What's Cooking? | A Podcast from Nory

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What's Cooking? is the podcast for hospitality operators scaling smart. Hosted by Conor Sheridan – CEO and co-founder of Nory, and a former operator who built and ran multi-site restaurant brands himself – each episode goes behind the scenes of fast-growing restaurant groups to explore the operational challenges that actually matter - like disconnected systems, staffing chaos, and margin pressure. Through honest conversations with industry leaders you’ll get practical insight into what’s working on the ground right now - from automation and AI to culture, data, and waste reduction. No fluff. No forecasts. Just the blueprint for better hospitality operations at scale. New episodes every two weeks.

  1. Rebuilding the Franchise with the COO of Creams Cafe

    5d ago

    Rebuilding the Franchise with the COO of Creams Cafe

    Creams Cafe COO Oliver Rodbard on scaling a franchise system, vertical integration as franchisee protection, and what it takes to make every visit count in a discretionary category. Oliver Rodbard, COO of Creams Cafe, sits down with Conor to walk through the operational reality of running a 98%-franchised, ~100-site business through UK family restaurant visits halving, aggregator commissions of 20 to 30%, and a tech transformation built to give margin back to franchisees, not extract it from them. 17 years across YUM! Brands, Pizza Hut Europe and Canada, Freshii, and Soul Foods Group give him a perspective rooted in both sides of the franchise table. He explains why vertical integration (Creams' own gelato and dry-mix plants) has held Creams inflation to ~19% while UK food service has run ~59.5%, why "trust governs the relationship, not the contract", and why every change Creams makes is consumer-tested then operationally tested before it lands. Plus a frank view on aggregators, the new Creams Direct delivery platform that's already done close to £1m in 10 weeks, and the philosophy that anchors all of it: when the category is discretionary and visits are down, every experience has to be worth it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Trust, not the contract, governs the franchise relationship. The cleanest way to lose a franchisee is to forget thatVertical integration done right is a margin gift to franchisees, not an extraction tool. Creams held inflation to ~19% while UK food service ran ~59.5%The guest experience will never be better than the team-member experience. Build the back of house and the front followsCapability beats control. Every franchise system thinks tighter rules = better outcomes; the durable answer is better-trained operators with more flexibility CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: the franchising model and rebuilding trust 2:13 Welcome, Oliver 2:30 17 years across YUM!, Freshii, Soul Foods to Creams 5:21 The service model transformation: theatre over function 7:00 "Maniacal" testing: consumer panels, then operational reality 8:30 Brand purpose: "bringing people together" as operational framework 10:47 Nobody needs a dessert: the experience-led shift 12:30 How younger customers and hyperlocal community have changed engagement 14:30 Franchise mix: 60 franchisees across nearly 100 cafes 16:08 Onboarding: capability, cultural fit, and the "divorce is painful" filter 17:50 Multi-site progression: nobody's born with the skill set 21:23 When franchisees go quiet: re-reading "no news is good news" 23:40 Vertical integration: gelato in East London, mix in Northamptonshire 24:50 The numbers: 19% Creams inflation vs ~59.5% UK food service 29:22 Creams 2.0: tech, growth, kiosks for travel hubs 31:55 Site selection at scale 33:55 The tech stack: new EPOS, new app, Creams Direct 37:21 The Quick Turn: rapid-fire questions 42:25 Shift Notes: Conor's closing reflections USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES Oliver Rodbard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverrodbard/Creams Cafe: https://www.creamscafe.com/ Creams Direct: https://www.creamscafe.com/order-online/ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcastsNory: https://www.nory.ai/Nory blog: https://www.nory.ai/blogNory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/

    46 min
  2. Hawksmoor bite-size: Eight weeks to open at peak trading

    May 27 ·  Bonus

    Hawksmoor bite-size: Eight weeks to open at peak trading

    Missed the full episode with Louisa Richards, Restaurant Director, Hawksmoor? Here's the bite-size cut. Keep an eye out for our next episode, featuring Oliver Rodbard, Chief Operating Officer, Creams Cafe Hosted by Conor Sheridan, CEO of Nory, the AI operating system for hospitality. LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/eight-weeks-to-open-louisa-richards-restaurant-director/id1825066598?i=1000768692257  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ay1zWTEixfw8z8UY43Dgk?si=1nYKu94xTP-WjM5x-zSvJQ  YouTube: https://youtu.be/e6AlaT0MeKQ?si=TYHgtFjnifMqae9z CONNECT Louisa Richards on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-richards-1b498942/ Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/ Nory: https://www.nory.ai/ All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcasts

    13 min
  3. Eight Weeks to Open: Louisa Richards, Restaurant Director, Hawksmoor

    May 20

    Eight Weeks to Open: Louisa Richards, Restaurant Director, Hawksmoor

    Hawksmoor restaurant director Louisa Richards on opening St Pancras in eight weeks at peak Christmas trading, and what it took to do it without breaking the culture that 13 years has built. Louisa Richards has been at Hawksmoor for nearly 13 years, opening Manchester, opening Edinburgh, running Air Street through Covid, and now overseeing the eight-site London estate as Restaurant Director. In this episode she walks Conor through the eight-week opening of Hawksmoor St Pancras: contracts signed in September, doors open in December, peak Christmas trading, training compressed to seven days, internal-only GM and head chef, tronc-matched pay to make internal moves fair, and the Martini bar that took everyone by surprise (more sold in one night than across the other seven London restaurants combined). Plus the echo-chamber risk of a 20-year senior team that's worked together since day one, why "calm leadership beats chaotic charisma" is her hiring filter, and why she's pushing Hawksmoor away from people-over-process before scale forces the issue. KEY TAKEAWAYS A compressed opening only works on the back of long-tenure leadership; the St Pancras GM and head chef were both internal hiresMake internal moves fair: tronc-matched pay during peak trading periods turns "yes" into a real choicePeople over process becomes a liability at scale; Hawksmoor's next phase is systemising what's currently in 12 GMs' headsThe metric most operators ignore is repeat custom. CSI is the headline; segmenting by "new vs lifer" is what changes operating behaviourCalm leadership beats chaotic charisma. Heroics don't scale; consistency does CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: speed vs standards in multi-site openings 1:49 Welcome, Louisa 2:10 13 years at Hawksmoor: Spitalfields, Manchester, Edinburgh, Air Street, London director 4:33 Opening St Pancras in eight weeks at peak Christmas trading 8:49 Pulling senior leadership out of the highest-volume sites 9:50 Tronc-matched pay so internal moves don't punish people 10:54 What "all hands on deck" actually looks like in support functions 12:34 Hiring on personality when training is compressed to seven days 17:16 Controlling covers per quarter-hour: protecting CSI in the soft launch 19:11 Holding culture across geographies, the long-tenure advantage 20:43 The echo-chamber risk and why people-over-process is dangerous at scale 24:44 KPIs: CSI as North Star, repeat custom as the underlooked metric 26:06 Heat-mapping covers per hour to find the soft hours in mature sites 29:09 People systems: traffic-light reviews, four impact tiers, clarity at scale 33:48 The "messy middle" of an opening, and how to lead through it 34:11 What surprised them: the Martini bar that broke the fridges 38:03 Non-negotiables: a head chef + GM you trust, slow + steady covers 38:29 What scaling Hawksmoor needs next: framework, tech, systems 40:36 The Quick Turn: rapid-fire questions 44:42 Shift Notes: Conor's closing reflections USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES Louisa Richards on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-richards-1b498942/Hawksmoor: https://thehawksmoor.com/ CONNECT WITH THE SHOW All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcastsNory: https://www.nory.ai/Nory blog: https://www.nory.ai/blogNory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/

    47 min
  4. Burger King UK bite-size: Why cash margin beats margin %

    May 13 ·  Bonus

    Burger King UK bite-size: Why cash margin beats margin %

    Missed the full episode with Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK? Here's the bite-size cut. Keep an eye out for our next episode, featuring Louisa Richards, London Restaurant Director, Hawksmoor. Hosted by Conor Sheridan, CEO of Nory, the AI operating system for hospitality. LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discipline-at-scale-alasdair-murdoch-ceo-of-burger-king-uk/id1825066598?i=1000766387278  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LTWT7hAQyMko3sGhaHSaU?si=YaChoOUDQYCA2AEg1BfO6A  YouTube: https://youtu.be/qwZLNjJRGCA CONNECT Alasdair Murdoch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alasdair-murdoch-4105a611/ Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/ Nory: https://www.nory.ai/ All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcasts

    13 min
  5. Discipline at Scale: Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK

    May 6

    Discipline at Scale: Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK

    Burger King UK CEO Alasdair Murdoch on running 600 sites, washing the estate, and the discipline that holds labour flat through a 50% rise in the living wage. After 30 years across KFC, Pizza Hut International, Pizza Express International, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and now eight years at Burger King UK, Alasdair Murdoch sits down with Conor to walk through the operational mechanics of running a 600-site QSR network through delivery's structural shock, beef inflation and tightening regulation. He explains the £1m-per-site capex discipline behind ~30 openings a year, why "washing the estate" is essential portfolio hygiene, why cash margin matters more than margin % on delivery, how labour cost has only crept up under 1% through a 50% rise in the living wage, and what the Gordon Ramsay Wagyu Whopper says about innovation as a brand lever. Plus a frank view on UK VAT, the operating rhythm that holds it all together, and the lessons in handling pressure he carries from time spent in the army. KEY TAKEAWAYS Delivery isn't a threat for QSR. It's an accelerant; cash margin matters more than margin %"Washing the estate" is portfolio hygiene; opening 30 a year only works if you're brave enough to closeLabour productivity is the moat. Burger King UK's labour % has barely moved through a 50% rise in the living wageTwo suppliers per key line: tension and food security beat the false economy of oneInnovation is a lever, not the engine. The Wagyu Whopper brings new people in who still order the Whopper CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro: the structural impact of delivery 2:43 Welcome, Alasdair 3:04 30 years across QSR (KFC, Pizza Hut, GBK, Burger King) 4:04 Bridgepoint and the master franchise buyback 6:25 Franchising with corporate travel partners (SSP, Moto, Welcome Break) 9:15 Forecourts and the EG / Motor Fuel Group playbook 10:51 Site selection, Precisely and £1m per drive-thru 16:15 Washing the estate: closing what doesn't work 21:07 Delivery: cash margin and the three-aggregator strategy 26:14 Why QSR is having a moment vs casual dining 30:08 Beef +50% and pricing discipline 32:41 Labour productivity through minimum wage hikes 35:17 Two suppliers per key line: Kepak, Dovecote Park, food security 36:29 Innovation, big taste and the Gordon Ramsay Wagyu Whopper 42:43 VAT and the case for hospitality 44:44 Leadership: Mondays, asking the right question, ex-army calm 50:43 The Quick Turn: rapid-fire questions 55:04 Shift Notes: Conor's closing reflections USEFUL LINKS & RESOURCES Alasdair Murdoch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alasdair-murdoch-4105a611/ Burger King UK: https://www.burgerking.co.uk/Bridgepoint: https://www.bridgepoint.eu/SSP Group: https://www.foodtravelexperts.com/Moto: https://www.moto-way.com/Welcome Break: https://www.welcomebreak.co.uk/Motor Fuel Group: https://motorfuelgroup.com/Kepak: https://www.kepak.com/Dovecote Park: https://www.dovecotepark.com/Gordon Ramsay × Burger King Wagyu Whopper: https://www.burgerking.co.uk/wagyu Tax Out campaign on hospitality VAT: https://www.ukhospitality.org.uk/campaigns/taxedout-budget-2025/  CONNECT WITH THE SHOW All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcastsNory: https://www.nory.ai/Nory blog: https://www.nory.ai/blogNory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/

    57 min
  6. Wahaca bite-size: The gap between the food and the experience

    Apr 30 ·  Bonus

    Wahaca bite-size: The gap between the food and the experience

    Missed the full episode with Gemma Glasson, CEO of Wahaca? Here's a bite-sized version. Keep an eye out for our next episode, featuring Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Burger King UK. Hosted by Conor Sheridan, CEO of Nory, the AI operating system for hospitality. LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE Apple Podcasts: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elevating-experience-with-authenticity-gemma-glasson/id1825066598?i=1000763023446] Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4O74zNpqpLjITPb9gAiB4M?si=c87f4fe5a46640ed] YouTube: [https://youtu.be/Z3wBouaBttc] CONNECT Gemma Glasson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-glasson-452b7475/ Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/ Nory: https://www.nory.ai/ All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcasts

    13 min
  7. Elevating Experience with Authenticity: Gemma Glasson on Wahaca Reimagined

    Apr 22

    Elevating Experience with Authenticity: Gemma Glasson on Wahaca Reimagined

    How Wahaca's new CEO rebuilt the guest experience to match the plate — and the partnership campaign that drove £120k of sales without a single discount. Four years ago, newly promoted Wahaca CEO Gemma Glasson launched Wahaca Reimagined: a line-by-line operational rebuild of the guest experience covering bespoke crockery, cutlery weight, chefs on the pass, new uniforms, rebuilt steps of service and even door handles. In this episode she walks Conor through the full playbook — diagnosing the experience gap, investing in hospitality rather than stripping it out, acquiring customers through brand alignment rather than discounting (including the Atis campaign that drove more than £120k of sales), using Mexico trips and five-year sabbaticals as retention tools, and defending scratch cooking as a moat in an era of UPF backlash. Plus her 2026 strategy distilled to a single line: every guest leaves a super fan. KEY TAKEAWAYS Close the gap between product and experience — in casual dining, every detail is a proxy for qualityAcquire customers through brand alignment, not margin erosion: the Atis partnership drove £120k+ of sales with zero discountingInvest in the fourth and fifth visit, not just the first — loyalty and CRM compound in ways discounts never willPride is a retention strategy: Mexico trips, five-year sabbaticals and a culture people build careers insideScratch cooking is a burden — and an increasingly rare moat as consumers wake up to ultra-processed food CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro — the experience gap in casual dining 2:39 Welcome, Gemma 3:04 From EY corporate finance to CEO of Wahaca 6:31 Leadership: blue energy, yellow energy and clarity built on empathy 11:39 Launching Wahaca Reimagined — diagnosing the problem 17:47 The operational rebuild: crockery, cutlery, chefs on the pass 27:08 Measuring guest experience — the KPIs that actually matter 31:06 Reaching a younger, digital-native audience 33:49 The Atis partnership and the £120k margarita coaster campaign 36:14 The Mexico connection — pride as a retention strategy 45:33 Growth strategy: brand momentum over new sites 48:41 Reflections on Wahaca Reimagined 51:44 The Quick Turn — rapid-fire questions 57:27 Fixing VAT for UK hospitality 1:01:58 Shift Notes: Conor's closing reflections CONNECT WITH THE SHOW All What's Cooking episodes: https://www.nory.ai/podcasts Nory: https://www.nory.ai/ Nory blog: https://www.nory.ai/blog Nory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asknory/ Conor Sheridan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheridanconor/ Gemma Glasson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-glasson-452b7475/

    1h 6m
  8. Inside Nory’s Series B: building the operating system for restaurants

    Jan 1

    Inside Nory’s Series B: building the operating system for restaurants

    Missed the full episode? Here’s the highlight reel. In this episode's highlights, Conor Sheridan sits down with Jose Gaytan de Ayala, Investment Manager at Kinnevik, to unpack Nory’s $37m Series B raise - and what it takes to build a category-defining hospitality tech company. From why Kinnevik chose Nory in a competitive round to how AI is shifting from dashboards to decision-making, this is a candid look at capital, conviction, and real-world impact. You’ll hear: >> Why long-term vision and founder–investor alignment mattered most >> What made Nory stand out in a highly competitive Series B round >> How AI is moving from reactive reporting to proactive decision-making >> Why hospitality is one of the most exciting (and under-served) tech opportunities >> What’s next for Nory across product, AI agents, and global expansion Hosted by Conor Sheridan, CEO of Nory. Connect with Jose Gaytan de Ayala on LinkedIn.  Listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify & YouTube.

    12 min
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What's Cooking? is the podcast for hospitality operators scaling smart. Hosted by Conor Sheridan – CEO and co-founder of Nory, and a former operator who built and ran multi-site restaurant brands himself – each episode goes behind the scenes of fast-growing restaurant groups to explore the operational challenges that actually matter - like disconnected systems, staffing chaos, and margin pressure. Through honest conversations with industry leaders you’ll get practical insight into what’s working on the ground right now - from automation and AI to culture, data, and waste reduction. No fluff. No forecasts. Just the blueprint for better hospitality operations at scale. New episodes every two weeks.

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