PREPPED with John Wood John Wood

Holly Hallam is Managing Director at DesignLSM, a multi-disciplined studio that specialises in strategy, branding, architecture and interior design for hospitality clients such as Roka, Galvin restaurants, D&D, Gaucho, Hilton, Marriot and Taj Luxury hotels.

In this episode, we discuss how operators can reopen their doors safely - without losing the important 'human' touch of hospitality. Holly discusses the difference between Cautious Guests and Revenge Spenders, how to develop golden rules for your customers and staff so you can build confidence and what can be done to fill the spaces left in your venue from social distancing measures. Or as Holly prefers to call it - spatial distancing. After all, if hospitality isn't social, there really isn't much point is there?

Known as the ‘dream killer’ – Chris Barber doesn’t take it personally! He works with brands such as IHG, Pizza Express, Byron, the Royal Albert Hall to turn concepts into resilient businesses. Starting as a chef, he achieved a Michelin star and was a personal chef to Prince Charles, before setting up his consultancy.

In this episode, Chris discusses the key points of success – and failure – in hospitality operations. Could a limited menu help to cement your brand? Who is your demographic and how does location affect this? We answer these questions and many more. Ultimately, Chris believes that best people going forward won’t just be great cooks, but also strong business people.

Neil Graham is the founder and MD of SpaYse International, one of the UKs leading hospitality recruiters. Neil initially trained as a chef but became passionate about finding the next generation of hospitality talent. In the past 10 years Neil has interviewed over 50,000 people and reviewed millions of CVs, so he has his finger firmly on the recruitment pulse.

In this episode, Neil confirms that there are lots of disgruntled hospitality workers in the market due to how previous employers handled the coronavirus lockdown. When recruitment does pick up again – many will be cautious about who they work for next. With the market flooded with skilled individuals, how can HR directors recruit the right people for them once business picks back up?

Professor David Foskett is the co-author of numerous hospitality textbooks that have sold over 2 million copies and are used in 140 countries. Previously the Dean of the London School of Hospitality and Tourism, and awarded and MBE by Her Majesty the Queen – David has fantastic insights into the education sector.

In this episode, David discusses what’s wrong with the current UK apprenticeship scheme, how it stands up internationally and what we need to do to improve. Passionate about the industry, David wants a bigger focus on operational control skills - which he sees as fundamental to the success of any operation.

He also highlights a great learning point for the Government during the pandemic - that hospitality workers feed the nation and as such, they deserve more recognition.

Cyrus Todiwala OBE is an Indian British chef and proprietor of Café Spice Namasté and Mr Todiwala's Kitchen. Regularly appearing on cooking television shows, Cyrus also has a range of condiments and sauces – created in response to customer demand.

Cyrus brings a positive attitude to overcoming the Coronavirus crisis and truly believes in the resilience of the hospitality industry. Passionate about Britain and the country’s produce, Cyrus highlights that people have been cooking at home, experimenting - so hospitality needs to up its game. Could more operators be creating pre-packaged goods to sell into homes?

A chef, restauranteur and now consultant, Patrick McDonald works with food retail, restaurant and hotel chains across the globe.

In this episode, Patrick shares his tips on how hospitality operators could be using this COVID-19 downtime to come out stronger. It’s a time for reflection and deep analysis. With everyone normally incredibly busy, there is little opportunity for reflection - so why not use this downtime to look at how you can streamline your operation...
Are you really hitting your margins?
Are you missing it by 2-3% every month and then constantly chasing your tail?
Do you really need that many dishes on the menu?