Experience, Judgment, and Practical Advisory for Food & Hospitality Businesses

U.S. Restaurant Consultants is an advisory firm built for owners, operators, and leadership teams navigating complex food and hospitality environments. Our work focuses on aligning strategy, operations, systems, and execution so businesses can perform consistently and sustainably.

We don’t sell templates or one-size solutions. We bring perspective earned through decades of hands-on experience — and apply it where it matters most.

Restaurants and food businesses rarely struggle for a single reason. Performance breaks down when decisions are made in isolation — when operations, labor, menu design, packaging, delivery, technology, and leadership are misaligned.

Our role is to help clients see the full system, make better decisions earlier, and build structures that hold up under real-world pressure.

U.S. Restaurant Consultants was founded by Eric Faber, whose career in foodservice began long before consulting became a profession.

Eric grew up in the foodservice industry. His stepfather was an early pioneer in foodservice disposables — among the first to manufacture plastic cutlery and straws in the 1950s — helping launch what would become the modern foodservice disposables market and supplying early national brands, including McDonald’s.

From a young age, Eric was immersed in manufacturing ventures focused on plastic cups, containers, and foodservice packaging. That early exposure laid the foundation for a career that bridges operations, manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and brand strategy — a perspective that continues to shape the firm’s advisory approach today.

Over the course of more than 35 years, Eric has worked across restaurants, mobile food, packaging, and delivery systems. 

In addition to founding U.S. Restaurant Consultants, Eric also founded Packaging Resources, a packaging advisory and sourcing firm, and U.S. Delivery Consultants, a delivery systems advisory focused on off-premise economics and last-mile strategy. Together, these sister firms provide a rare, end-to-end perspective across the physical and operational systems that underpin modern foodservice businesses.

Eric’s restaurant career formally began at age 16 and accelerated during his formative years with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago. He later founded U.S. Restaurant Consultants, now recognized as one of the nation’s leading advisory firms serving independent operators, multi-unit groups, and global brands.

He has also served on the Consulting Board of the California Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association, contributing industry perspective on operations, supply chain, and evolving business models.

Eric is also the author of four industry-focused books that document decades of hands-on experience across restaurant operations, mobile food, packaging strategy, and off-premise systems.

This unique combination of operational execution, systems thinking, and published frameworks informs how U.S. Restaurant Consultants approaches every engagement — with both depth and discipline.

This depth of experience — spanning the factory floor, the kitchen, the delivery network, and the executive table — is foundational to how U.S. Restaurant Consultants approaches advisory work today.

Today, U.S. Restaurant Consultants operates as a multi-disciplinary advisory practice, bringing together experience across hospitality operations, packaging, delivery systems, technology, and organizational design.

Our work commonly centers on:

• Concept and positioning strategy
• Operational and financial alignment
• Systems integration across people, process, and technology
• Supply chain, packaging, and delivery strategy
• Leadership clarity and execution discipline

We focus on helping businesses make decisions that endure — not chasing trends or quick fixes.

Collectively, our extended advisory team represents hundreds of years of combined experience across foodservice, hospitality, packaging, logistics, and operations.

Our advisors have worked with:

• Independent operators and first-time founders
• Multi-unit and franchise organizations
• National and global brands
• Manufacturers and suppliers
• Investors and development groups

This breadth allows us to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities that are often missed when challenges are viewed too narrowly.

Over the course of his career, Eric and the broader advisory team have worked with many of the most respected names in hospitality, including:

Applebee’s • Buffalo Wild Wings • Capital Grille • Carl’s Jr. • Chipotle • Cipriani • Compass Group • California Pizza Kitchen • Cracker Barrel • CUT by Wolfgang Puck • Darden • Fleming’s • Four Seasons Dining • Jamba Juice • José Andrés Group • KFC • Lettuce Entertain You • Mastro’s • McDonald’s • MGM Resorts • Morton’s • Nobu • Ocean Prime • Olive Garden • Outback Steakhouse • Panda Express • Panera Bread • PF Chang’s • Red Robin • RBI • Ruth’s Chris • Starbucks • Taco Bell • Texas Roadhouse • The Cheesecake Factory • Waffle House • Wendy’s • Yum Brands • Zuma

…along with dozens of other premier, emerging, and chef-driven concepts worldwide.

We work best with owners and leadership teams who value clarity, discipline, and execution.

This includes:

• Founders launching new restaurant or mobile food concepts
• Multi-unit operators seeking scalable systems
• Distressed operations requiring stabilization and recovery
• Investors evaluating operational risk and execution feasibility

If you are looking for shortcuts or surface-level advice, we are likely not the right fit.

If you want thoughtful, grounded guidance — we should talk.

Engagements typically begin with a discovery conversation focused on understanding your goals, constraints, and challenges. From there, we define an advisory approach aligned with what will create the greatest impact.

Our work may involve:

• Diagnostic assessment and analysis
• Strategic decision support
• Operational and systems alignment
• Ongoing advisory collaboration

The scope and depth of work are shaped by the realities of each situation — not predefined packages.

We approach every engagement with independence, objectivity, and respect for the people doing the work every day.

We don’t replace leadership, manage vendors, or chase activity for its own sake.

We help clients make better decisions — and support execution where it matters.

If you’re navigating growth, complexity, or change — and want advisory support grounded in real-world experience — we should talk.