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Derek Johnson
MANAGER — RESTAURANT PRACTICE
Derek is a Manager at KROST in our Restaurant Practice. He has over 18 years of operational and leadership experience with a variety of restaurant concepts. When Derek was a General Manager of a pan-Asian restaurant, he helped implement financial reporting including P&L analysis and financial accountability; created operational systems that drove profit and growth, which helped the business expand from two to three locations. Derek then lead a high-volume concept that specialized in seasonal Mexican cuisine. In the first year, he grew sales by 15%; developed a safety program that reduced workplace injuries by 50% over the prior year; and lowered operating costs while increasing sales by creating schedule templates, negotiating fixed pricing for product purchases, developing costed recipes, and increasing overall operational efficiency.
As General Manager of a high-end chef-driven seafood restaurant, Derek negotiated with vendors to get the freshest products available; drove a marketing program based on community outreach, developed a wine program that complemented the menu and increased profitability, and developed a repair and maintenance program that reduced R&M costs by 30%.
Derek prides himself in keeping his finger on the pulse of the latest restaurant technology available and spends time networking with the community and attending educational seminars to learn and share ideas and insights. His passion for restaurant leadership began at an early age and continues to grow to this day.
In his free time, Derek enjoys surfing, playing golf, traveling, and of course, eating amazing food and experiencing Los Angeles’ incredible restaurant scene.
Derek's Thought Leadership

Minimum Wage Increase – July 2022
June 29, 2022Beginning July 1st, we have local minimum wage increases taking effect in many of the cities that you operate in. In the cities of Santa Monica, Malibu, and unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, minimum wage is increasing from $15.00 to $15.96. In the City of Los Angeles, the new minimum wage will increase to Read the full article…

Register for our Complimentary Webinar – Pro Forma – Projecting the Financial Future of Your Restaurant
May 23, 2022Join us for our upcoming webinar Pro Forma – Projecting the Financial Future of Your Restaurant on Tuesday, June 21st at 10AM PST. During this session, industry expert, Derek Johnson, will discuss the current success rate of restaurants and the primary reasons they don’t succeed. In addition, we will review how proper planning and realistic Read the full article…

Register for our Complimentary Webinar – 2022 Restaurant Budgeting & Projections: Impact of the Pandemic on Your Bottom Line
February 16, 2022Join us for our upcoming webinar 2022 Restaurant Budgeting & Projections: Impact of the Pandemic on Your Bottom Line on Tuesday, March 8th at 10AM PST. During this session, industry expert, Derek Johnson, will discuss the significance of budgeting and projections, how setting attainable goals will influence your bottom line, while also highlighting the impacts Read the full article…

Register for our Complimentary Webinar – The Restaurant Revitalization Fund
April 13, 2021Jean Hagan (Principal, Restaurant / Business Management) and Paren Knadjian (Practice Leader, M&A and Capital Markets) are hosting a complimentary webinar on The Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Join us for the details of the new Restaurant Revitalization Fund including eligibility, use of funds, calculation of funding amounts, how to apply and what documentation is required. The Read the full article…

Restaurant Site Audit – Post-COVID Operations
February 18, 2021In 2020, the Restaurant Industry was projected to do $899 billion in sales. That expectation has since been adjusted down to $659 billion in sales, a $240 billion hit to the industry as a result of the pandemic. Every operator has felt the effects of the pandemic, and the most motivated, wasted no time pivoting Read the full article…

The COVID-19 Vaccine: Positioning Your Restaurant for a Successful 2021
January 5, 2021With 2020 in the history books, many restauranteurs are looking at similar uncertainties in 2021 that the industry has been hurdling for the last nine months. Information is flying at us at near lightspeed, and it is easy to lose sight of the opportunities that lie within the voluminous pages of new legislation. However, one Read the full article…

KROST Restaurant Seminar: Protecting Your Business
February 17, 2020KROST is hosting a dynamic restaurant seminar, Restaurant Management: Protecting Your Business, on March 2nd, 2020 from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM with guest speakers Corbin Wade of Hub International and Jesse Caryl of BCK Legal. The seminar will be followed by a cocktail reception sponsored by Hub International and BCK Legal from 4:00 PM Read the full article…

How Managing Food Waste Can Impact Your Profitability and the World Around You
December 19, 2019Every day, restaurants around the country throw away thousands and thousands of pounds of food.1 Leftovers from guest plates, scraps from prepped items, leftover rice, potatoes, bread rolls, soups and a myriad of other items are routinely discarded in surprising bulk at the end of each shift. There are many inherent benefits to controlling food Read the full article…