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HUNGRY.

Dan Pope

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

  • 419 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday
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Episodes419

  • Yesterday · 2 hr 23 min

    The Resilience Expert: £200m Business To High Security Prison - Lessons Learnt Inside - Riordan Maynard

    Riordan Maynard’s story is almost impossible to believe. He left school at 16, learned the art of selling at Foxtons and co-founded Touchbase, a mobile-phone business that grew to around 200 million. Then ego, reckless expansion, the financial crisis and a refusal to accept failure brought everything crashing down. What followed was six years inside the American prison system, separation from his wife and five children, brutal violence and a complete mental collapse within his first six weeks. In this extraordinarily raw conversation with Dan Pope, Riordan explains how believing he was “Midas” turned ambition into self-destruction, why hopelessness crushes the human spirit and how he rebuilt his mind by focusing only on what he could control. He also shares hard-earned lessons on sales, differentiation, value, resilience and closing deals. Brutally honest, darkly funny and unexpectedly practical, this is a conversation about extraordinary success, catastrophic failure and rebuilding yourself after losing almost everything. 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 ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:15 How a Wapping Flat Became a £200M Business 00:11:25 The IRS Arrives With Guns 00:17:15 How Fear of Failure Sent Him to Prison 00:21:10 The Best Business Advice He Ignored 00:24:50 His Last In-N-Out Before Prison 00:28:30 California’s “Best” Prison Was Still Hell 00:34:05 What Prison Reveals About Human Hierarchy 00:37:20 The Gang Leader Who Allegedly Killed Six 00:41:05 How He Negotiated With Prison Gangs 00:45:10 A Normal Day Inside Federal Prison 00:48:15 Two Years Locked Down During Covid 00:52:20 Why Mackerel Became Prison Currency 00:55:20 Murder, Sex and the “Boom Boom Room” 01:01:08 How Prison Destroyed His Mental Health 01:06:44 The Question That Stops a Doom Loop 01:10:10 Two Questions That Interrupt Anxiety 01:15:10 How to Build a Compelling Future 01:19:10 Grant Cardone Versus Achievable Goals 01:22:25 Why Purpose Requires Obsession 01:26:10 The Beliefs That Made Him Feel Like Scum 01:29:20 Learning to Love What You Hate 01:33:20 Why Willpower Always Fails Eventually 01:37:25 How to Destroy Limiting Beliefs 01:42:10 The Brain Training Most People Skip 01:45:35 Affirmations That Actually Reprogram Your Mind 01:50:25 The Switch Exercise That Rewrites Beliefs 01:56:40 The Sales Masterclass Begins 02:02:15 Stop Selling Benefits. Sell Outcomes 02:07:20 How to Close a Million-Pound Deal 02:10:40 The Craziest Deal He Ever Won 02:14:05 Why “No” Means You Started Wrong 02:19:05 The Prison Books That Changed Everything ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • Friday · 3 min

    Espresso: Will Guidara Hospitality MasterClass

    📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 27 · 1 hr 57 min

    From Homeless Drug Addict To Multi Million Bakery Empire - The Bread Ahead Story

    Matthew Jones lost everything. His business was gone. His family had fallen apart. Alcohol had taken control, and he found himself rebuilding his life from scratch. Today, Bread Ahead is one of the world's most celebrated bakeries, with locations across the globe, thousands of students through its bakery school, and queues stretching around Borough Market. In this episode of Hungry, Dan Pope sits down with Matthew to unpack the journey from addiction and rock bottom to building an international bakery brand. They talk about recovery, risk, leadership, obsession, opening in New York, scaling without losing quality, and why success is never as simple as it looks from the outside. This is a conversation about second chances, resilience, and what it really takes to build something extraordinary. 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 ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 24 · 5 min

    Espresso: Soho House Founder Why You Must EMBRACE Failure

    📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 20 · 2 hr 58 min

    Marketing God Father: 63 Years of Wisdom in 3 Hours (best thing you’ll listen to)

    Advertising legend Dave Trott joins Dan Pope to explain why most marketing goes unnoticed, why brand should be your second thought, and why simple, blunt ideas beat clever jargon. From Toshiba and Audi to Volkswagen, Nike and Steve Jobs, Trott breaks down the campaigns, principles and creative decisions that made brands impossible to ignore. He explains why the best advertising is useful information, brilliantly executed; why every idea should be simple enough to repeat in the pub; and why distinctive work starts by asking what the advertising is actually supposed to do. A sharp, funny masterclass in form following function, positioning, working-class creativity and the power of giving people one unforgettable thing to remember. 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 ON THE MENU: Why Most Advertising Goes Completely Unnoticed Brand Should Be Your Second Thought Toshiba’s Leap From 2% to 30% How Audi Became Unmistakably German Would You Repeat It in the Pub? Why Working-Class Wit Wins Attention Position Yourself, Reposition the Competition Steve Jobs and the White Headphone Trick Simplify, Exaggerate, and Make It Memorable Why Great Creativity Starts With Rebellion Useful Information, Brilliantly Executed Why Jargon Kills Great Advertising Form Follows Function, Not Fashion How to Find the One Thing That Matters The Best Ideas Often Feel Wrong at First ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 17 · 3 min

    Espresso: Why Soho House Founder HATES the word "Brand"

    📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 13 · 1 hr 42 min

    Why You Have To Think Differently to Win a Michelin Star in 2026 - Emily Roux

    This week on Hungry: Emily Roux reflects on building Caractère with her husband Diego Ferrari, earning its Michelin star, and learning that excellence depends on patience, consistency and a tightly connected team. She shares lessons from working in Paris, Monaco, Japan and alongside leading chefs, revealing how curiosity, adaptability and deep immersion shaped her cooking. The conversation explores the Roux family legacy, her childhood inside Le Gavroche, the assumptions that come with a famous surname and her determination to establish herself independently. Emily also discusses the realities behind restaurant ownership — rent negotiations, staffing, motherhood, difficult conversations and the financial pressure of surviving Covid. From London’s restaurant boom and Japan’s devotion to ingredients to the importance of sauces, crockery and customer experience, Emily explains how Caractère blends classical foundations with a lighter, more contemporary identity — and why good things, including Michelin stars, take time. 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 ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:05 Why Michelin Success Took Seven Years 00:08:01 How Two-Star Chefs Think 00:16:34 Inside a No-Shortcuts Kitchen 00:21:00 Why Caractère Rewrote the Tasting Menu 00:32:07 The Brutal Reality of Restaurant Rent 00:38:02 Japan, France and Britain Compared 00:46:54 What Le Gavroche Taught Emily Roux 00:53:06 Can Caractère Earn Two Michelin Stars? 01:03:08 The Woman Behind the Roux Dynasty 01:08:22 Motherhood Versus Restaurant Guilt 01:11:40 Growing Up Inside Le Gavroche 01:15:56 Why Hard Conversations Build Better Leaders 01:20:43 Escaping the Roux Nepotism Label 01:27:41 How Covid Nearly Ended Everything 01:34:07 Why Good Decisions Need Time 01:36:05 Michel Roux’s Best Advice 01:38:14 Turning Criticism Into Better Leadership ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • July 10 · 6 min

    Espresso: Soho House Founder on The Power of Simplicity

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

  • July 6 · 2 hr 8 min

    Brand & Marketing Expert: How Minor Figures Went to War with OATLY

    How do you build a brand that feels less like a product and more like a movement? Minor Figures co-founder Will Rixon sits down with Dan Pope in Nashville to talk cold brew, oat milk wars, barista culture, music, psychedelia, America vs the UK, and why brand should solve real commercial problems — not just look good on a mood board. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ON THE MENU: [00:00:00] Asking The Question Behind The Question [00:06:10] Minor Figures Started With Cold Brew [00:14:11] What Baristas Really Care About [00:22:24] The Barista Lip Balm Breakthrough [00:27:05] Minor Figures FM Was Genius [00:31:12] Fighting The Oat Milk Wars [00:36:38] Brand As Memory And Inception [00:42:17] Turning Acid Into A Feature [00:50:04] Why CPG Brands Feel Hollow [00:56:41] Out Of Home Gets Weird [01:03:04] Measuring Creative Vibrations [01:11:11] Brand As A Moat [01:19:30] Why British Brands Fail In America [01:26:16] Sales Built Minor Figures [01:36:42] America’s Business Culture Shock [01:44:09] UK Advertising Feels Too Cute [01:49:27] Why Stu Is A Visionary [01:52:09] Leaving Minor Figures On Good Terms [01:58:59] Jazz Lessons For Brand Building [02:04:18] Every Touchpoint Builds The Brand ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • June 29 · 1 hr 27 min

    Soho House Founder: The Biggest Mistakes All Businesses Make (And How To Fix Them)

    Nick Jones, founder of Soho House and St Clement, sits down with Dan Pope to unpack the ideas behind one of the most influential hospitality careers of the last 30 years. From turning a single members’ club in Soho into a global empire, to rethinking what modern luxury should feel like, Nick explains why great hospitality starts with simplification, generosity, atmosphere, and seeing everything through the customer’s eyes. He also shares the failures, risks, design decisions, and hard-earned lessons behind Soho House, New York, Cafe Bohemia, The Ned, and his newest London hotel, St Clement. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:14 David Bowie And Spotting The Future 00:03:28 Rethinking Modern Luxury Hotels 00:06:49 Why Hotel Check-In Is Broken 00:09:57 Why Simplicity Drives Great Hospitality 00:13:04 The One-Page Hospitality Rule 00:14:49 Why Soho House Feels Local 00:17:24 How Soho House Keeps Its Soul 00:21:44 Why Nick Jones Hates “Brand” 00:24:23 St Clement’s Undersell, Overdeliver Strategy 00:28:39 Removing Silent Hotel Irritants 00:31:16 Design Mistakes Operators Keep Making 00:33:54 Why Simplicity Becomes Stylish 00:36:31 What Airlines Get Wrong 00:39:24 Removing Friction From Hospitality 00:42:00 What David Bowie Taught Nick Jones 00:47:06 How Shyness Shapes Hospitality 00:52:24 Making Risky Decisions Under Pressure 00:57:27 Why Analog Beats The Algorithm 00:59:44 Nick Jones’ Advice To Entrepreneurs 01:04:42 Why Nick’s First Restaurant Failed 01:08:36 Why St Clement Stayed Quiet 01:09:44 Nick Jones’ Four P’s Of Hospitality 01:13:15 Why All-Day Eating Still Matters 01:17:07 Why Unsung Staff Matter Most 01:20:05 Why Hoteliers Aren’t Restaurateurs 01:22:21 How Soho House Picked Cities 01:25:14 Why Decisions Beat Staying Calm ============================================== ♨️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/)

  • June 22 · 1 hr 44 min

    I Quit My Job, Had Zero In The Bank and Built London's Hottest Indian Restaurant - The Tamila Story

    Glen Leeson, co-founder of The Tamil Prince, The Tamil Crown and Tamila, joins Dan Pope to unpack how one of London’s most talked-about Indian restaurant groups was built from pub pop-ups, second-hand fridges and blind belief. From Patty & Bun’s burger boom to JKS discipline, lockdown hustle, personal guarantees, viral Sunday roasts, Dishoom collabs, delivery strategy and the magic of creating a restaurant that feels alive — this is a proper founder story about graft, taste, timing, luck and learning by doing. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:08 Patty & Bun’s Wild West 00:05:23 London’s burger boom exploded 00:10:23 Why Tamil became three brands 00:13:12 Failed pub pop-ups and bad fit 00:17:08 Selling the landlord with no money 00:20:11 Opening before the kitchen worked 00:21:49 The review that changed everything 00:27:03 Letting neighbours shape the restaurant 00:30:05 Why blind belief matters 00:33:24 Meeting Prince at Market Halls 00:36:52 The Sheffield fridge road trip 00:40:28 Cooking the first Tamil menu 00:43:23 Pitching from a one-bed flat 00:47:16 Creating the Indian Sunday roast 00:53:13 Prince’s insane work ethic 00:56:12 JKS structure versus Patty & Bun chaos 01:02:27 Learning what not to do 01:08:21 Giving weird ideas time 01:11:13 Why competitors should collaborate 01:18:09 Building fun into the culture 01:21:16 Pressure, growth and imposter syndrome 01:29:03 The site that could’ve killed them 01:32:29 The accidental kitchen window 01:35:00 Making the toilet unforgettable 01:39:12 Delivery without killing the experience ============================================== ♨️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/) 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

  • June 15 · 1 hr 55 min

    UK's #1 Protein Bar "Grenade": The Playbook Behind The £600M Exit - Al Barratt

    Grenade founder Al Barratt returns in this re-cut episode on how he built one of the UK’s most successful challenger brands — and sold it to Mondelez/Cadbury in a deal that ultimately valued the business at over £600m. Al breaks down the brutal reality behind big exits: invasive due diligence, trademark protection, global scalability, profit, team quality, and why most “hot” brands are built on smoke and mirrors. He also reveals how Grenade moved from sports nutrition into petrol stations, supermarkets and the chocolate fixture — taking on Mars, Snickers, Dairy Milk and Kinder Bueno by making protein bars feel like a mass-market food product, not a niche gym supplement. A masterclass in challenger brand strategy, premium pricing, retail distribution, category disruption, and building a business that big companies actually want to buy. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out 🤝 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/) 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

  • June 10 · 57 min

    Rory Sutherland’s Restaurant Would Break Every Rule (And Be Fully Booked)

    Rory Sutherland breaks down the weird, wonderful psychology behind restaurants and hospitality — why where you make money and what people pay for are often different things, why lowering prices can be dangerous, why surprise creates loyalty, why customers hate uncertainty, and why founder-led brands often outperform finance-led giants. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Restaurants Are the Galapagos of Marketing 00:01:05 What Customers Really Pay For 00:03:06 The Restaurant Real Estate Play 00:05:25 Why Tiny Menus Build Belief 00:06:58 Reverse Benchmarking Restaurant Success 00:08:53 Surprise Is The Secret Weapon 00:09:14 Steve Jobs’ Overlooked Genius 00:11:03 Why Uber Feels Like Magic 00:13:21 Price Is A Feeling 00:16:14 Menu Design Changes Everything 00:18:41 Restaurants Push Wine Without You Noticing 00:21:02 The Peak End Rule Explained 00:22:34 Why Clear Signage Makes Money 00:26:32 One Word Can Raise Prices 00:27:51 Taco Bell’s London Mistake 00:31:42 Why Customers Don’t Know 00:34:36 Managing Expectations Changes Everything 00:36:37 Is Uber Eats Really Marketing? 00:37:00 Audience Q: Quick Service Hospitality 00:39:59 Bucky’s Toilet Business Genius 00:42:00 Audience Q: Measuring What Matters 00:46:31 Disney Would Fix High Speed Rail 00:47:57 Audience Q: Scaling Founder Feeling 00:48:50 Don’t Sell To Private Equity 00:52:23 Why Big Companies Kill Ideas 00:53:36 Why Red Bull Shouldn’t Work 00:54:52 Farmers Markets Make No Economic Sense 00:55:53 Copying Creates The Opposite Opportunity ============================================== ♨️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/) 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

  • June 8 · 1 hr 57 min

    Social Media Genius: The Content Strategy To Make People Pay Attention in 2026 | James Smith, Neutonic

    In this stripped-back reissue, Dan Pope sits down with the fitness author, entrepreneur and attention obsessive to unpack how James went from selling workouts online to building brands, books, audiences and Neutonic with Chris Williamson. This is a conversation about honest marketing, confidence, creative chaos, personal brand, creator businesses, Prime, Liquid Death, YouTube, doomscrolling, British ambition, American optimism, and why getting attention is now one of the most valuable skills in business. James explains why better products don’t always win, why most founders misunderstand social media, why confidence comes after action, and why “all wins feel the same.” Part fitness philosophy, part business masterclass, part brutal reality check for anyone trying to build something people actually care about. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out ♨️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/) 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out

  • June 1 · 1 hr 44 min

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

    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. 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out 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/) 📙Download HUNGRY Big Banging Reading list here 🧾 HUNGRY survey would be so grateful if you may please fill out