Aaron Bludorn is a Houston-based chef and restaurateur behind Bludorn, Navy Blue, Bar Bludorn, and Perseid at Hotel Saint Augustine. After training under chefs Douglas Keane and Daniel Boulud and leading Café Boulud in Manhattan, Bludorn relocated to Texas in 2020 and has since built a multi-concept group grounded in discipline, transparency, and team development. In this episode, he breaks down how to protect margin without compromising hospitality, why menu engineering should drive design decisions from the start, and why sustainable leadership begins with letting go of ego and building systems that support long-term growth.

Takeaways

• You cannot raise prices at the same pace costs are rising
• Efficiency must improve before guests feel the pinch
• Cut tedious labor, not flavor or hospitality
• Start every new restaurant with the food and work backward
• Design decisions should support sales, not inflate ego
• Menu engineering protects both margin and identity
• Use ingredients across dishes to maximize labor efficiency and product usage
• Buy everyday items in bulk to protect cash flow
• Consolidate vendors to strengthen purchasing power
• Transparency around labor and food cost creates stronger managers
• Real-time reporting prevents end-of-month surprises
• Pay slightly above the industry standard to retain strong teams
• Push leaders to take two days off in a row
• Retention improves when managers treat the restaurant like owners
• Scaling too quickly at the corporate level can strain the group
• Delegation requires trust, clarity, and letting go

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