A study in radical hospitality
Dinner Theory is a consultancy and philosophy dedicated to empathy and culture. We help founders, operators, and visionaries build restaurants, bars, and gathering places that are financially sound, beautifully designed, and deeply connected to their people and place.
With over a decade of experience in hospitality leadership, we partner with chefs, restaurateurs and operators to build standout food and beverage concepts.
Our team brings together a spectrum of expertise through a cultivated network of purveyors and architects to niche manufacturers and cultural practitioners. This convergence of disciplines enables us to approach hospitality as a living system — where every collaborator strengthens the whole and every outcome is greater than the sum of its parts.
Site Analysis
Grounding ideas in the realities of place, people, and potential.
Financial Strategy
Clear modeling ensuring stability, security and scalability.
Design Development
Shaping spaces and guest journeys that feel alive, intentional, and enduring.
Menu Creation
From menus to operations, food and beverage as both craft and business.
HR Frameworking
Building teams and systems that thrive sustainably.
Growth Planning
Guiding through the complexities of expansion, ensuring growth is true to core philosophy.
OMBRA
A ground up project focused around wine and small bites from northern Italy.
Provided financial analysis for prospective locations leading to the purchase of a property based on projected business volume and sales targets.
Advised both client and architects on spatial allocation and working demands of the property
Developed staffing models that provide flexibility and coverage
MOCKLY
A New Orleans Mocktail as important as a New Orleans Cocktail.
Consulted on new product development positioned to grow market share
Developed recipes based on core offerings to drive social media engagement
Partnered with media teams to produce photo and video content for marketing
CHOW YUM PHAT
A successful food stall with big picture ambitions.
Collaborated throughout site selection and buildout
Advised on design and spatial allocation
Developed operational policies while assembling an operations team to execute the vision
Menu development
Built a path to franchising
Previous experience also includes Herbsaint, Coquette, Sucre, and more.
ABOUT OUR COHORT
Spearheaded by Kyle McKinley, the consultants and collaborators within the Dinner Theory network are specialized in the practice of many disciplines across hospitality frameworks including finance, design, operations, and human resources.
