Yes I agree, the inexperience with balancing expences and revenue were ultimately what led to the restaurant’s demise. He didnt leave himself enough runway for this project to succeed. $20k for the grease trap installation was a sunk cost that could have otherwise went a long way, better served on other expenses. He fell in love with this particular location and that was it. He went for the home run - a high end restaurant. I feel like he should have started smaller, something less posh, somewhere people could afford to get lunch every day, rather than a place where half the draw is based on ambiance and the ‘dining experience’. This would have allowed him to figure out a lot of important details - how to make $20 chicken for $5, finding good vendors, crafting good tasting food with low cost ingredients, creating dishes and a menu that dont require a team of chefs, building a buzz, managing a stock of perishable products, etc. Master those intangables then step into the big leagues. Basically learn to crawl before you attempt to sprint.