About We Food Enterprises
10 Years. Hundreds of Restaurants. One Mission.
We Food Enterprises Hospitality Group LLC was built by operators, for operators. For over a decade, we have helped restaurants across the country build the systems, teams, and strategies they need to compete and grow.
Our Story
Where We Started
We Food Enterprises was founded with a simple conviction: most restaurants fail not because of bad food, but because of broken operations. Billing goes unmanaged. Staff turns over constantly. Nobody owns compliance. The owner is doing everything and nothing gets done right.
Our founders — veterans who understand discipline, structure, and mission-driven execution — set out to change that. Starting with a handful of clients and a commitment to real implementation over empty advice, we grew into a nationwide consulting firm trusted by restaurant owners from Houston to Chicago to Miami.
Ten years later, we have served over 200 restaurants across all 50 states. We have helped first-time owners open their doors right, helped struggling operators stop the bleeding, and helped established groups scale without losing quality. Every engagement is different. The standard never changes.
Leadership
Christian Hanks
President & Co-Founder
Christian Hanks founded We Food Enterprises with a veteran's mindset and an operator's instincts. Having served in the military before entering the hospitality industry, Christian brought the same discipline, accountability, and systems-thinking that defines elite military units to the chaotic world of restaurant operations.
Under his leadership, We Food Enterprises has grown from a regional consulting practice into a nationally recognized firm with partners and consultants operating in markets across the country. Christian personally oversees client engagements, ensuring every restaurant we work with receives the same level of commitment and execution that built our reputation.
His philosophy is direct: restaurants don't need more advice. They need someone to come in, build the systems, train the people, and hold the standard. That is what We Food Enterprises does — and it is what Christian has done for over a decade.
"Restaurants don't need more advice. They need someone to come in, build the systems, and hold the standard."
— Christian Hanks, President
Jeffrey J. Lavelle
Chief Financial Officer & Partner
Jeffrey J. Lavelle brings over 20 years of financial leadership and restaurant industry expertise to We Food Enterprises. A seasoned executive with a career built at the intersection of hospitality and high-performance finance, Jeffrey has guided hundreds of restaurant operators through the financial decisions that determine whether a business survives — or thrives.
Before joining We Food Enterprises as a founding partner, Jeffrey held senior financial and development roles across independent restaurants, regional chains, and multi-concept hospitality groups. He has overseen multi-million dollar P&L portfolios, led complex restaurant development projects from site selection through opening, and built the financial infrastructure for operations ranging from single-unit startups to 20-location enterprises.
Jeffrey's approach to restaurant finance is practical and uncompromising. He believes that most restaurant owners are sitting on fixable financial problems — food cost bleed, payroll inefficiency, vendor overbilling — and that the difference between a struggling restaurant and a profitable one is almost always a systems problem, not a revenue problem.
As CFO, Jeffrey leads all financial consulting engagements at We Food Enterprises, including billing system implementation, cash flow restructuring, payroll compliance, and long-term financial planning. His track record of turning around underperforming restaurant finances has made him one of the most sought-after hospitality CFOs in the country.
Career Highlights
- 20+ years in restaurant finance & development
- Multi-million dollar P&L oversight across multi-concept groups
- Restaurant development from site selection through opening
- Financial turnaround specialist for independent and chain operators
- Payroll compliance and labor cost optimization
- Founding partner, We Food Enterprises Hospitality Group LLC
"Most restaurant owners don't have a revenue problem. They have a systems problem. Fix the systems, and the money follows."
— Jeffrey J. Lavelle, CFO
Justin Criswell
Chief Operating Officer
Justin Criswell is one of the most operationally sharp executives in the restaurant consulting industry. As Chief Operating Officer of We Food Enterprises Hospitality Group LLC, Justin is the architect behind the operational frameworks that have transformed struggling restaurants into high-performing, consistently profitable businesses across the country.
With over a decade of hands-on experience in restaurant operations, Justin has worked at every level of the industry — from the line to the boardroom. That ground-level foundation is what separates him from consultants who have only ever seen a restaurant from the outside. Justin has opened kitchens, rebuilt service cultures, restructured management hierarchies, and turned around operations that owners had nearly given up on.
His operational philosophy is built on three pillars: clarity of process, accountability of people, and consistency of execution. Justin believes that most operational failures in restaurants are not people problems — they are systems problems. When the right systems are in place and every team member understands their role within them, performance follows naturally. His engagements are designed to build that infrastructure from the ground up.
At We Food Enterprises, Justin oversees all operational consulting engagements, including kitchen workflow design, front-of-house service standards, management training programs, vendor relationship management, and multi-unit expansion planning. He works directly with ownership teams to ensure that every operational recommendation is not just delivered — but implemented, measured, and sustained.
Career Highlights
- 10+ years of direct restaurant operations leadership
- Multi-unit operations management across independent and chain concepts
- Kitchen workflow design and back-of-house efficiency optimization
- Front-of-house service culture development and staff training
- Management hierarchy restructuring and leadership development
- New restaurant opening (NRO) project management and execution
- Vendor relationship management and supply chain optimization
- Multi-location expansion planning and operational playbook development
"A great restaurant isn't built on great food alone — it's built on great systems, great people, and the discipline to hold the standard every single shift."
— Justin Criswell, COO
What We Stand For
The Principles Behind the Work
Veteran-Owned
Founded and led by veterans who bring military-grade discipline, accountability, and mission focus to every client engagement.
Implementation First
We don't hand you a report and walk away. We build the systems, train the staff, and stay until the work is done right.
Nationwide Reach
With partners and consultants across all 50 states, we deliver the same standard of work whether you're in Dallas or Detroit.
Multi-Partner Model
Our firm is built on a partnership model — multiple experienced operators and consultants who bring deep expertise across every service area.
Community Focused
We believe restaurants are the backbone of local communities. Our work helps owners stay open, stay profitable, and keep serving the people around them.
Decade of Results
Ten years of real engagements, real outcomes, and real relationships with restaurant owners who trust us with their most critical operations.
A Decade of Growth
How We Got Here
We Food Enterprises founded by veterans with a mission to fix restaurant operations from the inside out.
Expanded to multi-state operations, serving restaurants across the South and Midwest.
Launched full-service SEO and digital marketing division as online visibility became critical for restaurants.
Pivoted to fully remote consulting delivery, enabling nationwide reach without geographic limits.
Surpassed 150 restaurant clients served. Expanded partner network to cover all 50 states.
Crossed 200+ restaurant engagements. Recognized as a leading veteran-owned hospitality consulting firm.
Built by Veterans. Trusted by Operators.
If you are ready to work with a team that has seen it all and fixed most of it — let's talk.
Veteran-owned. Nationwide. No commitment required.