---
title: 5.X When the Numbers Stop Working
description: "## 5.X -- When the Numbers Stop Working When your rent-to-sales ratio breaks the benchmarks -- food above 10 percent, bar above 15 percent, total occupancy above 8 percent -- the lease is the issue, not your operations. Do not…"
url: "https://kb.jeffreysummers.com/docs/5-x-when-the-numbers-stop-working/"
updated: "2026-08-28"
category: Profit / Profit Book
---

# 5.X When the Numbers Stop Working

## 5.X -- When the Numbers Stop Working

When your rent-to-sales ratio breaks the benchmarks -- food above 10 percent, bar above 15 percent, total occupancy above 8 percent -- the lease is the issue, not your operations. Do not sell at a sacrifice price. Do not cut product quality to offset rent.

Take the conversation to the landlord. Say this: "I cannot live with this lease. I would like to sit down with you and rework it so that I can survive without causing you undue hardship. Compromise with me so that in the long run you have a viable tenant."

Landlords increasingly view leases as flexible instruments. A vacant space earns nothing. A struggling tenant who leaves costs months of lost rent, re-leasing expenses, and build-out for the next operator. You have more leverage than you think.

Come to the table with data, not emotion. Monthly rent-to-sales analysis showing the trend. Specific proposed adjustments -- not vague requests for help. A plan showing how the adjustments enable you to stay and succeed.

Renegotiation is not failure. It is operational discipline applied to the lease -- the same discipline you apply to labor, food cost, and every other line item.