HUNGRY.

Dan Pope
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated weekly

HUNGRY is THE podcast for Challenger FMCG & Hospitality Founders wanting to pour gasoline on growth. We chat with the industry BIG HITTERS. We ooze out the HIDDEN success secrets they’ve never told before and dive deep into their gut-wrenching failures, so you avoid them. We help you grow bigger, faster, stronger. Over the last 6 years, we’ve chatted to some insane guests on the poddy: Rory Sutherland, Seth Godin, Jamie Laing, Spencer Matthews, Tom Kerridge, Sir John Hegarty, The founders of SOHO House, TRIP, The Devonshire, Tony’s Chocolonely, Vita Coco Look, I’ll be blunt, HUNGRY is NOT your normal podcast. HUNGRY is NOT scripted and sterile Q&A interviews. HUNGRY is for pretty much no one. HUNRGY is a deliciously fun, wild and crazy, ADHD rollercoaster of free flowing conversations. got what it takes? Buckle up. Strap in. get ready to… FEED YOUR HUNGER

  1. How to Keep Your Restaurant Rammed for 10+ Years: London’s Most Iconic Sri Lankan Restaurant “Hoppers” - Karan Gokani

    13 hr ago

    How to Keep Your Restaurant Rammed for 10+ Years: London’s Most Iconic Sri Lankan Restaurant “Hoppers” - Karan Gokani

    “Subscribe to free weekly news letter HUNGRY FRIDAY FEAST here”   I thought Karan would define success in the usual restaurant terms — reviews, covers, repeat customers. His answer went somewhere way more interesting. In this episode, I sit down with Karan Gokani to talk about how Hoppers became one of London’s most iconic restaurants — and how it has stayed busy, relevant, and loved for over a decade in an industry where that feels almost impossible. Karan shares the principles behind that success: make it personal, find your purpose, build a culture of kindness, and create something that makes people feel more than they expected. ON THE MENU:00:00 Intro 00:34 Opening Hoppers and refusing to dilute Sri Lankan food 02:12 Growing from Soho to Marylebone and King’s Cross 05:37 The biggest misconception about scaling restaurants 06:00 Culture, values, purpose and learning to codify instinct 08:15 How Covid changed hospitality teams and restaurant culture 09:01 Reading the room and spotting cultural red flags 11:58 Karan’s first business principle: make it personal 15:35 How taking feedback personally improves hospitality 20:52 Karan’s second principle: find your purpose 22:04 Saying yes to everything and discovering the common thread 23:03 Why Karan’s real purpose is inspiring people 24:43 How writing, Instagram and restaurants all connect to purpose 28:19 Asking why am I excited? 31:15 Beyond Reviews: Karan’s deeper definition of success 31:52 How Karan thinks differently from other restaurateurs 34:03 How to align a team around shared culture 35:18 Service versus hospitality 36:19 Building a culture of kindness 38:59 Karan’s definition of culture 42:04 What Karan has radically changed his mind on 45:35 Self-criticism, reinvention and never stepping in the same river twice 49:39 Growing up in Mumbai and how it shaped Karan 52:28 Why Karan came to the UK 54:45 Cambridge, curiosity and the people who shaped him 57:23 First principles thinking and mental models 58:18 Applying first principles to Hoppers 01:03:15 What problem are we really solving? 01:07:55 The marketing levers that fill restaurants 01:08:19 Why there is no perfect formula for restaurant success 01:08:42 Food as language and the restaurant as conversation 01:10:06 The soul of a restaurant and the importance of culture 01:12:29 The creative insecurities Karan still wrestles with 01:13:15 Competition, purpose and staying true to yourself 01:14:32 Food as a gateway into culture 01:15:19 Why Indian food is far more diverse than people realise 01:17:14 Why South Indian food remains underrated 01:18:28 The legacy of the British Indian curry house 01:21:46 The anthropology and nostalgia of food 01:27:48 Breaking down the dishes at the table 01:31:33 Designing the architecture and atmosphere of each Hoppers 01:35:45 Cooking as an expression of self 01:36:43 The similarities between writing and cooking 01:38:24 Why the JKS group has been so important to London restaurants 01:40:32 Building the infrastructure behind creative hospitality 01:42:27 Karan’s favourite books and inspirations 01:44:28 Closing thoughts and why there’s more to talk about  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    1hr 45min

  2. 3 days ago

    Espresso: Will Guidara - Praise Is Affirmation. Criticism Is Investmen

    ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    8 min
  3. London’s Most Famous Restaurateur “Maintaining Your Standards Is The Fastest Way to Bankruptcy” - The Wolseley, The Ivy, Le Caprice, Simpson's - Jeremy King

    25 May

    London’s Most Famous Restaurateur “Maintaining Your Standards Is The Fastest Way to Bankruptcy” - The Wolseley, The Ivy, Le Caprice, Simpson's - Jeremy King

    “Subscribe to free weekly news letter HUNGRY FRIDAY FEAST here”   Jeremy King doesn’t just talk about restaurants — he talks about change, class, creativity, ego, instinct, death, literature, leadership, and why the best dining rooms become tiny theatres of human behaviour. In this conversation, the legendary restaurateur behind The Ivy, Le Caprice, The Wolseley, Arlington and now Simpson's in the Strand explains why “maintaining standards” is actually the road to bankruptcy, why great restaurants must constantly evolve, and why hospitality is really about love, generosity, observation and care. Jeremy and Dan explore everything from Mick Jagger and Bianca Jagger at Le Caprice, to Lucian Freud, A.A. Gill, Harold Pinter, Graham Norton, Apple, Kodak, IBM, The Beatles, New York brasseries, Parisian cafés, class in Britain, and why every great creative or political movement may have started in a restaurant.  This one is unforgettable. A conversation about restaurants, yes — but really about how to live, lead, notice, change, and leave the world slightly better than you found it. ON THE MENU:00:00:00 Intro00:03:03 Why Restaurants Must Always Change00:05:46 Why Leadership Is A Benign Dictatorship00:07:24 Maintaining Standards Leads To Bankruptcy00:13:47 Why Restaurants Get Defensive00:17:35 Why Enough Is Never Enough00:20:06 Why Altruism Still Matters00:22:13 When Jeremy Refuses A Booking00:26:06 The Silent Couple At Mirabelle00:32:08 Arlington, Soho And Restaurant Design00:35:55 Why Great Restaurants Are Egalitarian00:41:18 Why Money Ruins Taste00:43:49 What Makes The Best Restaurant?00:47:43 Why Restaurants Need Creative People00:49:43 How Le Caprice Changed Service00:55:19 Why Culture Hates Real Change00:59:49 Why Strong Opinions Win01:03:00 How To Prepare For Death01:05:14 Why Jeremy Has Regrets Every Day01:06:16 The Power Of Happy Problems01:08:30 Why Jeremy Finally Wrote A Book01:15:12 Why Restaurant Work Changes Young People01:18:31 How Shyness Became Jeremy’s Advantage01:20:17 Can Dogs Sense Us Coming Home?01:24:11 Why We’ve Lost Our Instinct01:27:14 The Brain’s Restaurant Memory Card01:33:09 Why Moneyball Thinking Kills Instinct01:35:12 How Jeremy Feels A Restaurant’s Hum01:38:07 Why First Impressions Mislead Us01:41:18 Do All Movements Start In Restaurants?01:44:10 Why Creativity Needs Long Lunches01:48:48 Jeremy’s Favourite Books And Writers01:55:31 How Meditation Helped With Lucian Freud01:58:21 How Literature Taught Jeremy Restaurants02:00:01 Jeremy King’s Best Life Advice02:03:29 Ruthie Rogers’ Eye Contact Lesson02:05:33 Why Questions Beat Statements02:07:33 How Mick Jagger Helped Le Caprice02:11:43 Why Jeremy Prefers Narrowcasting02:13:01 Jeremy King’s Rules For Success ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    2h 16m

  4. 21 May

    Espresso: Will Guidara - How Any Business Can Apply World Class Hospitality for an INSANE Unfair Advantage

    ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    8 min
  5. 19 Life-Changing Marketing Lessons from The World's No.1 Restaurant - Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality

    18 May

    19 Life-Changing Marketing Lessons from The World's No.1 Restaurant - Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality

    “Subscribe to free weekly news letter HUNGRY FRIDAY FEAST here”   "Hospitality happens for people, not to them." In this masterclass of an episode, Unreasonable Hospitality author Will Guidara sits down with Dan Pope on the Hungry podcast to unpack the magic behind Eleven Madison Park's meteoric rise to the best restaurant in the world. From leaving a full bottle of cognac with the bill, to systemizing serendipity with Tiffany & Co. engagement flutes, Will explains why true excellence requires a healthy dose of unreasonableness. They dive into the tension between perfection and human connection, the power of a 'Red Team' in creative brainstorming, and how to apply Michelin-star hospitality to any industry—even a UPS store. ON THE MENU:00:00:00 Intro00:01:01 Excellence vs. Hospitality00:03:49 The Fueling Power of Praise & Criticism00:13:20 Redefining Hospitality in Any Industry00:18:18 Creativity: Inviting People Into Your Imagination00:22:11 The UPS Store & Chewy: Systemizing Magic00:35:45 The Cognac Check Drop at Eleven Madison Park00:44:10 Scheduling Creativity & Collaboration00:49:07 Moving to Nashville & Embracing Messiness00:58:27 Reading the Room: One Size Fits One01:06:48 Systemized Magic: The Tiffany Engagement Flutes01:08:32 The Miles Davis Approach to Restaurants01:18:13 The NoMad Chicken & The Red Team01:28:59 Customer Recovery as Your Best Marketing01:32:36 Seth Godin's Girl Scout Cookie Advice01:35:35 Danny Meyer & The Power of Language01:46:34 Do Not Ruin a Story With the Facts01:53:08 The Art of Gathering & Designing Events02:00:11 Savannah Bananas: Changing the Rules02:11:03 The Peak-End Rule & Letting Go of Control02:22:35 Confidence, Ego, & Meeting Your Heroes02:30:49 AI in Hospitality: Copilot, Not Autopilot  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    2h 39m

  6. 14 May

    Espresso - Rory Sutherland - How Restaurants Can Better Use Space to Make PROFIT!!!!

    ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲   --------------------------------- 🤝 Let's Connect!►Let's link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/)►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

    6 min
  7. The Brand Strategy Experts: Why Marketing Is Broken & What Actually Works in 2026 - DASH Water, BOTIVO, All Things Butter, The Pickle House Founders

    11 May

    The Brand Strategy Experts: Why Marketing Is Broken & What Actually Works in 2026 - DASH Water, BOTIVO, All Things Butter, The Pickle House Founders

    A rare behind-the-scenes roundtable with four of the UK’s most exciting challenger brand founders — Toby Hopkinson of All Things Butter, Jack Scott of DASH Water, Imme Ermgassen of Botivo, and Florence Cherruault of The Pickle House — filmed live at Strakers. Dan digs into the messy, brilliant reality of building modern food and drink brands: when to stay focused, when to diversify, how to win retail listings, why hospitality can build cultural credibility, and what happens when your “side idea” suddenly becomes 70% of the business. From cottage cheese and pickle juice to Victoria Beckham, Ottolenghi, Coco de Mer, Waitrose, United Airlines, New York launches, supermarket mistakes, brand copycats, and the power of packaging — this is a sharp, funny, honest conversation about growth, taste, culture, and the brutal lessons founders only learn by getting things wrong. ON THE MENU:• Cottage cheese becoming 70% of All Things Butter• DASH’s failed mixer launch• Pickle House’s move from cocktails to wellness• Pickle juice for muscle cramps• Botivo’s collaborations with Ottolenghi and Coco de Mer• Fashion, food, drink, and culture-led brand building• Victoria Beckham drinking DASH• Using restaurants to build product credibility• Hospitality vs grocery retail• Launching into Waitrose• Why premium venues create brand halo• Taste as the real reason people repurchase• Product iteration vs marketing spend• “Cost of goods is marketing”• Polarising products and passionate fans• One-star reviews and super-tasters• Hiring senior leaders• Difficult conversations with retailers and manufacturers• When manufacturers copy your product• Why brand is a moat• Packaging, texture, and supermarket shelf appeal• Creating ritual in non-alcoholic drinks• Functional drinks, CBD, THC, caffeine, and nootropics• Saying no to shiny opportunities• International expansion mistakes• Launching in the US• Tariffs, middlemen, and legal risk in America• United Airlines as a major Pickle House opportunity• Scaling back international markets• Why some brands travel better than others  ==============================================  ♨️Still bloody HUNGRY? Course ya are. Each week I spend 15 hours writing my newsletter. It’ll take you 5 mins to read. Full of wisdom from the biggest names in food and drink. Subscribe here - https://hungryfeast.beehiiv.com/🍲  ==============================================  🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)  This episode was edited by: G.Thomas Craig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gthomascraig/)

    1hr 41min
  8. Espresso: Michel Roux Jr. - What Was it REALLY Like Working With Marco Pierre White?

    7 May

    Espresso: Michel Roux Jr. - What Was it REALLY Like Working With Marco Pierre White?

    HUNGRY.

    11 min
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About

HUNGRY is THE podcast for Challenger FMCG & Hospitality Founders wanting to pour gasoline on growth. We chat with the industry BIG HITTERS. We ooze out the HIDDEN success secrets they’ve never told before and dive deep into their gut-wrenching failures, so you avoid them. We help you grow bigger, faster, stronger. Over the last 6 years, we’ve chatted to some insane guests on the poddy: Rory Sutherland, Seth Godin, Jamie Laing, Spencer Matthews, Tom Kerridge, Sir John Hegarty, The founders of SOHO House, TRIP, The Devonshire, Tony’s Chocolonely, Vita Coco Look, I’ll be blunt, HUNGRY is NOT your normal podcast. HUNGRY is NOT scripted and sterile Q&A interviews. HUNGRY is for pretty much no one. HUNRGY is a deliciously fun, wild and crazy, ADHD rollercoaster of free flowing conversations. got what it takes? Buckle up. Strap in. get ready to… FEED YOUR HUNGER

Information

  • Creator
    Dan Pope
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    400
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 HUNGRY.
  • Show Website
    HUNGRY.

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