Hospitality Ops Club

Travis Fish

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Business
Updated Weekly

The Ops Club is a no-nonsense look at how hospitality really runs. Tom and Travis have spent 20 years across everything from big-brand rollouts to tiny independents. We talk shop - what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d do tomorrow. Expect honest stories from our own operations, plus conversations with awesome industry guests who’ve actually been there and done it.

5d ago · Video

Alison Wong on Private Equity, Discipline and Why CEOs and CFOs Should Argue

In this episode we are joined by Alison Wong, CFO at House of Gods Hotel, to talk about what private equity actually means for hospitality operators, the discipline that separates businesses that scale well from the ones that don't. Also in this episode: why she tells founders to decide what they actually want before taking on any funding, because a lifestyle business and private equity investment are rarely alignedthe pattern behind overspending once confidence grows, from bigger sites to state of the art kitchens to higher rentwhy the best CEO-CFO relationships involve arguingwhy she reforecasts every quarter instead of treating the annual budget as fixed This episode is sponsored by Monotree, the employee comms platform for multi-site teams who know email and WhatsApp aren't building culture or productivity. It's fast and intuitive, like your favourite messaging app, from inside your very own branded team app. And the numbers back it up: 4.2 daily opens and over 75% daily activity, with a rating above 4.9 stars. For multi-site employee comms, Monotree is my only recommendation. Check them out: https://monotree.com/
Jul 27 · Video

VAT Campaign, a New Chancellor and the Rise of Paddle

Tom and I catch up after his first weekend of a two week birthday celebration, spent at a farmhouse retreat and spa in Suffolk, and get into the surprisingly calm reception to the new Prime Minister and Cabinet reshuffle. Also in this episode: The case for a VAT cut for hospitality, including the Tax Policy Associates' critique of the campaign, how the UK's VAT base compares to Ireland and the rest of Europe, and why business rates reform looks like the more politically palatable optionWhat a VAT cut would actually let Tom invest in, from overdue toilet renovations to paying suppliers and improving the guest experiencePlans for our budget breakdown briefing event with William Stanley & Co and Alison, running the morning after the Budget lands this time roundWhy hospitality remains a vital part of society even as AI and automation reshape other parts of lifeThe rise of paddle, and why its tech-led, membership-free model is bringing in a new crowd This episode is sponsored by Monotree, the employee comms platform for multi-site teams who know email and WhatsApp aren't building culture or productivity. It's fast and intuitive, like your favourite messaging app, from inside your very own branded team app. And the numbers back it up: 4.2 daily opens and over 75% daily activity, with a rating above 4.9 stars. For multi-site employee comms, Monotree is my only recommendation. Check them out https://monotree.com/
Jul 19 · Video

Only a Pavement Away, Casual Dining and Energy wins

In this episode we catch up after Travis's first time punting in Cambridge, at a punt and dine event for Only A Pavement Away, and get into why more hospitality businesses still aren't taking a chance on people the charity puts forward. Also in this episode: Tom's walk ins only strategy for the England World Cup match at the Carlton Tavern, and how it compared to a normal SundayTurtle Bay's declining sales and thin margins, and why niche cuisine brands have struggled to break into the UK market the way pizza and burgers haveThe pressure ops teams are under in P&L reviews, and why so much of it comes down to structural issues rather than execution on the groundTom's recent wins on energy and gas procurement through Rye UtilitiesNew additions to the Ops Club tools page, including the Percy pricing checker and a business rates relief checker from Paddle - check them out at ops-club.com/tools This episode is sponsored by Monotree the employee comms platform for multi-site teams who know email and WhatsApp aren't building culture or productivity. It's fast and intuitive, like your favourite messaging app, from inside your very own branded team app. And the numbers back it up: 4.2 daily opens and over 75% daily activity, with a rating above 4.9 stars. For multi-site employee comms, Monotree is my only recommendation, check them out: https://monotree.com/
Jul 14

Emergency Licencing, the World Cup and the VAT Fight

In this episode we catch up after Tom's trip hiking and river floating in Switzerland. Also in this episode: The emergency licensing changes for England's World Cup matchesWhy Tom's pubs have moved to walk ins only for match daysWhat the World Cup actually means for pub tradeThe political mood around hospitality and the bank holiday talkWhether a VAT cut is the one thing that would actually help This episode is sponsored by Monotree - the employee comms platform for multi-site teams who know email and WhatsApp aren't building culture or productivity. It's fast and intuitive, like your favourite messaging app, from inside your very own branded team app. And the numbers back it up: 4.2 daily opens and over 75% daily activity, with a rating above 4.9 stars. For multi-site employee comms, Monotree is my only recommendation. Check them out: https://monotree.com/
Jun 19

Kate Moscardini on her path through Caesars, Honest Burgers, and Dishoom

In this episode we sit down with Kate Moscardini, head of people at Dishoom, who has worked across the full spectrum of hospitality – from large corporates like Caesars, through independents and growing chains like Honest Burgers, to Dishoom today. We talk through that journey: starting out in retail and manufacturing, the guest-obsessed culture of casino hospitality at Caesars, and joining Honest Burgers on the first day of COVID with her laptop dropped off by bike and just seven people working in the business. She talks about what it's taken to build a genuine partnership between people and ops at Dishoom, including the shift to joint decision-making on team moves over the past 18 months, and what it means to keep "deepening, not diluting" as a business grows at pace.
Jun 3

Gail's, VAT and the World Cup

In this episode we catch up after a tough week for Tom of slow sales and a back to basics management meeting. Also in this episode: Why so little has changed for hospitality in the last three yearsWhether a VAT cut is the one thing that would actually helpWhy the public has stopped paying attention to pub closuresCheap chicken versus posh chickenWhat the World Cup means for pubsTom building his own appsThe Gail's salty sandwich storyWhy Manchester is booming
May 22

John Nugent on Slow Growth, Strong Partnerships and Reimagining London's Most Iconic Spaces

In this episode we sit with John Nugent, CEO and co-founder of Green & Fortune with Peter Millican, and co-founder of Daffodil Mulligan's and Gibney's with Richard Corrigan. We trace John's 37 years in London hospitality, from arriving in 1989 to manage the back of house at a 800-bedroom hotel by Tower Bridge, to becoming CEO of Searcy's in his mid-thirties, to co-founding Green & Fortune over a cup of tea and a chance introduction that turned into a 20-year partnership. John reflects on opening King's Place in King's Cross in 2008, just days before Lehman Brothers collapsed, and taking a long bet on an area few others believed in at the time. He shares why he has resisted private equity in favour of slower, more measured growth, his take on modern Irish hospitality in London beyond the clichés, the new project on the horizon, and the one piece of advice he gives every young manager he mentors.
May 11

If You're Surviving, You're Winning

In this episode we get into Tom's new site, the chaos of opening over Easter, and why the "river of operations" pulls even experienced operators under. We talk Whitbread, Pizza Express, Franco Manca and why pubs are holding up while mid-market casual dining isn't. And Travis shares what came out of the recent Ops Club's Q1 margins session.

The Ops Club is a no-nonsense look at how hospitality really runs. Tom and Travis have spent 20 years across everything from big-brand rollouts to tiny independents. We talk shop - what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d do tomorrow. Expect honest stories from our own operations, plus conversations with awesome industry guests who’ve actually been there and done it.

Creator

Travis Fish
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

19
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Travis Fish
Show Website

Hospitality Ops Club