If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you mix hustle, humility, a bit of chaos, and a moment of pure stage-fright… this episode has you covered.

This week, I sat down with Tom James, Managing Director of Bill’s Restaurants, and a man whose career has taken him from glass collector to running iconic hospitality brands with a detour involving an incident with Jamie Oliver. Is that really his name?

it’s every bit as painful and glorious as it sounds.

But beyond the comedy gold, Tom brings serious insight on leadership, culture, brand evolution, and the real work behind transforming a casual dining business in a turbulent market.

In This Episode

• The 16 year old glass collector who instantly fell in love with the buzz of hospitality
• Why hospitality should count as national service
• The mentor who changed Tom’s life and convinced him to skip his degree for a bar manager job at 20
• Becoming a General Manager at 24 and the power of someone seeing potential in you before you see it in yourself
• Forgetting everything you think you know when joining a new business (and why it matters)
• The Padstow Hotel summer that taught him more in four weeks than the entire year before
• Why casual dining’s old “playbooks” no longer work in a market that changes every two months
• How Bill’s rebuilt its identity, doubled EBITDA, and refocused the business around culture, data and genuine hospitality
• Why six out of ten experiences are basically an invitation to try somewhere else

Stand-Out Quotes

“You’ve always got to find a way. The failures… what are the learnings? How can I do it better?”

“The nicest, kindest, most generous man I’ve met in hospitality is Bill — he’s still our cultural benchmark.”

“Six out of ten is saying: try somewhere else next time.”

“The best loyalty comes from emotional connection — not discounting.”

“I learned more in four weeks running that hotel than in the entire year before.”

Why Listen

This episode is a masterclass in:

• Leadership without ego
• Culture-driven transformation
• Brand identity in a challenging market
• The messy, human, hilarious reality of hospitality

And above all, Tom’s story is a reminder of why this industry is so special:

it takes good people, stretches them, teaches them, shapes them — and occasionally gives them stories they’ll never, ever live down.

Including Jamie Oliver

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Also, a massive shout out to our new show partners Apron

Running a hospitality business means juggling endless payments - from suppliers to staff - all while keeping cash flow in check. That’s where Apron helps.

With Apron Bill Pay, you can manage every supplier payment in one place, approve and schedule bills, and sync automatically with Xero or QuickBooks.

And with the Apron Card, your team can spend easily while you stay in control - and earn rewards on every purchase.

Learn more at getapron.com.

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