Prepared Exclusively for Suzu Hospitality LLC · by That’s Good Hospitality LLC
Executive Assessment
The culinary foundation at Suzu is exceptional. Chef Makoto Okuwa and the kitchen team represent a genuine market differentiator — the level of talent assembled is rarely seen at a first Midwest opening. That asset is real and it is ready.
Everything around it is not. As of June 24, the front-of-house operation does not exist. Not a single FOH team member has been hired. No GM, no AGM, no servers, no hosts. The training program is unbuilt. Core systems — reservations, POS configuration, guest management — are incomplete. Insurance gaps represent active legal exposure. The financial model is two years out of date.
A September 1 soft open is achievable. The analysis below maps each identified gap directly to the phase and deliverable in the TGH scope of work designed to close it — so ownership can see both the problem and the path forward in a single view.
Culinary Team
Strong
No gaps identified
FOH Staffing
0%
Zero hires made
Systems & Tech
Partial
POS decided, rest incomplete
Insurance
Critical
GL and property: none
Zero FOH hires have been made. No GM, no AGM, no servers, bartenders, hosts, or support staff. With a September 1 target, the hiring window opens immediately — and in a thin market like Cincinnati, it cannot be passive.
CriticalNot a single FOH role has been filled. No pipeline, no headcount target, no org chart.
CriticalNo staffing plan exists. No labor cost model, no wage grid, no role count by meal period.
CriticalCincinnati is a thin hospitality labor market. Fine dining–caliber FOH talent requires active national outreach, not posting and waiting.
OpenTip structure undecided — traditional vs. service charge for omakase. Affects POS build, recruitment messaging, and staff expectations from day one.
OpenIndeed postings paused. Paycor ATS in place but no candidate pipeline behind it.
DeliverableStaffing Plan — full headcount model by role, shift, and meal period. Wage grid and labor cost projections built for dinner-only launch with omakase and lunch phases mapped.
DeliverableJob Descriptions & AORs — written JDs for all FOH roles aligned to Paycor ATS, with Areas of Responsibility defined by department.
DeliverableGM Search Coordination — profile definition, recruiter briefing, and active outreach to TGH's national network for candidates willing to relocate to Cincinnati.
On SiteFOH Hiring Events (Aug 3–16) — open call events, structured interviews, candidate scoring, offers, and onboarding initiation. All FOH roles filled before orientation begins.
DeliverableTip Distribution Protocol — cash and credit tip structure, service charge recommendation for omakase, Ohio wage law compliance. Integrated with Toast and Paycor.
Week 1–4Hiring materials, open call format, and interview frameworks built remotely before on-site arrival.
The 6-module training program referenced in the original deck was acknowledged by ownership as aspirational and not usable. A complete FOH training program must be built from scratch — and built to last, given the expansion vision.
CriticalNo cycle of service. No written standards for how a guest moves through the dining room, is greeted, served, and farewelled.
CriticalNo menu knowledge program. Sake pairings, omakase course sequencing, and Japanese dining culture literacy require structured development — not improvisation.
CriticalNo manager training framework. Pre-shift structure, floor management during service, communication standards, and escalation protocols are undocumented.
GapNo POS training materials. Toast is selected but not live. Table maps, menu builds, and training content must be complete before team training can begin.
DeliverableFOH Training Curriculum — full multi-day program for servers, bartenders, hosts, and runners. Hospitality philosophy, sequence of service, menu knowledge, Japanese dining culture, guest recovery, and communication standards.
DeliverableCycle of Service — step-by-step service standard from reservation to farewell, tailored to the Suzu experience and Chef Makoto's culinary vision. Includes omakase protocol.
DeliverableManager Training Module — leadership standards, pre-shift format, daily operating cadence, labor management, and escalation process.
On SiteOrientation & Training (Aug 17–31) — live delivery of all training modules: classroom sessions, service drills, POS training, mock service, and real-time coaching through opening.
Week 1–4Training program built remotely during the foundation phase. Ready to deliver on-site from day one of orientation.
POS has been selected. Everything else — reservations, guest management, music licensing, and the website — is incomplete or not started. These systems need to be live well before opening night, not on it.
CriticalOpenTable and Resy not live. No reservations can be accepted for the main dining room or the omakase experience.
CriticalWebsite phone number is a fake NYC placeholder (+1 212-555-1212) — currently live. Any guest who finds Suzu online and calls reaches a dead line.
CriticalNo commercial music license. Chef Makoto's personal Spotify playlist is not legally permissible in a commercial venue. ASCAP/BMI must be secured before opening.
GapSevenRooms CRM not configured. Guest profiles, reservation feed integration, and tagging protocol need to be built correctly from day one — retrofitting post-open is far more difficult.
GapToast management structure undecided. Self-managed vs. CMIT-managed determines who handles after-hours support calls.
In ProgressWebsite transitioning to Columbus PR team July 1. Site being reduced to a landing page — the right call given multiple missed open dates.
DeliverableToast POS Configuration — menu build, floor plan, tip distribution, reporting structure, manager access levels, and staff training protocol.
DeliverableReservation System Launch — OpenTable live for main dining; Resy for Suzune omakase including prepaid deposit flow, cancellation policy, and seating strategy.
DeliverableSevenRooms CRM Setup — guest profile configuration, reservation feed integration, tagging protocol, and team training on guest recognition.
DeliverableVendor Contract Matrix — includes music licensing (ASCAP/BMI), waste, linen, pest control, fire suppression, and 20+ additional vendor relationships with recommended terms and sign-off status.
Week 1–4Systems setup initiated remotely during the foundation phase. Reservation platforms live before on-site arrival.
Week 5On-Site Alignment (Jul 28–Aug 2) — all systems audited in person and refined against real conditions on the ground.
The foundational compliance layer — entity, EIN, payroll — is solid. What sits above it is not. Active insurance gaps, an expired financial model, and no operating budget are the most immediate risk items in this entire assessment.
CriticalGeneral liability insurance: none. Every shift that runs without GL coverage is unprotected exposure.
CriticalProperty insurance: none. The build-out represents millions in capital investment with no coverage in place.
CriticalBuilders risk expires August 15 — already extended once. Must be extended again immediately before it lapses against an August 1 TCO target.
CriticalNo cash management plan. No safe, no handling procedure, no accountability structure. Cash tip slippage that starts in week one becomes a culture problem.
CriticalPro forma is two years old and not menu-based. No current staffing model, no current cost structure.
CriticalNo operating budget. No pre-opening cost model or post-opening P&L tied to actual pricing, covers, and labor targets.
SolidLegal entity, EIN, bank account, Paycor payroll, and workers' comp all in place.
DeliverablePre-Opening Budget — itemized pre-opening operating budget covering staffing, food and training costs, smallwares, consultant fees, and contingency. Separate from the construction budget.
DeliverableVendor Contract Matrix — includes insurance broker coordination, builders risk extension, and all pre-opening compliance vendor relationships with sign-off status tracking.
DeliverableCritical Path — insurance gaps, builders risk extension deadline, and health department clearance tracked as hard milestones. Updated weekly from engagement start.
Week 1–4Financial gap audit, insurance coordination, and budget build initiated in the first week of remote engagement — not deferred to on-site arrival.
NoteInsurance gaps require action now — independent of when this engagement formally begins. This is a this-week item, not a Week 1 item.
Construction permitting, liquor license, and AV are done. The millwork critical path and owner-supplied items matrix are the two variables that determine whether August 1 TCO is achievable.
CriticalMillwork is the critical path. Sourced from Asia, in customs. Some pieces arrived wrong dimensions. Designer friction around field modifications has already begun. This is the single biggest risk to August 1 TCO.
OpenKitchen equipment mostly in — Singer returns Thursday to complete final pieces. Health department clearance not yet scheduled.
PendingFF&E (tables, chairs) boxed in hotel basement. Install is downstream of millwork completion.
WatchOwner-supplied items matrix does not exist. Team is still discovering what the prior operator committed to and never ordered.
WatchOmakase room opening likely staggered. Must be planned for — not stumbled into on opening night.
DonePermitting, liquor license, ADA, engineering, and AV complete.
DeliverableCritical Path — millwork delivery, FF&E install, health department clearance, and punch list completion tracked as milestones against the August 1 TCO date and September 1 soft open target.
DeliverableVendor Contract Matrix — owner-supplied items matrix built during foundation phase to surface any remaining gaps before they become last-minute emergencies.
Week 5On-Site Alignment (Jul 28–Aug 2) — physical space audited in person. Punch list reviewed with construction team. Omakase stagger plan confirmed with ownership and culinary team.
Weeks 8–9Orientation & Training (Aug 17–31) — punch list coordination with construction runs concurrently with FOH training. Health department readiness confirmed before soft open.
The cocktail program is in capable hands. Sake, Japanese whiskey, and wine — the programs that define Suzu's beverage identity and justify its price point — have no confirmed owners or timelines.
ConfirmedCocktail program: Unfiltered engaged, 10-cocktail menu scope.
CriticalNo sake program. For a Japanese concept of this caliber, sake is not supplementary — it is central to the experience and to revenue per cover.
CriticalNo Japanese whiskey selection. An omakase without a curated spirits offering is an incomplete concept at this price point.
WatchChef Makoto has beverage contacts for sake and wine — team only learned of them the day before our visit. Availability and scope unconfirmed.
WatchWine storage unresolved. Centralized cave facility discussed across campus but not decided.
Week 1–4Beverage Program Coordination — TGH coordinates Chef Makoto's beverage contacts (sake, wine, Japanese whiskey) alongside Unfiltered (cocktails) to confirm scope, timeline, and deliverables for each. The beverage lane stays with Chef Makoto's network; TGH ensures it gets across the finish line.
DeliverableOpening Playbook — beverage program standards, by-the-glass and bottle list protocols, sake pairing guides, and staff training materials for menu knowledge included as a core chapter.
DeliverableFOH Training Curriculum — menu knowledge module includes beverage training: sake styles, Japanese whiskey, cocktail descriptions, and pairing language for the omakase experience.
Week 5On-Site Alignment (Jul 28–Aug 2) — beverage vendor status confirmed in person. Wine storage solution reviewed with ownership. All program components mapped against training timeline.
Jun 29 – Jul 27
Foundation & Build — Remote
Critical path built. Staffing plan, JDs, hiring materials, training program framework, systems initiated, reservation platforms live, vendor matrix underway.
Jul 28 – Aug 16
Alignment + Hiring — On Site
On-site audit and refinement. Open call events. FOH fully hired. Manager training complete. All roles filled before orientation begins.
Aug 17 – Sep 22
Training → Open → Stabilize
Full team orientation and training. September 1 soft open. Two weeks post-open stabilization and GM handoff. Completion milestone sign-off.
Bottom Line
Suzu has what most openings don't — a world-class culinary team and an ownership group that wants to do this right. Every gap identified in this assessment has a direct response in the TGH scope of work. The engagement is designed to close these gaps in sequence, on time, and with the systems in place to support not just this opening but the next one after it.