HUNGRY.

Most companies talk about strategy as if it’s a spreadsheet problem. At Tony’s Chocolonely, strategy is about choosing which risks you’re willing to live with — permanently. In this conversation, Doug from Tony’s Chocolonely breaks down how real strategic decisions get made when the stakes are high, the information is incomplete, and playing it safe isn’t an option. This isn’t theory. It’s what happens when your strategy has real consequences — for margins, growth, and an entire global supply chain. =============== 🍫 ON THE MENU =============== 🎲 Why business strategy is closer to poker than chess ⚖️ How Tony’s decides which risks to carry — and which to refuse 🚫 Why “sensible” decisions often lead to weak strategy 📉 What most companies lose when they optimise for safety 🌍 Making strategic bets at global food scale 🧠 Leadership decisions you only face when the stakes are real Whether you’re a founder, marketer, operator, or senior decision-maker, this is a masterclass in how to think about risk, trade-offs, and long-term bets — without hiding behind frameworks. ============================================== ♨️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/)  🔥10x creativity beats 10x budget. Want a life changing HUNGRY Creative Workshop for your team? DM brother ==============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvelous Sponsors🌟=============================================💷💶💵For more on MIMO payments, financing & cash flow visit 👉 mimoHQ.com 

What the monk?! Saiphin Moore, the visionary founder of Rosa's Thai Cafe, recounts how her ex-husband once invited a Buddhist monk to convince her to sell the burgeoning business. This extraordinary anecdote perfectly encapsulates Saiphin's journey, which began in a remote Thai mountain village where she lived without electricity until age 15, learning to cook on charcoal from seven and even raising a pet pig for income. Her leap to Hong Kong as a nanny, where she encountered hoovers and rice cookers for the first time and learned English from a single piece of paper, set the stage for her entrepreneurial spirit. Saiphin’s philosophy blends Buddhist principles of calm, acceptance, and forgiveness with a fierce drive to be "better than anyone else" and "honest with the customer" – a commitment she refused to compromise, even when faced with monastic persuasion. Now, with Rosa's Thai expanding to nearly 50 sites and a new venture in Dubai, she continues to champion authentic Thai cuisine.ON THE MENU: 1. Growing Up Off-Grid in the Thai Mountains2. Mountain Wisdom: Competition Without Jealousy3. Buddhist Lessons for Business and Life4. The Monk Who Told Me to Quit My Restaurant5. From Rural Thailand to Hong Kong Culture Shock6. Why London Was Ready for Real Thai Food7. Street Food Principles: Honesty, Quality, Simplicity8. Reinventing Delivery Without Killing the Food9. Scaling Restaurants Without Losing Consistency10. Trust Your Gut and Cook Authentically  Got empty tables? EatClub connects your restaurant with diners in real time, turning quiet hours into profit. Contact us: fillmytables@eatclub.co.uk

Robin Gill is a serial restaurateur who has built multiple, entirely different restaurant concepts — not chains, not repeats. In this episode, Robin breaks down why great hospitality isn’t about big gestures or surface-level creativity — but about systems, discipline, and invisible details that customers feel without ever consciously noticing. Drawing on years of building restaurants from scratch, we explore what actually creates loyalty, repeat business, and long-term success — in hospitality and far beyond. =============== 🍽️ ON THE MENU =============== ⚙️ Why great hospitality is mostly invisible 🧠 Performance vs delight — and why it matters 🚫 Why removing friction beats trying to impress 🔍 The small details customers feel but never articulate 🏗️ Building restaurants as systems, not vibes 🎯 Why doing fewer things perfectly wins 📈 What hospitality teaches any business about human behaviour This isn’t about food trends or hype. It’s about how well-designed systems quietly win.   Got empty tables? EatClub connects your restaurant with diners in real time, turning quiet hours into profit. Contact us: fillmytables@eatclub.co.uk

When I started the poddy, I scribbled on scruff paper a list dream brands Top of list: Innocent Innocent are THE OG challenger brand. The Innocent Illuminate (or Alumni) all built WHOPPPA brands:Giles, Barney, Emma, Peter Oden, loads more All extol fruitful learnings from Fruit Towers. Many see Innocent as a Brand & Marketing machine (they are). In this episode Adam Balon revealed something much DEEPER Something surprising. Something you've not thought about. ♨️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 🍲  ON THE MENU:Why There are Multiple Status Games and We Are Never Playing One Status GameWhy a Story is a Deal - a UNIQUE deal between your brand and your consumer - so tell the story rightThe Science of Brand Storytelling Nike and The Rise of Metcons in Cross FitWhy Status is Making Us Live in a Blandemic - Blandemic of Buildings, Restuarants and Brands - how to escapeWhy Bad Brand Story Telling is vague, “Reflect the story world back at me, so I can find my identity in it”Why Falling in Love is Similar to Brand storytelling: Your Goal is to Reflect back to them what they want to know”The brand is a light figure in storytelling: How does your story make consumers Status + ConnectionWhy Ambition can become corruptive and how to solve itWhy the best organisational structures are focused on the “Me” and “We” (this is SO SO SO good)We Earn Status Through VirtueThe Status Game and Michelin Star Restuarants: The Downfall of Status

Marketing hasn’t changed.Human behaviour hasn’t changed.Most brands still get this wrong.This episode is a curated montage of insights from three of the most influential thinkers in modern marketing and behavioural science — exploring why people buy, how brands become commodities, and what actually drives growth.===============📱 ON THE MENU===============Why people don’t buy quality — they buy storiesHow brands cross (or fail to cross) the adoption chasmWhy removing friction beats adding featuresThe real role of status, affiliation, and fearHow “delight” creates disproportionate valueWhy most innovation never becomes normalThis isn’t trend-watching.It’s a breakdown of the timeless mechanics behind decision-making, branding, and scale.If you’re building a brand, selling an idea, or trying to influence behaviour — this episode will change how you think about marketing.==============================================♨️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/🍲 ==============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvellous Sponsors🌟==============================================A massive shoutout to our incredible sponsors who make HUNGRY possible:►North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk)🤝 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/)===============================================

David Cleevely didn’t approach hospitality like a chef — he approached it like a systems engineer. After decades building companies at the heart of British technology and science, Cleevely went on to co-own one of the UK’s most iconic Italian restaurants. In this conversation, he explains why running a restaurant isn’t that different from running a technology business — if you understand systems, incentives, and long-term thinking. This isn’t a story about Silicon Valley hype. It’s about infrastructure, patience, culture, and why the boring bits are what actually make businesses work. =============== 📱 ON THE MENU =============== 🍝 What a tech pioneer learned by running a restaurant 🧠 Why systems thinking matters more than innovation 🏗️ Building businesses that last — in tech and hospitality 📉 Why most companies obsess over the wrong metrics 🇬🇧 How Britain quietly builds world-class businesses ⏳ The long view: patience, compounding, and endurance Whether you’re building a startup, running a restaurant, or managing a growing team, this is a masterclass in how experienced operators really think. ============================================== ♨️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/🍲 ============================================== 🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvellous Sponsors🌟 ============================================== A massive shoutout to our incredible sponsors who make HUNGRY possible: ►North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk) 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/) 

If Oasis did Supper Clubs they wouldn’t come close to HUNGRY Productions Bonfire Banquet.Okay…okay… I jest... I jest.But, my wonderful friends, this one was a CERTY BANGER!!!Absolute Wave Donny speaker line up:- Imme Ermgassen, Botivo Drinks | B corp- Andrew Salter, DIRTEA- Perry Haydn Taylor 💚, big fish®- Riya Patel, All The AuntiesHosted at London hottest new gaff, ISLAND Kings Cross at Mare Street MarketRun by two legendary Michelin Star chefs Tom Brown and Brad Carter.ON THE MENU:Avoiding category pigeonholingNiche focus vs. mass-market expansionBuilding credibility before awarenessPackaging as primary advertisingCommunity-first brand buildingIdentity and lifestyle brandingEarly adopters vs. mainstream consumersPaid media vs. organic creativityRetail + distribution challengesAgency pitfalls and resource misallocation

Santiago Lastra’s story is unlike any other in modern food. Raised in chaos, forged through global kitchens, and shaped by an obsessive drive to master his craft, he built KOL — one of London’s most original, Michelin-starred restaurants — by combining Mexican soul with British ingredients.In this conversation, Santiago reveals how adversity, identity, discipline and extreme curiosity shaped both him and his restaurant. This episode is about far more than food — it’s about reinvention, resilience, and the psychology behind elite creativity.=============ON THE MENU =============🇲🇽 Growing up in chaos — and turning adversity into fuel🔥 How obsession, discipline & structure rewired his life🥘 The philosophy behind KOL: Mexican soul, British ingredients🌍 Noma Mexico, global travel & finding creative identity🧠 How environment shapes ambition, confidence & mindset🎨 Why great creativity requires constraints🍽️ Building a Michelin-star restaurant from scratch👥 Leadership, culture & the psychology of a great kitchen🥃 The emotional story behind Mezcaleria KOL🔄 Letting go of your past to build the life you want==============================================♨️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/🍲 

Today’s poddy is sponsored by Square. Square is the all-in-one restaurant tech platform designed to streamline operations and give hospitality business owners the time back to focus on growth. Square is Big In Restaurants - which is the name of its latest UK marketing campaign - offering everything you need for day-to-day service, including Square’s payments, point of sale and reporting capabilities. Whether you’re a single-location FSR, a multilocation QSR, a bar or a multi-concept restaurant, improve the flow of orders and find more ways to keep profit in your pocket. For more information visit  👉 https://squareup.com/This live panel brings together four absolute legends of London hospitality: Stew Down from Black Bear Burger, Saiphin Moore from Rosa’s Thai Cafe, Graham Hollinshead from Ole & Steen, and Amanda Whiteside from the iconic Gordon’s Wine Bar.The theme of the night? How the hell do you survive—and actually thrive—in hospitality right now? Bruce Lee’s “Be like water” sets the tone as the group dives straight into the realities they’re all wrestling with and how they navigate around them.Stew (Black Bear Burger) talks about the challenge of being a premium brand in a category with a price ceiling. Instead of joining discount wars, he’s doubling down on creativity—like launching an adult Happy Meal with a double burger, fries, a Negroni, and a cheeky adult “toy.” It’s nostalgic, fun, and designed to go viral without cheapening the brand.Graham (Ole & Steen) offers the big-chain perspective. With 100+ stores in Denmark, 26 in the UK, and 5 in New York, his biggest fear is losing momentum. He talks about simplifying product ranges, fixing supply chain waste, and doing unexpected collaborations (like a Cinnamon Social × Badiani gelato mashup) to keep things fresh and fend off complacency.Saiphin (Rosa’s Thai Cafe) shares a very different set of pressures—import costs, skilled-chef shortages, and the challenge of staying true to her food when nearly everything comes from Thailand. Her answer? She trains up local staff from the ground floor, maintains deep relationships with Thai farmers, and proudly “swims against the water.” Her leadership style is pure heart: she cooks for her team, travels with them to Thailand, and treats them like extended family.Amanda (Gordon’s Wine Bar) brings the single-site reality. Running Gordon’s is like running the gauntlet: councils, complaints, grease traps, supply issues, dairy bans, price shocks—you name it. Her approach is to stay calm, pivot fast, and frame every problem as something solvable. She also breaks down how they restructured service charge and pricing to protect staff wages during the cost-of-living crisis.And that's only part of the conversation. Go on. Take a listen.==============================================♨️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/)  Proudly partnering with Square for this one 

Jun Tanaka, the renowned chef and owner of The Ninth in London, delves into his unique perspective on restaurant culture, emphasizing the importance of atmosphere, customer connection, and team cohesion over simply outstanding food. He shares memorable experiences from his time at legendary kitchens like Le Gavroche and under chefs such as Marco Pierre White, revealing how those influences shape his approach today. Discover the essence of making a restaurant transcend its menu, the value of sincere guest interactions, and how to cultivate a favorite dining spot for both patrons and the team. Whether you're a foodie, a budding restaurateur, or someone passionate about leadership and culture, Jun’s reflections promise valuable takeaways. ============= ON THE MENU ============= 🍽️ The early years — training at La Gavroche at 19 How Jun survived (and thrived) in one of the most intense foundational kitchens in the world. 🔥 Forged in 9 elite kitchens What he absorbed from Nico Ladenis, Phil Howard, Marco Pierre White and others — and how each chef shaped his philosophy. 👨🏻‍🍳 How The Ninth was built The values, systems and details behind one of London’s most respected neighbourhood restaurants. 🧠 Culture, leadership & psychology Why Jun leads with calm, presence and empathy — not fear — and how that builds stronger, more consistent teams. ❤️ The human side of Michelin The emotional intelligence, feedback loops and “psychological safety first” approach that keeps kitchens healthy and high-performing. 🔥 Rebuilding after the fire The story of losing The Ninth — and returning stronger through team resilience and shared belief. 🥘 Craft, discipline & standards Why details matter, how consistency is built, and what separates good kitchens from Michelin-level ones. 🌱 Personal growth How Jun’s style evolved from classical French technique toward a more soulful, Mediterranean-inspired identity. 🎯 What leadership really demands How to care for people, set expectations, create belonging and build a place where people want to stay. ==============================================♨️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/🍲 This episode was edited by:G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)  =============================================🌟 HUNGRY's Absolutely Bloody Marvelous Sponsors🌟=============================================✨North Star: (www.northstarbc.co.uk)😱Got empty tables? EatClub connects your restaurant with diners in real time, turning quiet hours into profit. Contact us: fillmytables@eatclub.co.uk---------------------------------🤝 Let's Connect!►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)