It's incredible to see the unironic take here that we need undemocratic do nothings to actually make business decisions. Some of the oldest and most successful companies in the world are worker owned and operated. Just look at the Mondragon Corporation in Spain, which has been around since 1956, has 12b in yearly revenue, and has 80,000 employees. The idea that a co-op wouldn't be capable of investing in the business is ludicrous.

If the business is doing very well, why not just raise prices? Most restaurants simply don't scale or lose alot when they do. They are great because it's the team and leadership that work there that makes it awesome. Not every single restaurant has to become the next franchise in order to be considered a success.