Claim OwnershipSupy Talks - The Multi-Branch Restaurant Operations Podcast
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Supy Talks is the podcast for restaurant operators who want to grow. Each episode features real stories, lessons, and insights from industry leaders across the F&B world - designed to help you run smarter, scale faster, and stay ahead.
19 Episodes
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In this episode of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Jackson Versitano, Senior Director of Hospitality at Lightspeed, to break down why hospitality is harder to run (and scale) than retail — and what operators need to get right as they grow.Jackson brings over a decade of experience across retail and hospitality tech, and shares a practical view on scaling: why perishables and tight trading windows make margins unforgiving, why people + technology are the biggest levers, and how data, POS integrations, and AI should be approached without hype.We cover:✅ Retail vs hospitality: what’s fundamentally different✅ Why scaling breaks without strong foundations✅ People + tech: the two biggest levers for multi-site growth✅ Best-in-class stacks vs all-in-one software✅ POS as the “brain” + why integrations matter✅ AI in restaurants: start slow, fix data firstYou’ll also hear:🔥 “Concept + location” as the real starting point📉 Why bad data makes AI risky (garbage in, garbage out)🔌 How plug-and-play integrations support long-term scale📲 Connect with Jackson: / jacksonversitano9
In Episode 18 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Amy Glover, a hospitality marketing, brand, and guest experience leader with nearly 20 years’ experience across some of the UK’s largest hospitality groups.Amy has held senior roles at Greene King and Mitchells & Butlers, organisations that collectively operate thousands of pubs, restaurants, and hotels across the UK. Her work sits at the intersection of brand, marketing, and operations - helping large, managed estates scale while keeping the guest experience consistent and meaningful.In this episode, Amy shares the practical systems behind scaling restaurant brands well. Drawing on her experience with Miller & Carter, she explains how clarity, codification, and strong operator relationships make it possible to grow without drifting away from what guests come back for.We cover:✅ Why operations aren’t a delivery layer - they’re part of the product✅ The difference between brand intent and brand execution✅ How to protect consistency as restaurant estates grow✅ What actually needs to be codified to scale successfully✅ Lessons from Miller & Carter on brand, culture, and leadership✅ How to stress-test ideas operationally before rolling them out✅ Why alignment beats speed when scaling hospitality brandsYou’ll also hear:🔥 Why brand ownership can’t sit with marketing alone🛠️ A real rollout lesson from an over-ambitious dessert launch📉 How misaligned promotions weaken brand recall🏗️ Why strong foundations matter more than rapid expansion🤝 How trust between brand and ops teams drives executionAmy’s message throughout the episode is clear:Scaling restaurants successfully isn’t about doing more - it’s about building systems that protect consistency, empower teams, and deliver the same great experience at every location.Whether you’re a COO, Head of Ops, Brand Director, or founder planning your next phase of growth, this episode offers a clear, practical playbook for scaling restaurant brands without dilution.📲 Connect with Amy: / amy-glover-93821954
In Episode 17 of Supy Talks, we sit down with Rayhan Aleem, Founder of Alpha Pro Partners, to unpack one of the most frustrating paradoxes in hospitality:Why do restaurants with full dining rooms still go broke?Rayhan has advised hundreds of F&B operators across Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the UK, and beyond - and he’s seen firsthand how poor visibility into numbers can quietly destroy even the busiest restaurants. In this episode, he breaks down the financial blind spots, operational leaks, and cultural dynamics that drain profit long before founders realize what’s happening.From food cost ownership to supplier price creep, from wastage to fraud, from ERP myths to the realities of Dubai rents - Rayhan explains why “revenue” is a vanity metric and visibility is the only real protection an operator has.We cover:✅Why restaurants with strong sales still operate at a loss✅The Triple-30 rule - and why many operators never reach 10% net profit✅How to use weekly visibility to prevent monthly disasters✅Wastage, shrinkage & unrecorded loss: the silent killers of COGS✅Who actually owns food cost: the chef, the cost controller, or finance?✅Why cost controllers exist in the GCC (and what their role should be)✅When FIFO makes sense - and when it wastes more money than it saves✅The truth about Dubai leases, fit-out timelines & turnover rent✅Why ERPs fail operators (and what modern systems do better)You’ll also hear:🔥How poor visibility turns accountants into “defensive firefighters.”📉How supplier prices quietly rise without operators noticing🛠️Simple controls to prevent fraud before it hits the P&L📊What investors really expect from early-stage F&B founders🏗️How processes - not passion - determine which restaurants surviveRayhan’s message throughout the episode is clear:Busy restaurants don’t fail because of food. They fail because they fly blind.Visibility into operations, costs, and margins isn’t optional; it’s the difference between a thriving brand and a quiet shutdown.🫱🏻🫲🏽Connect with Rayhan: / rayhanaleem
In Episode 16 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Tom Stanley, Founder & CEO of William Stanley & Co - a restaurant operator-turned-accountant whose team supports 600+ hospitality businesses across the UK, US, Middle East and beyond. From Soho House to Big Mamma Group, Tom has seen the inside of more P&Ls than most operators will in a lifetime — and he’s refreshingly honest about what really drives profit.Across the episode, Tom breaks down the realities of rising wage costs, why “best-of-breed” tech stacks beat all-in-one, and the operating systems you need in place before you scale from two sites to ten.We cover:✅ The three levers great operators obsess over (and how often to review them)✅ The £200k stockroom audit: controls, accountability and transparent food cost✅ Labour in 2025: structuring sections and rotas without hurting service✅ Why menu engineering is better than hard upsells✅ Best-of-breed tech stacks (“LEGO bricks”) that scale with you✅ Weekly rhythms for making P&Ls usable ✅ When central kitchens pay back — and when they don’t✅ UK expansion hotspots (Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol) and global watch-outsYou’ll also hear:🔥 Why private dining often beats retail as a new revenue stream📊 What “healthy” food cost looks like by concept — and why many now manage to a ~60% combined food+labour envelope🛠 Simple controls that stop waste, errors and theft before they hit the P&L🤝 How tight operator–vendor relationships solve problems faster than any feature list🏗 The single biggest prerequisite to franchising without chaos: a replicable operating systemWhether you’re an FD, COO or multi-site operator planning your next five openings, this conversation is a masterclass in turning numbers into decisions — and decisions into profit.📲 Connect with Tom: williamstanley.co | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmhstanley/
In Episode 15 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Ahmad Azmi, Managing Director of Sophia Café and a rising leader in Dubai’s specialty coffee scene. Ahmad’s career path has been anything but typical: from cabin crew at Etihad, to area manager of 17 Chili’s locations, to building one of the city’s fastest-growing hospitality groups.Along the way he’s tackled everything from cutting food costs and managing supply chain complexity, to opening 12 franchise locations in three months — all while building a people-first culture.We cover:✅ How Chili’s “school of ops” shaped Ahmad’s leadership style✅ Lessons from scaling to 17 branches without today’s tech tools✅ Cutting food costs from 52% by fixing wastage, errors, and theft✅ The challenge of rapid franchising and ensuring consistency✅ Why attitude matters more than CV in hiringYou’ll also hear:🔥 The fryer story that taught Ahmad to be friendly, fair, and firm📊 How a 100k ordering mistake changed his approach to forecasting🛠 The simple system he still uses today from his Chili’s trainingWhether you’re scaling a restaurant group or love hearing real stories of growth, this episode is packed with practical lessons from one of MENA’s most ambitious operators.📲 Connect with Ahmad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-jamal-azmy-922ba9107/
In Episode 14 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Chris Daniels, COO of a 43-store Domino’s franchise group and a QSR veteran with over 30 years of experience across Domino’s, Delivery Hero, Freedom Pizza, and more.Chris started as a delivery driver at 17 — and worked his way to the top. Along the way, he’s built ops systems from scratch, led teams through chaos (like the Valentine’s Day Massacre), and helped reduce labour costs while speeding up delivery times.We cover:✅ The $40k chicken disaster that taught him how to handle supplier risk✅ How Domino’s got delivery times down to 23 minutes across 43 stores✅ The key metric his team tracks to improve labour efficiency✅ The hardest part of scaling from 5 to 50 sites — and how to prepare✅ Why menu simplification is the secret weapon in QSR opsYou’ll also hear:🍕 How he became Europe’s fastest pizza maker📉 The perfect delivery aggregator strategy🛠 Lessons from tech roles at Delivery Hero and The Entertainer🔥 His most hard-earned leadership lesson (hint: own your mistakes)Whether you're scaling a restaurant group or just love a good ops war story, this episode is packed with real talk and practical wisdom from one of the industry’s most experienced operators.📲 Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-daniels-a6220471/
Supy Talks Ep.13 — How Pitfire Pizza Scaled Without Franchising or Discounting (ft. Matthew Cox, COO)What does it really take to fix the kind of operational problem that keeps operators up at night — and turn it into a competitive advantage?In this episode, we sit down with Matthew Cox, COO of Pitfire Pizza, a regional leader known for doing things differently in a sea of cookie-cutter pizza chains.Matt helped transform Pitfire Pizza into a brand with uncompromising quality, thriving teams, and data-driven profitability.What you’ll learn in this episode:- The real story behind Pitfire’s $50,000 mushroom variance (and how they fixed it for good)- How to build a delivery strategy that maximizes both sales and margins- When to fight your POS — and when to upgrade it- Tips for balancing artisan quality with the realities of scaling up- How Matthew uses Supy to cut food cost, improve ordering accuracy, and empower every outlet managerBehind the scenes:- Why Pitfire “loves complexity” and turns it into a superpower- What Matt learned from bad audits and inventory chaos- The one piece of tech every fast-growing brand should prioritizeWhether you’re a multi-unit operator or just want a no-BS look at the real work of driving restaurant profit, this episode is packed with tactical advice, cautionary tales, and practical strategies for modern F&B leaders.
Supy Talks Ep.12 — How To Open Restaurants Fast, Without Losing Their Soul (ft. Yann Chevris & Janos Laszlo)How do you open restaurants quickly, at scale — without losing the magic that made the first one great?In this episode of Supy Talks, we sit down with two operators who’ve done just that.👨🍳 Yann Chevris — hospitality veteran and founder of Food For Thoughts Consultancy (https://f4tyconsult.com/), known as the “champion of openings,” having launched over 50 venues globally, including Nobu in London and Urth Cafe in Saudi Arabia.📱 Janos Laszlo — ex-COYA & LPM trainer turned tech founder, now scaling PocketTrainer (pockettrainer.app), a hospitality LMS built to standardise and simplify training for restaurant teams.What you’ll learn in this episode:- How to open restaurants ahead of schedule — and why it almost never happens- The formula for building teams with both soul and scale- Why rushed openings kill culture — and how to avoid it- The hidden cost of inconsistent ingredients across locations- What Janos learned creating training manuals no one read- How PocketTrainer went from side project to scalable startup🔍 Behind the scenes:🍽️ Yann's secret to a three-month concept rollout📉 Janos’s early career mistake that almost got him fired🧠 How to build "Formula 1" waiters without ego battles🛠️ The problem with most digital training tools — and how to fix itWhether you're expanding from 1 to 10 or from 10 to 100, this episode is packed with practical advice and hard-won lessons on how to scale without compromise.
In Episode 11 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by Travis Fish — founder of Ops Club and former Group Ops Director at Comptoir Libanais.Travis has done it all: built brands like BabaBoom, led teams at Nando’s, scaled tech at Rotageek, and now coaches founder-led and PE-backed hospitality groups through the messy middle of growth.We cover:✅ What great ops leadership actually looks like✅ How to roll out tech without wasting six months✅ Why accountability and clear standards matter more than ever✅ How to balance structure and autonomy across 27 locations✅ What he wishes someone had told him in year oneYou’ll also hear:🔍 Why surface-level networking isn’t enough📉 A tech decision he’d take back🔥 The underrated habits of high-performing ops leaders🍽 His favorite restaurants, from guilty pleasures to special-occasion spotsWhether you're running a group today or eyeing the next step in your career, Travis drops hard-earned truths on what it takes to lead operations in the real world.🎧 Listen now to learn how to grow your team, your systems, and yourself — all without losing your mind.Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify.Reach out to Travis!https://www.linkedin.com/in/travisfish/www.ops-club.com
In Episode 10 of Supy Talks, we’re joined by William Connors, a former F&B manager turned tech consultant who’s helped brands like Wahaca, Popeyes, Burger King and Wingstop overhaul their tech stacks and scale without chaos.Having worked everywhere from Caribbean resorts to high-growth UK QSR chains, William brings a rare mix of on-the-ground restaurant ops experience and deep tech know-how.We dive into:✅ How to scale restaurant tech without spiralling into chaos✅ The difference between managing tech in QSRs vs full-service vs hotels✅ Why every tech rollout needs a high-performing pilot site✅ Real-world examples of tech saving (or losing) restaurants hundreds of thousands✅ What to look for when suppliers say “we’ve got an API”✅ How to build a best-in-class stack without getting burned by bad integrationsYou’ll also hear:🎃 The story of 1,600 pumpkins being buried on a beach📉 How payment system failures are quietly killing restaurant revenue🧠 What operators get wrong when they treat tech like a cost (and how to flip the mindset)Whether you’re running 3 sites or 300, this episode is packed with no-fluff, battle-tested lessons on choosing the right tools, avoiding expensive tech mistakes, and building a setup that actually helps your team.🎧 Listen now and learn how to make restaurant tech a profit driver, not a headache.
In Episode 9 of Supy Talks, we sit down with Peter Lyons – a hospitality consultant, former GM of Hospitality for Pearl Island in Qatar, and the man behind The Restaurant Guru. With 30+ years of hands-on experience across everything from Michelin-starred restaurants to multi-site casual dining groups, Peter shares battle-tested strategies on what it really takes to run a world-class hospitality operation.We dive into:✅ The difference between great service and true hospitality✅ How to run a high-performance shift (from pre-shift briefings to end-of-day reviews)✅ What every manager must do to build a culture of care and consistency✅ How to reduce variance, streamline inventory, and stop waste before it starts✅ What to systemise before you think about franchising your restaurant brand✅ Why guest experience is won or lost at the hands of middle managementWhether you’re running 1 site or 100, this episode is packed with practical, no-nonsense advice that will help you improve team performance, tighten up operations, and create unforgettable guest experiences - every single day.🎧 Listen now and learn how to take your hospitality game from good to world-class.
In Episode 8 of Supy Talks, we sit down with Ramzi Al Omari, an F&B expert with a career spanning Uber Eats, cloud kitchens, and large-scale restaurant operations. Now running his own marketing agency, Ramzi shares insider strategies on what it really takes to build a profitable online food business.We dive into:✅ How to design a streamlined, high-margin menu that works for delivery✅ The biggest mistakes new restaurant owners make (and how to avoid them)✅ Smart strategies to win on delivery platforms and increase profitability✅ The real role of cloud kitchens—who should use them and when✅ Why direct ordering should be part of every restaurant’s long-term strategyPacked with practical, no-nonsense advice, this episode is a must-listen for restaurant operators, food entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to scale their delivery business the right way.
In the 7th episode of Supy Talks and the debut episode in Australia, we sit down with Patrick de Pinho, a seasoned hospitality professional and current state & project manager at Zeus Street Greek.
Patrick shares insights from his 25+ years in hospitality, from working as a chef to managing operations across 36 locations.
We dive into the strategies Zeus Street Greek employs to maintain consistency, embrace cutting-edge technology, and achieve ambitious growth goals.
You'll learn how data-driven decisions, franchise partnerships, and innovative tech solutions are revolutionizing the restaurant industry.
This is the perfect episoide for hospitality enthusiasts, operators, and anyone curious about scaling a food business effectively.
Riad Abou Lteif’s journey is unusual to say the least. Architect turned chef and restaurant investor, he’s behind several successful restaurant concepts in Beirut and Dubai, namely Tahini, Wise Guys, and Moonshine. In our discussion today, Riad shares his experience in launching brand new concepts, how to run them successfully, and elaborates on the factors that make or break a restaurant business. He also shares his thoughts on the Best 50 Lists and restaurant awards.
Supy Talks is the podcast dedicated to restaurant operators - new and experienced - looking to expand their F&B knowledge by listening to the stories and perspectives of our industry's leading figures.
Supy Talks is hosted and produced by Jean-Philippe Serhal.
Marvin Alballi is an award-winning food and beverage executive with twenty two years of international experience managing franchise chains, celebrity-chef restaurants, independent establishments, and global hotel F&B operations. He’s spent several years with the InterContinental Hotels Group, for which he oversaw 745 restaurants and bars for 212 hotels overseas, and the Fortune 500 company Brinker International (Chili's Grill & Bar) named him Training and Operator of the Year. Marvin’s also launched several franchise locations internationally, namely Caribou Coffee and Applebee’s. Additionally, Marvin delivers seminars and keynote speeches and offers consulting-both online and in person. Marvin shares his tips for wowing your guests and running a successful F&B business.
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Supy Talks is the podcast dedicated to restaurant operators - new and experienced - looking to expand their F&B knowledge by listening to the thoughts, stories, and perspectives of our industry's figures. It is hosted by Jean-Philippe Serhal, Marketing Lead at Supy.
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Couqley is the 15 year old restaurant where all generations gather for great food at affordable prices and great service. Ziad Kamel is a serial restaurant entrepreneur who's been running the infamous brand for years. In our conversation, he shares his tips and advice to starting and running a restaurant that will last.
Supy Talks is the podcast dedicated to restaurant operators - new and experienced - looking to expand their F&B knowledge by listening to the thoughts, stories, and perspectives of our industry's figures.
Pinch Gourmet's Elias Kandalaft is both a chef and business owner who's propelled his catering business in the Dubai scene. In this podcast, we cover the different aspects that make and help you run a catering business - from starting such a business to creating a menu for an event to how to keep your business competitive.
Marsel Khanane leads the supply chain department at Tashas Group; the leading F&B group behind some of Dubai's hottest restaurants, including Tashas, Flamingo Room, and Avli. Marsel has built a reputation of "Cost Killer" for himself, he's won several Supply Chain & Procurement awards, and was the first to execute industry-leading practices which have led to millions of dollars saved, and countless hours of labor.
This week we're joined by Alex Debare, founder of the locally-inspired multi-site, burger chain Burger28. From how to develop a new concept to the effect of restaurant data in decision-making, our discussion covered the most pressing questions experienced and beginner restaurant owners ask themselves.
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