that equation. Many are trading the late-night grind for smarter, more sustainable franchise models that offer both profitability and peace of mind.
The Industry Shift: Profitability Meets Lifestyle
In a climate of rising labor costs and staffing shortages, operators are seeking simplified models with more predictability and less burnout. Biscuit Belly, a fast-casual brunch concept based in Louisville, for example, offers a single-shift structure that eliminates night shifts and the layered complexity of traditional foodservice schedules.
“The core of our operational efficiency is the single-shift model,” said Biscuit Belly CEO Chad Coulter. “It makes your staff much smaller and much more manageable. You have a single set of employees there for the entire shift. There’s no shift change and no menu change. The people are here from 7 a.m. to 2 or 3 p.m. It’s very simple.”
This structure streamlines staffing and increases employee satisfaction, particularly for parents, dual-job workers and aspiring leaders seeking more balanced opportunities.
“The schedule our employees generally follow is good for parents who want a daily schedule similar to their children’s school schedules,” Coulter said. “We get a lot of people who work two jobs and love having a daytime gig that they can do for a few hours before going to their second job. There are not a lot of jobs where you can get there at 7 a.m., have a fast-paced, lucrative shift, and be out of there by 2 or 3 p.m.”
From Late Nights to Early Rises: Neesh Patel’s Franchise Transformation
Neesh Patel, a longtime restaurant operator in Charlotte, North Carolina, spent years running a traditional fast-casual restaurant before deciding it was time for a change.
“We came across the Biscuit Belly brand, and obviously with the operating hours, the menu is drastically different than a full-service or — I should say — full-day kind of restaurant,” Patel said. “We saw a lot of good points, and we actually have some partners who were among the first franchisees of the brand. Things had gone very well for them, so we decided to hop on board and take it to the next level in Charlotte.”
His first location launched in a historic Charlotte neighborhood known for its strong brunch culture.
“The good news is we were very, very pleasantly surprised,” he said. “The community embraced us. We’ve been extremely busy with amazing reviews — it has exceeded our expectations by far.”
The model’s simplicity has also been a relief for Patel and his team.
“It’s not like a full-service restaurant where you’re constantly dealing with full-service issues,” he said. “And fast-casual, again, simplifies operations quite a bit.”
Most importantly, the schedule has made a big difference in Patel’s personal life.
“The good thing is, when [the restaurant is closed after lunch] and the doors are locked, your mind can go to rest a lot faster than if you have a typical restaurant, where you have staff in at 9:00 a.m. all the way as late as 11,” he said.
Lessons for Prospective Franchisees
Since opening his first location, Patel has launched a second store just across the South Carolina border — each serving different demographics.
“Both restaurants have done very well,” Patel said. “We’re very fortunate about that.”
Still, he’s careful not to grow too fast.
“Our key is to make sure that we ensure the first two are operating with a good reputation, efficiently and with a good staff because, unfortunately, everyone learns that lesson the hard way,” he said. “If you expand too fast or if you look too far ahead and neglect what you already have, it doesn’t end well.”
For those considering opening a restaurant, Patel encourages thorough research and hands-on experience.
“Visit as many as you can. Every city — between Georgia, the Carolinas, the Virginias and even Alabama — every city and every town’s got a different demographic,” he said. “Invest in pre-opening marketing and educate customers post-opening on what makes your brand unique.”
And when it comes to hiring, shorter operating hours can be a major recruiting advantage.
“The fact that you can tell anyone that’s a veteran of this industry or brand new to the industry, ‘You’re going to be able to go home by 2 or 3 before the sun goes down,’ — that goes such a long way.”
Overall, for seasoned operators ready to trade late nights for early-morning growth, there are several franchise models out there that finally work just as hard — and smart — as they do.