8 April 2026 6 min readBy Alex Garner, Founder of Profit Clinic
Cost pressure in UK hospitality is not evenly distributed, and neither is your ability to influence it. Sorting costs into what you control, what you can renegotiate and what you can only price for makes the response far more effective.
What you control
Portion sizes, specs, waste, rota placement, over-ordering and the gap between theoretical and achieved margin are all internal. They are also where the fastest wins live, because no third party has to agree to anything.
What you can renegotiate
Supplier prices, energy contracts, card processing rates, waste collection, laundry and maintenance agreements are all negotiable, especially with volume evidence and a credible alternative quote.
What you can only price for
Wage floors, employer costs, business rates and duty are given. The only sensible response is a deliberate pricing decision, taken line by line with an understanding of which items can absorb it.
Blanket percentage increases across a whole menu are the least effective approach; they push up the visible price of the items guests use to judge value.
The order that works
Fix internal margin leakage first, renegotiate second, price third. Doing it in the reverse order means raising prices to fund waste, which guests notice and competitors exploit.
The takeaway
You cannot control every cost, but you can control the order in which you respond. Internal leakage, then contracts, then pricing.
Profit Clinic helps established hospitality businesses understand where profit is being lost and what they can do about it. We examine the numbers, the operation and the market, then turn the findings into practical, prioritised recommendations. Our primary paid service is the 30 day Commercial Review, examining profitability across the whole business. A focused Guest Experience Review or standalone project is also available when a particular area needs attention.
Who we work with
We work with established independent and boutique hotels, pubs and inns, restaurants, small and multi-site hospitality groups, caravan sites and holiday parks across the UK. The work is designed for owners and management teams with trading history and enough financial information to assess meaningful opportunities, rather than early-stage start-ups.
The problems we help solve
A busy venue can still struggle with weak margins, rising labour and supplier costs, inconsistent pricing, missed sales and unreliable reporting. Service gaps can also undermine the guest experience and repeat business. We look for the causes behind those symptoms, so you can distinguish urgent changes from longer-term improvements and make decisions based on evidence rather than guesswork.
What the 30 day Commercial Review includes
The review covers pricing, menus, revenue, labour, cost of sales, suppliers, purchasing and overheads. It combines on-site observation, management interviews, process review, a mystery shop, customer journey assessment and competitor benchmarking. We also examine your market position, local pricing and digital presence.
You receive a Commercial Growth Blueprint: an executive summary, quick wins, a 90-day action plan and a 12-month roadmap. Recommendations carry an estimated financial impact, priority, difficulty, implementation cost, expected return and timeline. The blueprint is yours to implement with your team or with our support; further work is optional.
Alex spent the last decade running, operating and improving pubs, restaurants and hotels. He founded Profit Clinic to give independent operators the commercial attention that larger groups receive from dedicated departments. The wider Profit Clinic team brings over 25 years of hospitality experience. That distinction matters: Alex's personal operating experience is supported by the team's broader industry knowledge.
How to work with us
Start with a free, no-obligation Profit Discovery: an initial business review, three commercial observations, an estimated opportunity value and a short review meeting. Discovery helps establish whether our core paid service, the Commercial Review, is right for your business. Or contact Alex directly about a focused Guest Experience Review or specific piece of work. Tell us your business type, number of venues and what you want to improve; we discuss the scope and agree a written quotation before you commit. Every engagement is treated in confidence.
