Restaurant and Hospitality Veterans Announce New Venture with HJL Restaurant Advisors Group

LOS ANGELES, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Longtime restaurant and hospitality veterans Jeremiah Higgins, Cobi Jones and Scott Leibfried are joining together to form HJL Restaurant Advisors Group, a new partnership that will counsel new and existing restaurant owners and management on how to improve their business. With 35 years of combined experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, the partners will advise restaurant entrepreneurs with developing restaurant concepts, preparing business plans, achieving operational efficiencies, as well as branding and marketing.

"Opening a restaurant can be one of the more challenging business ventures to undertake," said Higgins, HJL Group operations advisor and partner. "It takes as much passion and commitment as it does the right knowledge, especially of the best tools available. That's where HJL Group comes in. We look forward to sharing our combined knowledge and experience to help restaurants thrive."

Recent projects assisted by the HJL Group team include Marquee, Blush and Savoy in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Santa Monica Seafood Co. HJL Group is also opening a series of its own neighborhood joints throughout Southern California. The team recently successfully opened sports bar On The Side and will open Arch Rock Fish in July 2010, both in Santa Barbara.

Higgins, longtime involved in restaurant management and known for his contribution to the success of several Southern California restaurant hotspots, has opened more than a dozen restaurants. He brings 20 years of experience analyzing business drivers, designing operational systems, building staff, and developing cost-cutting and profit-building initiatives. As the operations advisor for HJL Group, Higgins oversees all aspects that help clients improve their daily operations.

Jones, the recently retired professional soccer player and current assistant coach for the LA Galaxy soccer team, is leadership advisor and partner with HJL Group. He brings valuable leadership and team development skills to HJL Group having served as team captain with the Galaxy and anchoring the team to its first championship in club history. He provides guidance and instruction on how to better lead the restaurant staff and build a cohesive team to optimize efficiencies and create the best possible customer experience. Jones is also partner in the very successful Magnolia restaurants located in Hollywood and downtown at LA Live.

Having served as executive chef at numerous high-profile restaurants, Chef Leibfried brings extensive expertise supervising all kitchen departments, developing menu and leveraging special events. He believes that every detail is important and demands the very best of ingredients. He serves as culinary advisor and partner for HJL, assisting restaurants in sourcing quality ingredients and creating menus that best represent their brand and personality. Leibfried also counsels on vendor selection and contract negotiation and is widely recognized for his regular role on the FOX network's hit shows "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" and roles on the Food Network. He brings his vast culinary expertise and experience working alongside many world-class chefs to the HJL team.

"Whether it's refreshing a menu, sharing and facilitating team building exercises, reviewing budgets or overseeing operational efficiencies, our goal is to help restaurant entrepreneurs and owners establish and grow the most successful business possible," said Leibfried. "We are confident we can continue to bring restaurants to the next level for future clients as well as our own restaurant ventures, including Arch Rock Fish."

To learn more about HJL Restaurant Advisors Group or to contact the team for a consultation, visit www.hjlrestaurantadvisors.com. Online tools to connect with HJL Group and Arch Rock Fish also include Facebook (www.Facebook.com/HJLGroup and www.Facebook.com/ArchRockFish) and Twitter (www.Twitter.com/HJLGroup or www.Twitter.com/ArchRockFish).

About HJL Restaurant Advisors Group

HJL Restaurant Advisors Group is a partnership between restaurant and hospitality veterans Jeremiah Higgins, Cobi Jones and Scott Leibfried. The group assists in creating successful restaurant businesses through concept development, business planning, brand development, team leadership, team building and more. For more information, visit www.hjlrestaurantadvisors.com, www.Facebook.com/HJLGroup or www.Twitter.com/HJLGroup.

SOURCE HJL Restaurant Advisors Group