The Proven 5-Pillar Framework to Increase Margins, Build a Stronger Team, and Grow Without Constant Crisis Mode
With 40+ years of combined experience building, scaling, and exiting restaurants, we’ll help you install the exact systems, tools, and coaching you need to stabilize operations, improve profitability, and lead with confidence.
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Years in Hospitality
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Successful Brands Created
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Restaurant Units Developed
Why Craft & Counsel Exists
Running a restaurant isn't just hard work—it’s chaos.
Long hours, shrinking margins, constant staff issues... even when sales look good, it feels like you're always one problem away from disaster.
We know, because we’ve been there.
For decades we lived the same cycle: firefighting every day, patching broken systems, and feeling like the restaurant was running us instead of the other way around.
That’s why we built Craft & Counsel—to give owners a clear, repeatable framework that turns crisis-driven operations into sustainable, profitable growth.
Here’s Why Most Restaurants Struggle… And How to Fix It
The truth is, most restaurants don’t fail because the owners lack passion or work ethic.
They fail because they get stuck in survival mode — reacting to problems instead of running the business with clarity.
It’s the same 5-Pillar Framework we used to build, scale, and exit multiple restaurant concepts—responsible for generating over $30 million in revenue across 50+ units.
And here’s what that means for you:
Meet Vaughan & Angela, Founders of
Craft & Counsel
Meet Vaughan
The visionary operator. From concept creation to multi-unit expansion, he’s led restaurants from idea to multi-million-dollar exits — always keeping culture and profitability at the center.
Meet Angela
The systems architect. From Disney to Dubai, she’s built training programs, HR frameworks, and operational tools that transform chaos into clockwork.
Our story didn’t start with investors or silver spoons — it started at the bottom.
Angela was serving tables. Vaughan was washing dishes. We learned this business the way most operators do: from the ground floor, grinding day after day.
Fast forward through decades of wins, losses, and lessons, and together we’ve:
- Scaled Pizza Fusion from a single 880-square-foot unit to 50 locations in 13 states and 3 countries, pioneering sustainable farm-to-table before it was cool.
- Built Kapow Noodle Bar, which grew from 1,500 square feet to three South Florida locations generating over $23 million in annual revenue.
- Developed multiple successful concepts including El Segundo, Penelope, and Shaker & Pie — each designed to thrive with strong culture, systems, and scalable operations.
- Launched and exited additional ventures across B2B, B2C, and hospitality, giving us a unique perspective on growth, culture, and profitability.
We’ve been exactly where you are — starting small, juggling staff turnover, dealing with razor-thin margins, and wondering how to scale without losing control.
We also know what it takes to come out the other side with confidence.
After 20 years of “overnight success,” we exited the day-to-day grind and launched Craft & Counsel to help other restaurant owners achieve the same freedom.
Today, we balance family life in North Carolina with our mission to help restaurant owners build businesses that create freedom, stability, and lasting success.