In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy is joined by Loren Daniels, Tim Varney, and Michael Bascetta to explore one of the simplest yet most powerful frameworks in hospitality: the Pyramid.

What starts as a practical chat quickly evolves into a deep dive on why so many businesses pour money into marketing without first building the foundation that makes promotion actually work. We break down the four layers of the Pyramid — Identity, Product, Consistency, and Promo — and share candid stories from our own venues where getting the order wrong caused more problems than it solved.

From defining your “why” in a way that’s both clear and compelling, to making sure guests get the same experience every single time, our conversation highlights how the Pyramid can diagnose hidden gaps and redirect effort where it creates the most return.

Topics Covered:

• Why Identity is the foundation — and why “clear and compelling” beats “clever” branding
• How Product is more than food and drink: it’s every touchpoint of the guest journey
• The role of Consistency in creating repeat trade and guest trust
• Why Promo amplifies flaws if the bottom three layers aren’t strong
• Why word of mouth still outperforms any ad campaign

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.