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📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here  🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out   ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

What does it take to survive London's notoriously brutal restaurant industry? And how do you build a restaurant that has something money can't buy — soul? Dan Pope sits down with Ben Tish, chef, restaurateur and culinary director of the Cubitt House group, to unpack the highs, lows and hard-earned lessons of a career in hospitality. From escaping Skegness at 18 and being thrown into the ruthless kitchens of The Ritz by Jason Atherton, to helping build the celebrated Salt Yard Group, Ben reveals how discipline, resilience and great leadership shaped his career. He opens up about the devastating Jay Rayner review that questioned the future of Salt Yard, why some restaurants never find their soul, the dangers of opening to enormous hype, and what it really takes to create a loyal following. They also explore the reinvention of British pubs, the economics of running restaurants in London, the magic of Sicilian cooking, and the personal toll of leaving a business you've helped build. A candid conversation about ambition, failure, creative confidence and why the toughest moments in hospitality can teach you the most. 00:00:00 Intro00:01:10 Jason Atherton, Andre Agassi and Surviving The Ritz00:06:00 How Jason Atherton Saved Ben's Career00:10:00 The Hidden Cost of Following Your Passion00:15:00 Why Running Restaurants Is Really About People00:20:00 How One Bad Service Can Destroy Morale00:24:00 The Restaurant That Almost Destroyed Salt Yard00:28:00 Jay Rayner's Brutal Review and Restaurant Failure00:33:00 Why Chefs Take Criticism So Personally00:36:00 Jason Atherton and the Evolution of British Cooking00:41:00 What Jason Atherton Taught Ben About Discipline00:47:00 Why Restaurant Hype Doesn't Guarantee Success00:51:00 The Mistakes Behind The Stafford London00:56:00 Escaping Skegness for a Life in London01:03:00 Why Ben Refused to Give Up01:08:00 Discovering Britain's Best Food Destinations01:12:00 Sicily's Extraordinary Food Culture01:15:00 Ben Tish's Perfect 20-Minute Dinner01:18:00 What Happens When Britain's Pubs Disappear?01:23:00 The Secret to a Great British Pub01:28:00 The Challenges of Running The Princess Royal01:33:00 Why Notting Hill Diners Will Pay More01:38:00 What Makes a London Pub Successful?01:43:00 Can You Reinvent a Failing Restaurant Space?01:47:00 From Classical Music to Mediterranean Cooking01:51:00 The Wildest Travel Experiences01:55:00 Sicily, The Mafia and The Godfather01:59:00 What Japan Teaches Us About Craftsmanship02:03:00 The Painful Reality of Leaving Salt Yard02:08:00 Imposter Syndrome and the Cost of Ambition02:12:00 Finding Confidence and Moving Forward  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

What does it really take to become a sushi master? And why does one of London's most celebrated Japanese chefs believe that mastering the knife is the easy part? Dan Pope sits down with Endo Kazutoshi, the chef behind Kioku, to explore the extraordinary discipline, philosophy and creativity behind Japanese cuisine. From 17-hour working days and a brutally demanding apprenticeship to a 100-year-old sushi sauce passed down through generations, Endo reveals how tradition has shaped his approach to food, leadership and life. They explore the Japanese philosophy of Ichigo Ichie, why Endo sees sushi as his punk rock, the importance of respecting farmers and fishermen, and his belief that a great restaurant depends on a golden triangle of guests, team and suppliers. Along the way, they dive into samurai wisdom, Zen Buddhism, Steve Jobs, Japanese calligraphy, the dangers of social media, and what Pep Guardiola can teach us about building extraordinary teams. A conversation about much more than sushi: curiosity, craftsmanship, creative rebellion and the pursuit of excellence. ON THE MENU:00:00:00 Introduction00:01:18 The Brutal Reality of Japanese Sushi Apprenticeships00:03:15 Born Into a Sushi Dynasty00:05:18 What Sat Bains Teaches Chefs About Thinking00:08:34 The Golden Triangle of Restaurant Success00:12:35 The Japanese Philosophy of Ichigo Ichie00:15:07 Why Sushi Is More Than Food00:18:08 Japanese Spirituality, Language and Culture00:22:00 How Life Experiences Shape Japanese Cuisine00:26:17 The Unspoken Lessons of a Sushi Master00:30:20 Chris Williamson's 2D vs 3D Life Lessons00:35:00 Has Technology Made Learning Too Easy?00:39:45 The Correct Way to Eat Sushi in Japan00:43:57 Why Great Restaurants Need a Little Madness00:48:30 Bruce Lee's Be Like Water Philosophy00:50:49 Don't Look at the Tree, Look at the Forest00:54:31 Why Endo Calls Sushi His Punk Rock00:59:00 Japan vs London: Two Different Worlds01:05:18 Japan's Loneliness and Work Culture01:10:56 Samurai Wisdom and The Book of Five Rings01:16:12 What Really Stresses a Sushi Master?01:23:21 How Do You Come Back Stronger?01:26:31 Are We All Living in The Matrix?01:30:07 Steve Jobs, Calligraphy and Japanese Creativity01:34:37 Is Sushi Really a Form of Art?01:39:05 The Discipline Behind Extraordinary Kitchen Teams01:44:38 Why Respect Is the Ultimate Business Weapon01:49:19 Michel Roux, Pep Guardiola and Aggressive Leadership01:52:04 Why Great Chefs Must Embrace Uncertainty  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

Restaurants lose bookings because nobody can answer the phone during service. Staff get pulled off the floor to handle repetitive questions, customer emails pile up until after the shift, and enquiries that come in at the wrong moment simply get missed. Arran Campolucci-Bordi, founder of Ayra and operator of Liverpool institution Casa Italia, is building an AI solution around exactly that problem: a restaurant-trained assistant that can communicate with customers 24/7, understand the individual business and answer questions without adding more work for the team. Arran joins Dan to explore what AI can actually do for restaurants beyond the hype — from handling guest communication and reservations to analysing margins, labour, menus and customer behaviour. They discuss why AI becomes dramatically more useful once it understands your specific business, how operators are already using ChatGPT and Claude to solve real-world restaurant problems, and where technology should never replace hospitality. The conversation also digs into the brutal economics facing restaurants, VAT, marketing and PR, before Arran shares the remarkable 50-year story of Casa Italia, the importance of consistency, great service and why Liverpool remains unlike anywhere else. 00:00:00 Intro00:01:04 What Is AI Actually Good For?00:11:07 Can AI Make Hospitality More Human?00:14:07 Why Restaurants Shouldn’t Pay for Reservations00:16:08 AI-Powered Personalised Restaurant Marketing00:22:15 The Restaurant Margin Problem00:25:35 Let AI Analyse Your Restaurant00:29:13 Can ChatGPT Fix Your Menu?00:34:57 Systemising the Magic of Hospitality00:42:50 Turning Gut Instinct Into Data00:50:05 Could AI Eventually Run Your Business?00:57:16 Why Restaurant VAT Is “The Problem”01:03:36 A Marketing Campaign Restaurants Can Learn From01:05:07 Why Press Still Beats Influencers01:10:00 Growing Up Inside Casa Italia01:14:13 Why Casa Italia Never Changed Its Menu01:21:18 Three Ingredients of a Great Restaurant01:24:09 Why Service Matters More Than Food01:27:02 What Makes Liverpool Different?01:31:08 How Liverpool Reinvented Itself01:37:10 Why The Beatles Changed Everything  Ayra Edit RSS 2  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Jamie Oliver has spent decades getting Britain cooking — and occasionally pissing people off while doing it. But what does it actually take to build, protect and evolve a personal brand that millions of people already have an opinion about? Alison Corfield, Brand Director at Jamie Oliver Group, joins Dan to unpack the machine behind Jamie: from sugar-tax campaigns and battles with Big Food to Twitter pile-ons, brand partnerships and the fight to stay relevant to a new generation. They get into Alison’s early days at Virgin, why entertainment beats preaching, how Jamie built extraordinary public trust, the difference between doom scrolling and genuine discovery — and what brands can learn from campaigns like Vaseline. A cracking conversation about brand, influence, attention and what happens when your founder IS the brand. ============ON THE MENU:=========== 00:00 Intro04:46 Virgin Was Doing WHAT on Flights?07:00 Enter the Jamie Oliver Machine13:30 Making Serious Issues Entertaining17:55 Jamie’s Iconic Westminster Moment23:00 Building Campaigns People Actually Notice28:51 Why Britain Trusts Jamie Oliver34:00 When Brand Partnerships Actually Work38:33 “Jamie Oliver Wants to Ban Everything”43:00 Keeping Jamie Relevant to New Generations50:33 When Twitter Turns on Jamie59:09 The Keith Floyd Rabbit Hole01:08:52 Doom Scrolling vs Explore Scrolling01:16:00 How Brands Win Attention01:21:00 What Great Brand Campaigns Get Right01:27:00 Building a Brand Bigger Than Content  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more.

Did Riordan's ego land him in prison?  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

Café Continental founders Ryan Robinson and Lee Ferguson join Dan Pope to break down what it really takes to build a restaurant people actually want to return to. From balancing creativity with brutal financial realities to going viral, working with food influencers and knowing when an idea simply isn’t working, Ryan and Lee share the principles behind one of Greater Manchester’s most exciting independent restaurants. They get into why Michelin stars don’t guarantee a profitable business, the nightmare of serving brunch, why overly complicated menus are a red flag, the backlash against small plates, and how Ryan’s years as a DJ shaped the atmosphere and energy of Café Continental. Plus: Manchester’s creative culture, the influence of San Sebastián, restaurant awards, social media, staying relevant without chasing trends, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is admit you got it wrong. A proper conversation about food, hospitality, business, creativity — and having a good time while doing it.===========ON THE MENU===========00:00:00 Intro00:00:55 Creativity Is Booming — Restaurants Are Closing00:04:40 Why Café Continental Had To Feel Different00:10:55 The Restaurant Strategy That Made Them Viral00:16:40 Three Things That Keep Restaurants Booked00:24:00 The Reality Of Food Influencers00:29:00 Michelin Stars Don’t Make You Money00:36:00 Why Breakfast Is A Nightmare00:44:00 Customers Don’t Care About Your Process00:51:00 Admit When Your Idea Isn’t Working00:57:00 Manchester’s Next Creative Revolution01:02:33 From DJ Booths To Restaurant Culture01:09:33 What Levi’s Teaches Restaurants About Branding01:16:33 Why They Bet On Stalybridge01:23:33 Ryan’s Strange Route Into Hospitality01:30:33 What Makes A Bad Restaurant?01:35:33 Why Everyone Hates Small Plates01:43:33 San Sebastián Changed Their Food Philosophy01:49:33 Great Restaurants Need Great Timing01:53:33 Don’t Forget To Have Fun   ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

Michel Roux Jr knows what it takes to build one of the world’s great restaurants. But behind the Michelin stars, MasterChef and Le Gavroche was a career shaped by pressure, burnout, family legacy and learning when to let go. Michel opens up about taking over Le Gavroche from his father Albert Roux, pushing against an “immovable” resistance to change, and why closing the legendary restaurant ultimately meant taking back control of his life. He shares what Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay were really like as young chefs, why chasing Michelin stars can be destructive, and how running transformed his health after years of debilitating migraines and stress. We also get into the business of brilliant hospitality: why he stopped serving lunch despite filling the restaurant, the simple test he uses to judge a restaurant by its butter, why you should let customers steal your umbrellas, handling brutal online reviews, and the tiny details that turn good service into something unforgettable. From Michelin-star kitchens to Marco, Gordon, MasterChef and nearly 60 years of Le Gavroche, this is Michel Roux Jr on excellence, simplicity, adversity and knowing what really matters. ON THE MENU:00:00:00 Intro00:03:10 Taking Over Le Gavroche From His Father00:09:40 What Would a Le Gavroche Sandwich Be?00:15:16 Why Chasing Michelin Stars Is Wrong00:22:12 How Running Ended Michel’s Debilitating Migraines00:28:41 Why Old-School Kitchens Had to Change00:34:29 The Right Way to Handle Complaints00:38:46 Why Michel Stopped Reading TripAdvisor00:42:53 Why Copying Instagram Food Doesn’t Work00:47:41 Why Great Leaders Step Away From Service00:52:00 Kitchen vs Front of House Warfare00:57:00 How Open Kitchens Changed Chef Culture01:00:26 Why Rugby Needs Characters01:04:00 What Marco Pierre White Was Really Like01:15:11 Have QR Codes Damaged Hospitality?01:20:09 The Butter Test for Great Restaurants01:24:51 Why Le Gavroche Killed Lunch01:30:26 MasterChef, TV Fame and Saying No01:38:43 Why Michel Roux Closed Le Gavroche01:42:46 Why Great Chefs Learn to Slow Down ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Bold Bean Co didn’t just make beans cool. They built a brand people actually care about. Tobey and Amelia join Dan to unpack how Bold Bean turned one of the least glamorous supermarket categories into a cult food brand, and why obsessing over culture, community and product beats blindly following the conventional FMCG playbook. From rejecting boring advertising and building genuine brand obsession, to supermarket listings, sustainability, hiring, growth and watching major competitors move into glass jars, this is a masterclass in making an everyday product feel anything but ordinary. ON THE MENU [00:00:00] Why Bold Bean Rejects the FMCG Playbook[00:06:35] How Do You Make Beans Desirable?[00:08:18] Beans Became Bold Bean’s Competitive Advantage[00:23:25] Building Bold Bean’s Brand From Obsession[00:42:18] Why Bold Bean Is Allergic to Advertising[00:50:42] Tesco’s Christmas Ads vs Performance Marketing[00:58:38] Can You Manufacture Brand Obsession?[01:01:40] Why “Be Bold” Became a Company Value[01:10:10] Why Sustainability Doesn’t Sell More Beans[01:21:03] Bold Bean’s Obsessive Customers Are the Moat[01:25:28] Marketing Is Downstream of Consumer Culture[01:42:54] What Happened When Heinz Copied Bold Bean?[01:51:35] The Hard Reality of Building Bold Bean[01:55:36] What Founders Never Tell You on LinkedIn  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously.click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out