“The basic math is whatever product you have, you divide it by .3, and that’s what the product should cost to the consumer to operate at that healthy margin,” Brafman told Fox News Digital. “If the prices continue to increase, there’s only [so much] that the consumer will be willing to pay.”. //

“I think about margins less than percentages,” he said.

His approach often means absorbing part of the cost to preserve the dining experience.

“At the end of the day, we’re in the business of taking care of people, nourishing them, making them feel good … and making them feel good about spending money. That’s our job.”