What cml consulting does

CML Consulting is a privately-held, founder-owned hospitality consulting firm headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company provides B2B advisory services to restaurant and bar operators and prospective hospitality entrepreneurs, with a service portfolio spanning discovery and concept development, chef-driven menu creation, target-driven real estate analysis, company organization and development, branding and marketing, budgeting (labor, food costs, menu pricing), financial feasibility analysis, staff hiring and training, purchasing and procurement, and ongoing financial reporting including monthly P&L reports and balance sheets. The firm was founded and is led by Chase Lyons, who also conceptualized, opened, and operated multiple award-winning restaurant concepts including City Pork Deli & Charcuterie and City Pork Brasserie & Bar, both recognized by 225 Magazine as Best New Restaurant.

The firm does not operate a software platform or modular product architecture; instead, services are delivered through customized consulting engagements, with prospective clients directed to submit inquiries via the firm's website contact form for custom quotes. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and relationship-driven, supported by top-of-funnel content marketing through blog posts addressing hospitality pain points (cost management, target demographic marketing, new concept launch) and organic social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. Customer segments are primarily Louisiana-based SMB hospitality operators, including both veteran operators seeking cost management and novice entrepreneurs needing concept-to-execution support.

Revenue is generated through professional service fees for customized consulting engagements, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The company has no institutional investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and operates with a lean founder-led structure. Operational scale is described as small in headcount and local/regional in geographic reach, with primary address listed as a P.O. Box rather than commercial office space.

Name

cml consulting

Legal name

CML Consulting

Website

https://cml-consulting.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CML Consulting is a privately-held, founder-owned hospitality consulting firm based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It provides customized B2B advisory services — including concept development, branding, budgeting, financial analysis, and staff training — to restaurant and bar operators and prospective entrepreneurs primarily in the Louisiana/Gulf Coast region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Hospitality consulting services
• Restaurant concept development
• Restaurant operations consulting
• Hospitality financial analysis
• Restaurant branding marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for the hospitality industry, including concept development, menu creation, organization development, branding, marketing, budgeting, financial analysis, staff training, and operational management. Revenue is generated through service fees for customized consulting engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CML Consulting provides customized hospitality consulting engagements for restaurants and bars, covering discovery and concept development, chef-driven menu creation, target-driven real estate analysis, company organization, branding and marketing, budgeting (labor, food costs, menu pricing), financial feasibility and pro-forma analysis, staff hiring and training, purchasing and procurement, and ongoing financial reporting via monthly P&L and balance sheet reviews. Services are delivered as bespoke engagements to hospitality operators and prospective owners rather than as packaged or modular product offerings.

Product overview

CML Consulting is a Baton Rouge-based hospitality consulting firm offering customized consulting services. The company provides advisory services across multiple areas including discovery and concept development, chef-driven menu creation and implementation, target-driven real estate potential, company organization and development, branding and marketing, specialized company policies, budgeting services, financial feasibility analysis, hiring and staff training, purchasing and procurement, and financial data analysis with monthly P&L reports and balance sheets. Services are centered around the company's core principle of 'the art of hospitality' and are delivered in a single unified consulting engagement model rather than a software platform or modular product architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospitality Consulting Engagement Customized end-to-end hospitality consulting engagement for restaurant and bar clients, covering discovery and concept development, chef-driven menu creation, real estate analysis, company organization, branding and marketing, budgeting (labor, food costs, menu pricing), financial feasibility and pro-forma analysis, staff hiring and training, purchasing and procurement, and monthly P&L and balance sheet reporting. Delivered to existing hospitality operators and prospective restaurant/bar owners.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Aaron Allen & Associates: Aaron Allen & Associates is a restaurant industry strategy consulting firm that advises restaurant concepts on concept development, branding, marketing, and operational strategy. It is directly comparable to CML Consulting on the strategic, branding, and concept-side of restaurant advisory.
• Coyle Hospitality Group: Coyle Hospitality Group is a well-known restaurant and hospitality consulting firm offering mystery shopping, customer experience, and operational advisory to restaurant brands. It competes with CML Consulting for the same hospitality operator buyer, particularly on operational quality and customer experience work.
• Sterling-Rice Group: Sterling-Rice Group is a brand strategy and innovation firm with deep restaurant and food brand expertise, working on positioning, naming, and go-to-market. It overlaps with CML Consulting on the branding/marketing portion of the service offering.

Others

• Restaurant Business: Restaurant Business is a leading industry media publication for the U.S. restaurant sector, providing news, data, and operator resources. It is not a direct competitor but represents an ecosystem player whose coverage influences CML Consulting's potential clients and brand visibility.
• Buxton Company: Buxton provides customer analytics, site selection, and market intelligence to retail and restaurant operators. While not a direct consulting competitor, it is an adjacent analytics partner many CML Consulting clients use for real estate and demographic targeting.

Emerging players

• Culturator: Culturator is a restaurant and bar concept development firm that helps operators build brands, menus, and operating systems from the ground up. It overlaps with CML Consulting on the concept-to-opening portion of the service line.

Broad incumbents

• Horwath HTL: Horwath HTL is a global hospitality consulting and valuation firm advising hotels, resorts, and restaurants on strategy, operations, and asset value. It is a broader incumbent that competes for hospitality operator consulting budgets, particularly on feasibility and financial analysis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about cml consulting