Aaron D. Allen
Restaurant Consultant, Speaker & Industry Analyst
A third generation restaurateur, Aaron Allen has held every industry position imaginable from line-level employee to unit manager. By age 19, he was running a $10m food and beverage operation at a 625-room resort. By 20, he was overseeing a $4m gulf-front Caribbean-themed restaurant that served over 1,800 covers per day.
Having cut his teeth in operations, Allen eventually transitioned to restaurant-focused marketing. In 2001, he took his great success at the Florida Restaurant Association and founded his own consultancy: Quantified Marketing Group. By 2008, he’d skyrocketed the company to become the world’s largest restaurant consulting firm representing over 4,000 restaurants across five continents. Major clients included esteemed brands such as The Cheesecake Factory, TGIFriday’s, and Dos Equis. Allen and his associates have also consulted for restaurant companies in Mexico and Europe, as well as dozens of emerging regional restaurant brands throughout the world. As a result, Allen has become one of the most sought-after restaurant industry media sources and most-quoted expert in the restaurant industry.
Last year, desiring to get back to the more hands-on approach he practiced when QMG first opened its doors, Allen launched a more intimate company, TAG Hospitality, so he can personally partner with a handful of select clients to troubleshoot issues and use his extensive experience leading comprehensive and complex assignments to act as a catalyst for seismic change. Those who bring him on to resuscitate their brands avail themselves of Allen’s operational knowledge, credibility, and leadership—all of which quickly leads to quantum leaps for their businesses.