Howard Cannon

Howard Cannon (born July 29, 1964) is an American author, consultant, motivational speaker, and court-testifying expert witness in restaurant and bar matters nationwide. Cannon is the author of Restaurant Ridiculous: Slip and Fall Personal Injury Lawsuits , Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security: The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards and Best Practices (2016) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Restaurant (2011), among others. Cannon writes and speaks about restaurant safety, as well as the management and starting of restaurants and bars.

Career Cannon's restaurant career began with a dishwashing position as a teenager from which he worked his way up through various jobs in the restaurant industry until he started his own business.

In 1987, Cannon opened Restaurant Consultants of America, a private consulting firm and expert witness practice. He has spoken at restaurant industry events, culinary institutes, corporate events, universities, and high schools as an expert on the restaurant industry.

Cannon authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Restaurant, which was published by Alpha Books in 2001. That year he founded the Restaurant Operations Institute, a company that provides advice and services to independent restaurants.

Stretch Yourself – Getting Promoted was authored by Cannon and published in 2003 by Pearson Books. A second edition of his guidebook, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Restaurant, was published by Alpha Books in 2005.

Cannon is CEO of the firm Restaurant Expert Witness in Alabama, whose members testify and provide reports about food-related legal matters. In 2014, Cannon was called to testify in a court case as an expert on state restaurant law.

Cannon went on to literally write the book of OSHA standards in the Restaurant industry with his book Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security: The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards & Best Practices which was published in 2016.

Cannon’s most recent release, Restaurant Ridiculous: Slip and Fall Personal Injury Lawsuits (2025) reveals what makes restaurant slip and falls different from any other industry, the scientific formula for risk, the four biggest restaurant slip and fall hazards, the secret sauce behind restaurant slip and falls, the steps to create a culture of safety, and much more.

You can keep up with Mr. Cannon's career on LinkedIn or Facebook or visit the RestaurantExpertWitness.com

Media Cannon is frequently quoted in news articles about food safety and the restaurant business in general. He has been featured on the TV show Hotel Impossible for consulting and expert opinions for restaurants and bars featured on the series. Cannon appeared as a guest expert for Anderson Cooper on Anderson Cooper Live! in an investigative report on hidden germs in restaurants. Cannon has served as a consultant on many topics for Full-Service Restaurant (FSR) Magazine as well as Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He has appeared in the Reader's Digest, Fox News, MSNBC, Inside Edition, and Dr. Oz.

Cannon has published articles in a variety of magazines, newspapers, blogs, and websites. He has served as a consultant on the subject of restaurant food poisoning.

Books written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Restaurant (2001) Stretch Yourself – Getting Promoted (2003) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Restaurant – 2nd Edition (2005) Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security: The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards and Best Practices (2016) Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security: Workbook and Test-Management-Level (2018) Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security: Workbook and Test-Employee-Level (2018) Restaurant Ridiculous: Slip and Fall Personal Injury Lawsuits (2025)