HUNGRY.

Espresso: Ashley Palmer Watts on Crafting the Ultimate Food Experience

Michelin Starred Sushi Master - The Art of Discipline & Destiny - Endo Kazutoshi

What does it really take to become a sushi master? And why does one of London's most celebrated Japanese chefs believe that mastering the knife is the easy part? Dan Pope sits down with Endo Kazutoshi, the chef behind Kioku, to explore the extraordinary discipline, philosophy and creativity behind Japanese cuisine. From 17-hour working days and a brutally demanding apprenticeship to a 100-year-old sushi sauce passed down through generations, Endo reveals how tradition has shaped his approach to food, leadership and life. They explore the Japanese philosophy of Ichigo Ichie, why Endo sees sushi as his punk rock, the importance of respecting farmers and fishermen, and his belief that a great restaurant depends on a golden triangle of guests, team and suppliers. Along the way, they dive into samurai wisdom, Zen Buddhism, Steve Jobs, Japanese calligraphy, the dangers of social media, and what Pep Guardiola can teach us about building extraordinary teams. A conversation about much more than sushi: curiosity, craftsmanship, creative rebellion and the pursuit of excellence. ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:18 The Brutal Reality of Japanese Sushi Apprenticeships 00:03:15 Born Into a Sushi Dynasty 00:05:18 What Sat Bains Teaches Chefs About Thinking 00:08:34 The Golden Triangle of Restaurant Success 00:12:35 The Japanese Philosophy of Ichigo Ichie 00:15:07 Why Sushi Is More Than Food 00:18:08 Japanese Spirituality, Language and Culture 00:22:00 How Life Experiences Shape Japanese Cuisine 00:26:17 The Unspoken Lessons of a Sushi Master 00:30:20 Chris Williamson's 2D vs 3D Life Lessons 00:35:00 Has Technology Made Learning Too Easy? 00:39:45 The Correct Way to Eat Sushi in Japan 00:43:57 Why Great Restaurants Need a Little Madness 00:48:30 Bruce Lee's Be Like Water Philosophy 00:50:49 Don't Look at the Tree, Look at the Forest 00:54:31 Why Endo Calls Sushi His Punk Rock 00:59:00 Japan vs London: Two Different Worlds 01:05:18 Japan's Loneliness and Work Culture 01:10:56 Samurai Wisdom and The Book of Five Rings 01:16:12 What Really Stresses a Sushi Master? 01:23:21 How Do You Come Back Stronger? 01:26:31 Are We All Living in The Matrix? 01:30:07 Steve Jobs, Calligraphy and Japanese Creativity 01:34:37 Is Sushi Really a Form of Art? 01:39:05 The Discipline Behind Extraordinary Kitchen Teams 01:44:38 Why Respect Is the Ultimate Business Weapon 01:49:19 Michel Roux, Pep Guardiola and Aggressive Leadership 01:52:04 Why Great Chefs Must Embrace Uncertainty ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Espresso: How To Deal With Mental Collapse in Prison - Riordan Maynard

============================================== ♨️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/)

The Artificial Intelligence Expert: How Restaurants can ACTUALLY use AI to Save Their Restaurant

Restaurants lose bookings because nobody can answer the phone during service. Staff get pulled off the floor to handle repetitive questions, customer emails pile up until after the shift, and enquiries that come in at the wrong moment simply get missed. Arran Campolucci-Bordi, founder of Ayra and operator of Liverpool institution Casa Italia, is building an AI solution around exactly that problem: a restaurant-trained assistant that can communicate with customers 24/7, understand the individual business and answer questions without adding more work for the team. Arran joins Dan to explore what AI can actually do for restaurants beyond the hype — from handling guest communication and reservations to analysing margins, labour, menus and customer behaviour. They discuss why AI becomes dramatically more useful once it understands your specific business, how operators are already using ChatGPT and Claude to solve real-world restaurant problems, and where technology should never replace hospitality. The conversation also digs into the brutal economics facing restaurants, VAT, marketing and PR, before Arran shares the remarkable 50-year story of Casa Italia, the importance of consistency, great service and why Liverpool remains unlike anywhere else. 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:04 What Is AI Actually Good For? 00:11:07 Can AI Make Hospitality More Human? 00:14:07 Why Restaurants Shouldn’t Pay for Reservations 00:16:08 AI-Powered Personalised Restaurant Marketing 00:22:15 The Restaurant Margin Problem 00:25:35 Let AI Analyse Your Restaurant 00:29:13 Can ChatGPT Fix Your Menu? 00:34:57 Systemising the Magic of Hospitality 00:42:50 Turning Gut Instinct Into Data 00:50:05 Could AI Eventually Run Your Business? 00:57:16 Why Restaurant VAT Is “The Problem” 01:03:36 A Marketing Campaign Restaurants Can Learn From 01:05:07 Why Press Still Beats Influencers 01:10:00 Growing Up Inside Casa Italia 01:14:13 Why Casa Italia Never Changed Its Menu 01:21:18 Three Ingredients of a Great Restaurant 01:24:09 Why Service Matters More Than Food 01:27:02 What Makes Liverpool Different? 01:31:08 How Liverpool Reinvented Itself 01:37:10 Why The Beatles Changed Everything Ayra Edit RSS 2 ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Espresso: Rory Sutherland - Have We All Become Uber-ised?

Jamie Oliver's PR Guru: How To Unleash Marketing Campaigns That Actually Work

Jamie Oliver has spent decades getting Britain cooking — and occasionally pissing people off while doing it. But what does it actually take to build, protect and evolve a personal brand that millions of people already have an opinion about? Alison Corfield, Brand Director at Jamie Oliver Group, joins Dan to unpack the machine behind Jamie: from sugar-tax campaigns and battles with Big Food to Twitter pile-ons, brand partnerships and the fight to stay relevant to a new generation. They get into Alison’s early days at Virgin, why entertainment beats preaching, how Jamie built extraordinary public trust, the difference between doom scrolling and genuine discovery — and what brands can learn from campaigns like Vaseline. A cracking conversation about brand, influence, attention and what happens when your founder IS the brand. ============ ON THE MENU: =========== 00:00 Intro 04:46 Virgin Was Doing WHAT on Flights? 07:00 Enter the Jamie Oliver Machine 13:30 Making Serious Issues Entertaining 17:55 Jamie’s Iconic Westminster Moment 23:00 Building Campaigns People Actually Notice 28:51 Why Britain Trusts Jamie Oliver 34:00 When Brand Partnerships Actually Work 38:33 “Jamie Oliver Wants to Ban Everything” 43:00 Keeping Jamie Relevant to New Generations 50:33 When Twitter Turns on Jamie 59:09 The Keith Floyd Rabbit Hole 01:08:52 Doom Scrolling vs Explore Scrolling 01:16:00 How Brands Win Attention 01:21:00 What Great Brand Campaigns Get Right 01:27:00 Building a Brand Bigger Than Content ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more.

Why Your Ego is Your Enemy (you can end up in Prison) - Riordan Maynard

Did Riordan's ego land him in prison? ============================================== ♨️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/)

Manchester's Busiest Restaurant: "We Killed Everything That Made Us Cool” (and got busier) - Cafe Continental

Café Continental founders Ryan Robinson and Lee Ferguson join Dan Pope to break down what it really takes to build a restaurant people actually want to return to. From balancing creativity with brutal financial realities to going viral, working with food influencers and knowing when an idea simply isn’t working, Ryan and Lee share the principles behind one of Greater Manchester’s most exciting independent restaurants. They get into why Michelin stars don’t guarantee a profitable business, the nightmare of serving brunch, why overly complicated menus are a red flag, the backlash against small plates, and how Ryan’s years as a DJ shaped the atmosphere and energy of Café Continental. Plus: Manchester’s creative culture, the influence of San Sebastián, restaurant awards, social media, staying relevant without chasing trends, and why sometimes the smartest thing you can do is admit you got it wrong. A proper conversation about food, hospitality, business, creativity — and having a good time while doing it. =========== ON THE MENU =========== 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:55 Creativity Is Booming — Restaurants Are Closing 00:04:40 Why Café Continental Had To Feel Different 00:10:55 The Restaurant Strategy That Made Them Viral 00:16:40 Three Things That Keep Restaurants Booked 00:24:00 The Reality Of Food Influencers 00:29:00 Michelin Stars Don’t Make You Money 00:36:00 Why Breakfast Is A Nightmare 00:44:00 Customers Don’t Care About Your Process 00:51:00 Admit When Your Idea Isn’t Working 00:57:00 Manchester’s Next Creative Revolution 01:02:33 From DJ Booths To Restaurant Culture 01:09:33 What Levi’s Teaches Restaurants About Branding 01:16:33 Why They Bet On Stalybridge 01:23:33 Ryan’s Strange Route Into Hospitality 01:30:33 What Makes A Bad Restaurant? 01:35:33 Why Everyone Hates Small Plates 01:43:33 San Sebastián Changed Their Food Philosophy 01:49:33 Great Restaurants Need Great Timing 01:53:33 Don’t Forget To Have Fun ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Espresso: The Crazy Lessons Prison Teaches You About Life - Riordan Maynard

============================================== ♨️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/)

Michelin Stars Make You Miserable. Do This For a Happy Life & Business - Michel Roux Jr. (round 2)

Michel Roux Jr knows what it takes to build one of the world’s great restaurants. But behind the Michelin stars, MasterChef and Le Gavroche was a career shaped by pressure, burnout, family legacy and learning when to let go. Michel opens up about taking over Le Gavroche from his father Albert Roux, pushing against an “immovable” resistance to change, and why closing the legendary restaurant ultimately meant taking back control of his life. He shares what Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay were really like as young chefs, why chasing Michelin stars can be destructive, and how running transformed his health after years of debilitating migraines and stress. We also get into the business of brilliant hospitality: why he stopped serving lunch despite filling the restaurant, the simple test he uses to judge a restaurant by its butter, why you should let customers steal your umbrellas, handling brutal online reviews, and the tiny details that turn good service into something unforgettable. From Michelin-star kitchens to Marco, Gordon, MasterChef and nearly 60 years of Le Gavroche, this is Michel Roux Jr on excellence, simplicity, adversity and knowing what really matters. ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:10 Taking Over Le Gavroche From His Father 00:09:40 What Would a Le Gavroche Sandwich Be? 00:15:16 Why Chasing Michelin Stars Is Wrong 00:22:12 How Running Ended Michel’s Debilitating Migraines 00:28:41 Why Old-School Kitchens Had to Change 00:34:29 The Right Way to Handle Complaints 00:38:46 Why Michel Stopped Reading TripAdvisor 00:42:53 Why Copying Instagram Food Doesn’t Work 00:47:41 Why Great Leaders Step Away From Service 00:52:00 Kitchen vs Front of House Warfare 00:57:00 How Open Kitchens Changed Chef Culture 01:00:26 Why Rugby Needs Characters 01:04:00 What Marco Pierre White Was Really Like 01:15:11 Have QR Codes Damaged Hospitality? 01:20:09 The Butter Test for Great Restaurants 01:24:51 Why Le Gavroche Killed Lunch 01:30:26 MasterChef, TV Fame and Saying No 01:38:43 Why Michel Roux Closed Le Gavroche 01:42:46 Why Great Chefs Learn to Slow Down ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

• Transcript

Espresso: Rory Sutherland on London Hipsters

Traditional Marketing Is F*cking Your Food Business - Bold Bean Co. Founder & Uncommon Chief Strategy Officer

Bold Bean Co didn’t just make beans cool. They built a brand people actually care about. Tobey and Amelia join Dan to unpack how Bold Bean turned one of the least glamorous supermarket categories into a cult food brand, and why obsessing over culture, community and product beats blindly following the conventional FMCG playbook. From rejecting boring advertising and building genuine brand obsession, to supermarket listings, sustainability, hiring, growth and watching major competitors move into glass jars, this is a masterclass in making an everyday product feel anything but ordinary. ON THE MENU [00:00:00] Why Bold Bean Rejects the FMCG Playbook [00:06:35] How Do You Make Beans Desirable? [00:08:18] Beans Became Bold Bean’s Competitive Advantage [00:23:25] Building Bold Bean’s Brand From Obsession [00:42:18] Why Bold Bean Is Allergic to Advertising [00:50:42] Tesco’s Christmas Ads vs Performance Marketing [00:58:38] Can You Manufacture Brand Obsession? [01:01:40] Why “Be Bold” Became a Company Value [01:10:10] Why Sustainability Doesn’t Sell More Beans [01:21:03] Bold Bean’s Obsessive Customers Are the Moat [01:25:28] Marketing Is Downstream of Consumer Culture [01:42:54] What Happened When Heinz Copied Bold Bean? [01:51:35] The Hard Reality of Building Bold Bean [01:55:36] What Founders Never Tell You on LinkedIn ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Espresso: The Wild Stories of the Roux Family History - Michel Roux Jr.

London's Most Famous Sandwich Shop's Wild Story & The Secret to Happiness - Max's Sandwich Shop "Max Halley"

Max Halley built one of London’s most cult-loved sandwich shops by ignoring almost every piece of conventional restaurant wisdom. In this brilliantly unfiltered conversation, Max joins Dan Pope to unpack how Max’s Sandwich Shop went from an empty Finsbury Park restaurant doing a handful of covers to a genuine London institution — without chasing hype, Michelin stars or customer suggestions. They get into why restaurant hype can be dangerous, the surprising philosophy behind achievable goals, why Max thinks sourdough is terrible for sandwiches, what Rick Rubin can teach hospitality about creativity, and the tiny behavioural tweaks that can completely change a business. Plus: New Orleans inspiration, pork pie mayonnaise, the science of the perfect sandwich, why vegetarian dishes shouldn’t be labelled with a “V”, and Max’s wonderfully simple rules for deciding what belongs between two slices of bread. {{ =============== ON THE MENU: =============== 00:00 INtro 01:28 Building an Empty Sandwich Shop 08:58 Why Customer Advice Can Kill Your Business 17:34 Is Restaurant Hype Actually Dangerous? 20:10 Why Achievable Goals Make You Happier 29:45 Why Max Never Wanted Michelin Stars 39:50 The Secret Philosophy Behind Max’s Sandwiches 49:00 Why Sourdough Is Terrible for Sandwiches 59:30 What Actually Makes the Perfect Bread? 01:09:35 The New Orleans Sandwich Epiphany 01:18:10 What Rick Rubin Gets Right About Creativity 01:24:40 Why The Audience Comes Last 01:31:30 Max’s Two Rules for New Ingredients 01:34:25 The Michelin-Star Pork Pie Mayonnaise 01:40:20 Tiny Changes That Transform Restaurants 01:47:10 Why Max Hides the Vegetarian Option 01:54:50 What Taco Bell Gets Wrong 02:04:00 The Science of Crunch 02:13:30 Why Anything Can Become a Sandwich ============================================== ♨️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/) Ayra is your external front of house. An artificially intelligent communications manager that lives on your website and across your social channels, chatting and responding to customers 24/7 with warmth and personality. She's trained on your business and built to act. Taking the reservation, holding the card, sending the reminder, recovering the lost booking. Instantly and autonomously. click the link to learn more. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

Espresso: Inside Michelin-Starred Kol's WILDLY Creative Drinks Menu

Most restaurants treat drinks as an afterthought. Santiago Lastra doesn’t. In this clip, the Michelin-starred chef behind KOL explains how learning about wine, mezcal, cocktails, bitterness, aroma, and balance fundamentally changed the way he cooks food — and why some alcohol feels clean while other drinks leave you angry, anxious, or wrecked the next day. From mezcal’s natural production to why heating food kills aroma, this is a masterclass in flavour thinking, not recipes. Full episode here! 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/f-pMQy1n0So =============== 🍸 ON THE MENU =============== 😡 Why vodka makes you feel bad (and mezcal doesn’t) 🍋 How bartenders think about flavour differently to chefs 👃 Aroma vs taste — and why most chefs get it wrong 🔥 Why heating food destroys flavour 🧪 What cocktails taught Santiago about sauces and condiments 🌍 How low-intervention wine changed KOL’s philosophy

How to ACTUALLY Exit Your Food Brand for Millions - David Milner, Giles Brook, Adam Balon, Barney Mauleveur

How do you build a food and drink brand somebody actually wants to buy? In this Hungry Podcast “Megatron” episode, Dan Pope brings together four masterclasses on all things EXIT with Adam Balon, David Milner, Barney Mauleverer and Giles Brook. They unpack what really makes a business attractive to buyers: genuine product superiority, strong margins, the right team, international potential and a clear path to future growth. From Innocent’s near-death experience and Fuel10K’s exit journey to walking away from 2,000 Walmart stores, they reveal the decisions, mistakes and negotiations that can make or break an exit. Plus: how to reverse-engineer your ideal buyer, create competitive tension, survive due diligence, understand valuation — and why your exit will probably take twice as long as you think. Essential listening for any founder who wants to build, scale and eventually sell a brand. ============================================== ON THE MENU: Worked for 2m 14s [00:00:00] Intro [00:02:10] The Exit Timeline Founders Get Wrong [00:06:45] Reverse Engineer Your Buyer Before You Sell [00:10:40] Why Multinationals Pay More for Brands [00:13:23] Adam Balon: Different AND Better Wins [00:19:54] David Milner’s Four Exit-Ready Building Blocks [00:26:42] Why Your First Team Won’t Scale [00:29:37] The Gross Margin Rule Founders Ignore [00:35:16] Innocent’s 2008 Near-Death Experience [00:43:34] The Three-Thing Focus Rule [00:50:00] Why One Brand Beats a House of Brands [00:55:44] The Retail Listing That Can Sink You [01:01:41] Fuel10K’s Exit Nearly Collapsed [01:08:30] What Due Diligence Actually Uncovers [01:13:34] How to Create Buyer Competition [01:18:59] Start Selling 18 Months Before Exit [01:22:05] The Negotiation Rule That Saves Your Margin [01:29:25] See Your Business Through Buyer Eyes [01:34:45] Why Innocent Struggled in France [01:42:40] Why Brands Get Stuck at £5M [01:49:15] Fuel10K Walked Away From 2,000 Walmart Stores [01:54:19] From Breadline to Nasdaq [01:58:21] How Buyers Actually Value Your Business [02:02:28] The Darkest Day After Vita Coco ♨️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/)

Espresso: Rory Sutherland vs. Oísin Rogers - Chinese vs. Indian

Fallow Founders - The Secrets Behind London’s Busiest Restaurant

For this archive replay, we’re going back to one of my favourite conversations with Will and Jack, founders of Fallow — breaking down how they think about food, marketing, teams, energy, pricing, social media and the relentless work behind building restaurants people actually want to visit. The world has changed. The way you build a restaurant has changed too. This conversation shows you how. Yes, they’re incredible chefs — serving 10/10 banging food. But they’re also GENIUS marketeers who ripped up the restaurant rule book, zigged when everyone else zagged, and built Fallow, FOWL and ROE into three of the most exciting restaurants in the UK. ============================================== ♨️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/)

Espresso: The Devonshire Founder Reveals Secret to Make Any Restaurant Incredibly Busy

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The Indian Restaurant Chain Built to Beat McDonald's - With ZERO Marketing Spend

Mahesh Raikar wants to build the “Indian McDonald’s.” The founder of SKVP joins Dan Pope to unpack how he’s turning Indian street food into a scalable quick-service restaurant brand — without stripping away the authenticity that made the food special in the first place. Mahesh breaks down the systems behind SKVP’s 23 sites, why a seemingly huge menu can still deliver food in around seven minutes, and how the business thinks about everything from store-level EBITDA and bottlenecks to central kitchens, location strategy and its hero product: the vada pav. They also explore SKVP’s ambition to reach 44 UK sites by March 2028 and eventually take the brand global, why Mahesh believes Indian food still has a huge untapped QSR opportunity, and the lessons he’s learned from McDonald’s, Burger King, Nando’s and other global restaurant brands.Plus: Mahesh’s journey from starting as a porter at Compass, the reality of managing stress as an entrepreneur, Bollywood and Indian culture as brand-building tools, and why SKVP is investing relentlessly in making its core product “the best in the world.” ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:00 The Indian Burger That Could Go Global 00:11:00 Why Indian Food Needs a Western Lens 00:15:05 SKVP’s Plan for 44 UK Sites 00:18:25 How SKVP Serves Food in Seven Minutes 00:23:25 The Systems Making Indian Food Scalable 00:29:10 The Bottlenecks That Hold Businesses Back 00:34:10 Building Today for 100 Restaurants Tomorrow 00:43:00 The Numbers Restaurant Founders Must Understand 00:51:00 From Porter to Building SKVP 00:54:00 Why Authenticity Is SKVP’s Advantage 01:00:50 Every Great Brand Needs a Hero Product 01:07:10 Could Franchising Take SKVP Global? 01:10:10 What Will Actually Limit SKVP’s Growth? 01:18:40 The Hardship That Shaped Mahesh Raikar 01:24:50 Why Founders Need Macro Patience 01:30:20 Entrepreneurship Is Really Stress Management 01:40:00 Building the Best Vada Pav in the World 01:47:55 How Bollywood Builds Indian Soft Power 01:53:45 Can Delivery Help Build the Indian McDonald’s? ============================================== ♨️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/)