The Prep List

Open Pantry Co.
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Start your week with a sharper mindset and a better plan. Hosted by Shaun de Vries from Open Pantry Co., The Prep List is your under 10-minute Monday hit of hospitality insights, made for venue owners, operators, and team leaders who don’t have time to scroll or sit through an hour-long podcast. Each week, you’ll get: – One trend to watch – One tool to test – One real-world operator move – One smart question for your team If you run a venue, manage a crew, or just want your week to feel a little less chaotic, this is your mise en place for the mind.

  1. Episode 29 - When You Know Your Numbers, the Decisions Get Obvious

    16 HRS AGO

    Episode 29 - When You Know Your Numbers, the Decisions Get Obvious

    Financial stress in hospitality usually isn't about the numbers themselves; it's about the uncertainty around them. This final episode in the Money series brings it back to one question: if you had to describe the financial health of your venue in one sentence right now, what would you say? The gap between where you are and being able to answer that clearly, is the work. This week's actions: Answer the one-sentence financial health question honestly — and notice whether your answer is clear, vague, or anxious.Ask your team: what would we do differently if we were completely clear on our financial position?Identify one decision you've been avoiding that financial clarity might make obvious. Money is one of the eight ingredients we use to assess venue health — and it never operates in isolation. If a whole-picture review sounds useful, reach out to us via the email below. Next series: Location — see you there. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    5 min
  2. Episode 28 - The Wrong Cuts Cost More

    16 HRS AGO

    Episode 28 - The Wrong Cuts Cost More

    When revenue dips, the reflex is to cut whatever is visible and easy, not what's actually causing the problem. This episode is about financial decision-making under pressure: what to protect, what to question, and why undisciplined cost-cutting often costs more in the long run than the problem it was trying to solve. This week's actions: Before your next cost decision under pressure, run it through the three-question filter from this episode: guest experience, team capability, and whether it's actually a revenue problem in disguise.Have the conversation with your team before you need it: when we're under financial pressure, what do we protect and why?Audit one recent cut — was it targeting the cause, or just the most visible cost? Financial resilience is about the decisions behind the numbers, not just the numbers themselves. The Pantry Review helps you build both. Reach out to us via the email below. Next episode: The final episode in the Money series, how financial clarity changes the way you lead, not just the way you manage money. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    6 min
  3. Episode 27 - Busy Isn't the Same as Healthy

    16 HRS AGO

    Episode 27 - Busy Isn't the Same as Healthy

    Revenue is visible, measurable, and feels like control, but you can grow your top line and shrink your profitability at the same time. This episode unpacks the contribution margin lens: a simple way to identify which parts of your operation actually make money, and which parts just feel like they do. This week's actions: Pick one revenue stream, a menu section, a service period, or an event, and map its real cost, including labour, time, and complexity.Ask your team: if we could only keep the parts of what we do that actually work, what would we keep?Identify one thing you're currently running that might be generating revenue but not return. The Pantry Review helps you understand not just what your venue makes, but what it actually keeps. Reach out to us via the email below. Next episode: Money under pressure - what your financial decisions in tough moments reveal about the kind of operation you're running. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    5 min
  4. Episode 26 - Your Numbers Are Lying to You (But Not How You Think)

    16 HRS AGO

    Episode 26 - Your Numbers Are Lying to You (But Not How You Think)

    Your financial position isn't a picture of today; it's a record of decisions you made weeks or months ago. This episode introduces the three financial signals every venue leader should be reading weekly: cost of goods, wage-to-revenue ratio, and net cash position. Because you can't fix what you're not looking at. This week's actions: Pull your cost of goods, wage ratio, and end-of-week cash position — and look at them together, not in isolation.Ask yourself: which of these three have you been checking reactively rather than routinely?Identify one operational decision from the past month that you now see reflected in the numbers. The Pantry Review is where we start. Reach out to us via the email below. Next episode: The revenue trap — why busy isn't the same as healthy, and why chasing the top line might be costing you more than you think. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    5 min
  5. Episode 25 - The Brands That Win Aren't the Loudest — They're the Clearest

    29 MAR

    Episode 25 - The Brands That Win Aren't the Loudest — They're the Clearest

    The instinct when trade softens is to do more...more posts, more promos, more noise. But if customers don't really get you yet, more volume won't fix it. In this final episode of the brand series, Shaun explains why clarity compounds and noise doesn't, and how to check whether what you already have is actually aligned. This week's actions: Pick four touchpoints — menu, service style, job ads, socials or websiteAsk: do they all sound like they belong to the same venue?Ask your team: where are we accidentally sending mixed signals? That's a wrap on the brand series. If any of it has surfaced work worth doing, the Pantry Review is where we help venues sharpen before they scale. Get in touch: connect@openpantryco.com Next series: Money — what actually makes hospitality work. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    4 min
  6. Episode 24 - Your Brand Doesn't Show on Your Best Day

    29 MAR

    Episode 24 - Your Brand Doesn't Show on Your Best Day

    Most venues look fine when things are calm. Brand shows up when the chef calls in sick, the POS goes down, a customer complains, and the team is stretched. In this episode, Shaun explains why pressure is the real test and how to make sure your venue defaults to its values instead of improvising them. This week's actions: Think of a realistic tough service — short staff, tech failure, unhappy guestAsk: what do we say to customers, what does staff say to each other, and who makes decisions?If the answers change depending on who's on shift, write down a shared expectation: how we behave when it's hard Want help with this? Aligning behaviour under pressure is at the heart of the Pantry Review. Get in touch: connect@openpantryco.com Next episode: Why the strongest brands aren't louder, they're clearer. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    4 min
  7. Episode 23 - Are You Running a Venue or a Collection of Ideas?

    29 MAR

    Episode 23 - Are You Running a Venue or a Collection of Ideas?

    Brand drift doesn't happen overnight. It happens one reasonable decision at a time — a new dish here, a service tweak there, until the venue stops feeling intentional and just feels busy. In this episode, Shaun introduces a single filter question to help operators spot drift before it stalls performance. This week's actions: Before adding or changing anything, ask: does this make us more us, or just more busy?Run that filter across your menu, service style, hours, and marketingAsk your team: what do we do today that no longer fits who we are? Want help with this? Pruning before pushing harder is one of the first things we look at in the Pantry Review. Get in touch: connect@openpantryco.com Next episode: Where brand really shows up — and it's not on your best day. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    4 min
  8. Episode 22 - If You Can't Say It in One Sentence, Neither Can Your Team

    29 MAR

    Episode 22 - If You Can't Say It in One Sentence, Neither Can Your Team

    Brand confusion doesn't show up in your logo — it shows up operationally. Menus that feel scattered, service that changes depending on who's rostered, teams making different calls because no one's clear on what matters most. In this episode, Shaun introduces the One Sentence Brand Test: a simple tool to find the gap and close it. This week's actions: Write your venue's brand in one sentence — no "and also"Ask two team members to say it back in their own wordsIf you get three different answers, that's your gap Want to work on this? The Pantry Review at Open Pantry Co. is exactly this kind of work. Get in touch. Next episode: What happens when a venue becomes a collection of ideas — and how to pull it back. How to connect with Open Pantry Co. Reach out to us here: connect@openpantryco.com Subscribe to the 🥪Sandwich Press Newsletter: Link Open Pantry Co. Website: Link Open Pantry Co. Instagram: Link Open Pantry Co. YouTube: Link Open Pantry Co. LinkedIn: Link Open Pantry Co. Linktree: Link

    4 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Start your week with a sharper mindset and a better plan. Hosted by Shaun de Vries from Open Pantry Co., The Prep List is your under 10-minute Monday hit of hospitality insights, made for venue owners, operators, and team leaders who don’t have time to scroll or sit through an hour-long podcast. Each week, you’ll get: – One trend to watch – One tool to test – One real-world operator move – One smart question for your team If you run a venue, manage a crew, or just want your week to feel a little less chaotic, this is your mise en place for the mind.

Information

  • Creator
    Open Pantry Co.
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Open Pantry Co.
  • Show Website
    The Prep List