In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy sits down with Joseph Abboud (Rumi, Rocket Society) to unpack what “identity” looks like when you move it from gut-feel to something a whole team can use. 

Rather than trading in abstract brand-speak, Joseph shares the hard-won process of articulating Rumi’s purpose—“to embody Middle Eastern hospitality with a contemporary attitude so that we can have a positive impact on our immediate and broader community”—and how writing it down changed hiring, training, decision-making, and even his own accountability as a founder.

From a Silk Road story about generosity to the idea of a “borderless Middle East” as a creative lens, this is a practical walkthrough of turning mission into behaviour, not posters.

Topic Covered:

• Why purpose statements need a “so that” to close the loop and create alignment across teams
• How writing down identity reduces founder fatigue and makes onboarding easier
• Why generosity became Rumi’s core brand promise and how it shows up in daily operations
• The importance of origin in food and service — respecting tradition while evolving only when it adds value
• How a clear mission enables businesses to scale impact (community dinners, staff culture) without diluting the core

The PAX Hospitality Podcast is produced by PAX and Craate Creative. Support for this podcast comes from Square and Brunswick Design and Innovation. Our music is produced by Patricia Heath and Mattias Westergren.

PAX acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and to all First Nations People.