What makes a place ‘special’ to work at? I’m excited to share with you a conversation I had with an expert in this field. David Dressler is a leadership coach, strategic advisor to purpose-driven entrepreneurs, author of ‘Ten Year Plan’ and one of the co-founders of Tender Greens – a successful and purpose-driven restaurant chain in the USA. In this candid interview, David shares how to form a ten year business plan, making a difference in your community, the current restaurant ‘Renaissanc...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 154
How can you involve your people in building a better culture? Find out from Mel Miller, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Pathfinder Hospitality, about how they do this by operating as a people-first company. The organisation develops hotels and also manages hotels for third-party investors by leveraging its talented workforce, relationships with major hotel brands, and buying power with major hospitality-focused vendors. Join us as we discuss their philosophy around growth – a...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 153
Today’s guest is obsessed with solving business problems and helping organizational leaders rethink the connection between employee and customer experiences. He is the co-founder and COO of Nudge, an employee communications platform. Their recent report, The Deskless Report 2021, gives some fascinating insights into the state of the ‘deskless workforce’, which we uncover in this episode. Jordan also shares what they have learned working with tech that amplifies frontline employees’ engagement an...
Mar 31, 2022•55 min•Ep. 152
Hawksmoor is a British steakhouse and cocktail bar chain founded by Will Beckett and Huw Gott in 2006, after they set out in search of the perfect steak. Fast forward to today, they run nine steakhouses based in London, with a recent new opening in New York City. Will joins the show to share how they have built a business that they are proud of. This is a truly enlightening conversation where we explore how Hawksmoor makes their customers feel special. We also discuss prioritising yo...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 151
I love speaking with guests who find different ways of building a business, and today’s guest is no exception. Carly Trisk-Grove is the Co-creator of OPOP (One Plate One Price), a social enterprise restaurant that offers a new model for casual dining. Carly is on a mission to find out how restaurants can be run for the benefit of the community they serve. Carly shares how restaurants can be a catalyst for change in society through three ways: health, work and combating loneliness. Tune in ...
Mar 17, 2022•57 min•Ep. 150
Today’s guests – with no prior experience in hospitality – have excelled in their food business. Born and brought up in rural Tibet, Yeshi Jampa learned to cook nomadic food outdoors at a young age. He found his way to Oxford via India, picking up exciting new flavours along the way. They cook the finest, freshest, most authentic Tibetan food this side of the Himalayas. After first being a market stall, they now serve at festivals and private events, and have their own brick and mortar. Jul...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 149
“We don't need to be as busy as we need to be” – Anese Cavanaugh makes a great point in this episode to be conscious of where we spend our time and energy. Anese is the CEO of Active Choices, Inc., and author of several highly impactful books, which we explore more about on the show. Anese is also the creator of the IEP Method® (Intentional Energetic Presence®) and the Positive Energy Workplace™ Initiative, a strategist and advisor to leaders and organizations around the world and a keynote spea...
Mar 03, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 148
Calling in from India, Ashish Tulsian is the co-founder and CEO of POSist – the first company to provide a complete online POS solution for restaurants. Ashish kickstarted his entrepreneurial journey in 2007 by founding a telecom company right out of college. POSist came up when Ashish and co-founder Sakshi Tulsian started hunting for a software solution to automate their own restaurant but ended up creating one for themselves. They now help more than 10,000 restaurants across the world. Ashish ...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 147
It’s time to build some robust changes. Today’s guest, Samantha Clarke, is on a mission to create the next generation of change-makers, carving out a happier way of working with more purpose, meaning and intention. Having been a previous guest on the show, it was fascinating to reflect on changes since our pre-pandemic conversation. Samantha runs workshops, talks, coaches, and is the CEO and Author of ‘Love It Or Leave It’. I found this conversation really impactful as Samantha reflects on the n...
Feb 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 146
In this conversation, we get some great insights and advice on digital transformation from Nick Popovici the CEO and Co-Founder of Vita Mojo, In this conversation, Nick and Michael discuss the massive opportunity for operators to utilise data and implement digital tools to optimise performance across the business. The level adaption of digital tools in the industry The power of data Who is leading when it comes to digital transformation Megatrends in hospitality technology Challenges...
Feb 15, 2022•52 min
What’s it like to run a business with your closest family members? Brooks Kirchheimer, Co-Owner at Hearth and Hill, shares their approach to growing the business and building a unique culture that people want to support and join. Located in Park City, Utah, the independent restaurant has a revived take on contemporary American cuisine that's locally driven. Before opening his own restaurant business he worked for great hospitality businesses like Merriman's Hawaii, and as general manager f...
Feb 10, 2022•55 min•Ep. 145
Brindisa has been the home of Spanish food in the UK for over 30 years. It was set up by Monika Linton in the 1980s to share her love for quality Spanish produce to the UK, and her aim has always been to bring excellent food and ingredients from the most remote parts of Spain to Britain and to champion selected smaller producers and their skills. It was amazing to learn how she structures her business with 120 employees through open-book management. We explore working with small producers, growi...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 144
Dino Joannides is a Senior Executive with over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and general management. He has developed skills in creating a number of high performance teams as well as key relationships with customers, partners and distributors. Currently, he is the Advisor and Senior Executive at Bizimply and rezexe. In this fascinating discussion, we explore the new culture of bookings, being open-minded, how to think like an ally, how we can make the industry an employer of choice ...
Jan 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 143
Tim Vasilakis, Founder and CEO of The Athenian street food brand, explains how he pivoted his business into a dark kitchen. Through their award-winning gyros, The Athenian has grown from a humble market stall to a small network of locations, earning the title ‘Deliveroo Restaurant of the Year 2020’. In this episode, we discuss reconsidering the positioning of your business, the rise of dark kitchens, focusing on your best dishes, their generous employee loyalty scheme – and the mouthwateri...
Jan 20, 2022•56 min•Ep. 142
As many of you know, ‘Good To Great’ by Jim Collins has had a huge impact on me and how I operate my business, so I couldn’t wait to have the ‘Good to Great’ Sherpa Dave Oakley on the show today. Dave helps leaders create breakthrough performance and cultures with his approach called LeadDifferent, and he is the CEO at DOC Inc. If you find your copy of ‘Good To Great’ is gathering dust on the shelf, or you're simply stuck with executing your ideas, this episode will give you some great practical...
Jan 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 141
In this conversation, the insights of Joel Robinson, Digital & Technology Director at Azzurri Group which operates the Zizzi, Ask Italian & Coco di Mama brands, will make you reflect on and revisit your digital transformation journey. In this conversation, Joel and Michael dive into the definition of what digital transformation means and touch on these topics and their impact on business results: The power of having clear digital transformation outcomes Megatrends in hospital...
Jan 11, 2022•51 min
Lorraine Copes has a far and wide background in procurement and diversity and inclusion. She’s the Founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality – a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate racial equality in the Hospitality sector – and a Procurement Consultant. I’ve had Lorraine on previously on the Hospitality and the Infinite Game series discuss the role of diversity and inclusion, so I’m excited to have Lorraine on again to explore how the supply chain is an extension of your busine...
Jan 06, 2022•48 min•Ep. 140
Josh Sharkey is the founder and CEO of meez, the recipe tool for professional chefs. With over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Josh launched the culinary technology company in 2020 to provide chefs the home for all their recipes, menus, and ideas. The interactive database helps users ideate, organise, search, collaborate, share, and ultimately execute their vision. Josh has learnt a lot about starting and scaling a startup, which he shares on the show. We also expl...
Dec 30, 2021•55 min•Ep. 139
Today we’re joined with the Founder of The Pioneers, Matt Grimshaw. The Pioneers are a team of culture engineers who help scale-ups to design and build the People Operating System they need to drive rapid and sustainable growth. It was great having Matt on the show to discuss how your company culture is a source of competitive advantage. We explore how to avoid burnout when scaling, meta cultures, having the courage to be different, open book management, defining growth – and lessons learnt from...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 138
Hourly makes hiring easier for everybody by turning the hiring process – from explore-to-offer – into a single mobile conversation that removes the dependency on legacy processes that can slow hiring. Today I’m joined by Hourly’s VP of Product Sales Alexandra Berger to learn more about how to best optimise the hiring process. In this discussion we explore what makes a good recruiting process, the power of human interaction, how to find candidates at high volume, positioning your employer brand –...
Dec 16, 2021•49 min•Ep. 137
It was a great pleasure for Michael to connect with an old colleague of his from McDonald’s to talk about digital transformation and how we as leaders can make it happen more effectively. In this conversation, Phil Le-Brun Enterprise Strategist at Amazon Web Services and the former international CIO at McDonald's shares how hospitality businesses now are so dependent on technology and when it breaks down it has huge consequences for business performance. Phil and Michael have a deep dive into di...
Dec 14, 2021•47 min
What does it take to make a business that works for you, and not the other way round? Find out what’s holding you back with today’s guest, Nick Cramp. He’s the author of ‘ Better Before Bigger: Rethinking Business Success ’ and a Transformation Coach. Having worked previously as a business owner, Nick understands that running a company can sometimes feel overwhelming. I had a great time speaking with Nick to learn more about his latest book. We also explore Nick’s coaching process with his...
Dec 09, 2021•56 min•Ep. 136
From chefs to bartenders, live musicians to DJs, HOMEtainment helps create memorable events from the comfort of your own home. Today I’m joined by the co-founder, Antoine Melon, who has over 25 years of experience in opening and running restaurants and hotels all over the world. Antoine launched HOMEtainment during the pandemic, so I can’t wait to learn more about his experiences. In this episode we explore how to stand out as a premium provider, the home entertainment market, how the HOMEtainme...
Dec 02, 2021•54 min•Ep. 135
It’s great to have another deep dive into digital transformation with Hugo Engel who is Digital Executive at Leon restaurants where he is part of building the restaurant for the future. We will be talking about: how Leon is using digital ordering capabilities to serve and understand customers better. Michael and Hugo talk about: How to use digital ordering capabilities to serve and understand customers better How to put digital tools in the hands of the frontline How data can transform you...
Nov 30, 2021•51 min
Today’s guest David Lockwood has been involved with the British cheese scene for 25 years – and is currently the Managing Director of Neal's Yard Dairy. The artisanal cheese retailer works with about 40 cheesemakers. They select, mature and sell farmhouse cheese from the UK and Ireland. Their secret to their success? Always have a clear, long-term plan in mind. I had a great time meeting David in person, checking out their dairy in London. Tune in to our conversation as we explore the history of...
Nov 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 134
Lee Curtis, CCHP, co-founded RESIDE in November 2017. RESIDE’s core purpose is to fundamentally change the short-term rental and alternative accommodation marketplace by leveraging their operational expertise, 3SIXTY technology platform and globally vetted supply chain to deliver a curated, compliant and high-touch, hyper local experience to guests anywhere in the world. In this fascinating conversation, I explore with Lee about the future of travel and the short stay trends we are now seeing ac...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 133
In this Digital Titans conversation, our guest is James Sandrini Co-Founder & Strategy Director at 48.1. They are a creative agency in London that helps companies to get clarity on their brand and positioning and help to tell their story clearly to customers and employees. In this conversation, we talk about the power step back start to get the strategy right before just doing it. We talk about too many leaders just trying to copy what works somewhere else and don’t strategise on...
Nov 16, 2021•50 min
The GC Index® is the organimetric that empowers organisations to drive performance and achieve innovation by creating game-changing teams and cultures. Today we’re joined by the Co-Founder and Chief Polisher, Nathan Ott. His fundamental belief is that everyone can make an impact in their world. As such, he has created a global community of GC Partners and GCologists, who are committed to fostering the impact and contribution from everyone around the globe. In this conversation we unpack how the ...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 132
Welcome to this special podcast series, Digital Titans, brought to you by Vita Mojo and Hospitality Mavericks. Tune into Amie from Vita Mojo who is excited to take you on this journey, as we explore the digital transformation within hospitality. During this series, you’ll hear from industry leaders from the likes of Leon, the Azzuri Group and Amazon. We’ll talk through how they transformed their business with digital solutions while meeting the changing needs of the market. If you have not yet g...
Nov 08, 2021•1 min
There’s one thing using technology in your business, and there is another thing implementing it. The Food and Beverage Global Business Unit at Oracle helps organizations connect every guest interaction to your back-of-house operations. With me today is Tim Brown, the unit’s Vice President of Global Solution Engineering. He leads an international team of experienced technical sales consultants dedicated to devising and deploying pioneering IT solutions that accelerate innovation for food and beve...
Nov 04, 2021•54 min•Ep. 131
