HUNGRY.

Espresso: Will Guidara - Praise Is Affirmation. Criticism Is Investmen

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

London’s Most Famous Restaurateur “Maintaining Your Standards Is The Fastest Way to Bankruptcy” - The Wolseley, The Ivy, Le Caprice, Simpson's - Jeremy King

Jeremy King doesn’t just talk about restaurants — he talks about change, class, creativity, ego, instinct, death, literature, leadership, and why the best dining rooms become tiny theatres of human behaviour. In this conversation, the legendary restaurateur behind The Ivy, Le Caprice, The Wolseley, Arlington and now Simpson's in the Strand explains why “maintaining standards” is actually the road to bankruptcy, why great restaurants must constantly evolve, and why hospitality is really about love, generosity, observation and care. Jeremy and Dan explore everything from Mick Jagger and Bianca Jagger at Le Caprice, to Lucian Freud, A.A. Gill, Harold Pinter, Graham Norton, Apple, Kodak, IBM, The Beatles, New York brasseries, Parisian cafés, class in Britain, and why every great creative or political movement may have started in a restaurant. This one is unforgettable. A conversation about restaurants, yes — but really about how to live, lead, notice, change, and leave the world slightly better than you found it. 📙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 00:03:03 Why Restaurants Must Always Change 00:05:46 Why Leadership Is A Benign Dictatorship 00:07:24 Maintaining Standards Leads To Bankruptcy 00:13:47 Why Restaurants Get Defensive 00:17:35 Why Enough Is Never Enough 00:20:06 Why Altruism Still Matters 00:22:13 When Jeremy Refuses A Booking 00:26:06 The Silent Couple At Mirabelle 00:32:08 Arlington, Soho And Restaurant Design 00:35:55 Why Great Restaurants Are Egalitarian 00:41:18 Why Money Ruins Taste 00:43:49 What Makes The Best Restaurant? 00:47:43 Why Restaurants Need Creative People 00:49:43 How Le Caprice Changed Service 00:55:19 Why Culture Hates Real Change 00:59:49 Why Strong Opinions Win 01:03:00 How To Prepare For Death 01:05:14 Why Jeremy Has Regrets Every Day 01:06:16 The Power Of Happy Problems 01:08:30 Why Jeremy Finally Wrote A Book 01:15:12 Why Restaurant Work Changes Young People 01:18:31 How Shyness Became Jeremy’s Advantage 01:20:17 Can Dogs Sense Us Coming Home? 01:24:11 Why We’ve Lost Our Instinct 01:27:14 The Brain’s Restaurant Memory Card 01:33:09 Why Moneyball Thinking Kills Instinct 01:35:12 How Jeremy Feels A Restaurant’s Hum 01:38:07 Why First Impressions Mislead Us 01:41:18 Do All Movements Start In Restaurants? 01:44:10 Why Creativity Needs Long Lunches 01:48:48 Jeremy’s Favourite Books And Writers 01:55:31 How Meditation Helped With Lucian Freud 01:58:21 How Literature Taught Jeremy Restaurants 02:00:01 Jeremy King’s Best Life Advice 02:03:29 Ruthie Rogers’ Eye Contact Lesson 02:05:33 Why Questions Beat Statements 02:07:33 How Mick Jagger Helped Le Caprice 02:11:43 Why Jeremy Prefers Narrowcasting 02:13:01 Jeremy King’s Rules For Success ============================================== ♨️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

Espresso: Will Guidara - How Any Business Can Apply World Class Hospitality for an INSANE Unfair Advantage

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

19 Life-Changing Marketing Lessons from The World's No.1 Restaurant - Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality

"Hospitality happens for people, not to them." In this masterclass of an episode, Unreasonable Hospitality author Will Guidara sits down with Dan Pope on the Hungry podcast to unpack the magic behind Eleven Madison Park's meteoric rise to the best restaurant in the world. From leaving a full bottle of cognac with the bill, to systemizing serendipity with Tiffany & Co. engagement flutes, Will explains why true excellence requires a healthy dose of unreasonableness. They dive into the tension between perfection and human connection, the power of a 'Red Team' in creative brainstorming, and how to apply Michelin-star hospitality to any industry—even a UPS store. ON THE MENU: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:01 Excellence vs. Hospitality 00:03:49 The Fueling Power of Praise & Criticism 00:13:20 Redefining Hospitality in Any Industry 00:18:18 Creativity: Inviting People Into Your Imagination 00:22:11 The UPS Store & Chewy: Systemizing Magic 00:35:45 The Cognac Check Drop at Eleven Madison Park 00:44:10 Scheduling Creativity & Collaboration 00:49:07 Moving to Nashville & Embracing Messiness 00:58:27 Reading the Room: One Size Fits One 01:06:48 Systemized Magic: The Tiffany Engagement Flutes 01:08:32 The Miles Davis Approach to Restaurants 01:18:13 The NoMad Chicken & The Red Team 01:28:59 Customer Recovery as Your Best Marketing 01:32:36 Seth Godin's Girl Scout Cookie Advice 01:35:35 Danny Meyer & The Power of Language 01:46:34 Do Not Ruin a Story With the Facts 01:53:08 The Art of Gathering & Designing Events 02:00:11 Savannah Bananas: Changing the Rules 02:11:03 The Peak-End Rule & Letting Go of Control 02:22:35 Confidence, Ego, & Meeting Your Heroes 02:30:49 AI in Hospitality: Copilot, Not Autopilot ============================================== ♨️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

Espresso - Rory Sutherland - How Restaurants Can Better Use Space to Make PROFIT!!!!

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The Brand Strategy Experts: Why Marketing Is Broken & What Actually Works in 2026 - DASH Water, BOTIVO, All Things Butter, The Pickle House Founders

A rare behind-the-scenes roundtable with four of the UK’s most exciting challenger brand founders — Toby Hopkinson of All Things Butter, Jack Scott of DASH Water, Imme Ermgassen of Botivo, and Florence Cherruault of The Pickle House — filmed live at Strakers. Dan digs into the messy, brilliant reality of building modern food and drink brands: when to stay focused, when to diversify, how to win retail listings, why hospitality can build cultural credibility, and what happens when your “side idea” suddenly becomes 70% of the business. From cottage cheese and pickle juice to Victoria Beckham, Ottolenghi, Coco de Mer, Waitrose, United Airlines, New York launches, supermarket mistakes, brand copycats, and the power of packaging — this is a sharp, funny, honest conversation about growth, taste, culture, and the brutal lessons founders only learn by getting things wrong. ON THE MENU: • Cottage cheese becoming 70% of All Things Butter • DASH’s failed mixer launch • Pickle House’s move from cocktails to wellness • Pickle juice for muscle cramps • Botivo’s collaborations with Ottolenghi and Coco de Mer • Fashion, food, drink, and culture-led brand building • Victoria Beckham drinking DASH • Using restaurants to build product credibility • Hospitality vs grocery retail • Launching into Waitrose • Why premium venues create brand halo • Taste as the real reason people repurchase • Product iteration vs marketing spend • “Cost of goods is marketing” • Polarising products and passionate fans • One-star reviews and super-tasters • Hiring senior leaders • Difficult conversations with retailers and manufacturers • When manufacturers copy your product • Why brand is a moat • Packaging, texture, and supermarket shelf appeal • Creating ritual in non-alcoholic drinks • Functional drinks, CBD, THC, caffeine, and nootropics • Saying no to shiny opportunities • International expansion mistakes • Launching in the US • Tariffs, middlemen, and legal risk in America • United Airlines as a major Pickle House opportunity • Scaling back international markets • Why some brands travel better than others ============================================== ♨️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: Michel Roux Jr. - What Was it REALLY Like Working With Marco Pierre White?

The £100,000-a-Week Restaurant Built From the Ingredient Every Chef Throws Away

Building a great restaurant starts with something unexpected: chaos Controlle chaos. This week on Hungry Phil and Abs of Poor Boys talk high-energy design, bold menu choices, and how creating a memorable, slightly disorienting experience gets people talking—and coming back. They share how they turned unconventional ideas into a powerful brand, including how they used an ingredient chefs have been throwing away to create something customers couldn’t get enough of. The conversation dives into how restaurant design, atmosphere, and product thinking act as secret weapons in modern hospitality—and why leaning into what makes you different can drive real success. A must-listen for anyone looking to build a restaurant people can’t stop talking about. ON THE MENU: Building Poor Boys from chaos to cult status Turning waste ingredients into restaurant gold Why consistency beats chasing food trends Premium ingredients without shouting about them How Southern hospitality shapes the customer experience The business case for hand-cut chips and fresh food Using delivery as a growth and discovery tool Packaging, plates, and the psychology of leftovers Menu design, service systems, and customer trust Staying resilient through pressure, setbacks, and personal challenges ============================================== ♨️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 & The Devonshire Founder... How To Nail Influencer Marketing

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How London’s Most Famous Thai Restaurant Made Customers Addicted - Lukie Farrell, Speedboat

Your Restaurant should slightly confuse people when they walk in. Yes you heard that right. According to Lukie Farrell (Speedboat), that tension—between chaos and clarity—is exactly what makes a place unforgettable. In this episode, Lukie breaks down how he built one of London’s most talked-about Thai restaurants by embracing controlled chaos, bold design, and just the right amount of confusion. From smuggling authentic Thai ingredients to refusing Western shortcuts, he explains why authenticity became his biggest advantage. We dive into the psychology behind restaurant design, the MAYA principle (most advanced yet acceptable), and how Speedboat creates a high-energy, multi-sensory experience people can’t stop talking about. Lukie also reveals why the best kitchens reject the “rockstar chef” ego, how team creativity actually works, and what most people get completely wrong about Thai food. Plus: the real story behind “British Thai,” Chinatown London, and how global restaurant hits are built without losing cultural integrity. If you want to design a restaurant people obsess over—this is the playbook. ============================================== ♨️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 - Jackson Boxer - Why Chefs Are NOT RockStars

How Aperol, Coco Cola, Tony's Chocolonely Hack Your Brain - University of Oxford Professor Charles Spence

Once you hear this, you’ll never walk down a supermarket aisle the same way again. A sensory scientist walks into a supermarket… and suddenly nothing you buy is accidental. In this episode, Charles Spence breaks down how evolution, psychology, and a bit of brand mischief shape everything from what we crave to what we click “add to basket” on. From the savannah to the supermarket, your brain is still wired to hunt for energy-dense food — and brands are quietly exploiting that wiring with color, sound, texture, and even the weight of your cutlery. Expect mind-bending insights: why red means sweet (and blue used to mean danger), how a pink box can kill a product, why your brain processes food in a split second, and how something as simple as music can literally change how things taste. There’s even a deep dive into “sonic seasoning,” where soundtracks can make food sweeter, saltier, or more intense. We get into the hidden levers of great branding — from Apérol’s unmistakable orange glow to Coca-Cola’s packaging illusions — and why the best brands aren’t just tasted, they’re felt. Plus: the science behind nostalgia, why Christmas songs hit like emotional freight trains, and how restaurants can learn from cinema to create unforgettable experiences. This is a masterclass in how humans actually perceive the world — and how the smartest brands design for it. ============================================== ♨️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 - Sir John Hegarty Breaks Down His Best Work of All Time

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Ravneet Gill: How To Successfully Open a Restaurant in 2026, Kitchen Bullying, David Blaine PR Stunts, Loving Horrific Customer Complaints

Welcome to the chaotic, beautiful, and brutally honest world of Ravneet Gill. In this episode, the acclaimed chef and Junior Bake Off judge peels back the curtain on the grueling realities of hospitality. Ravneet opens up about the messy middle of launching her hit London restaurant, Gina, navigating the dual guilt of motherhood and entrepreneurship, and learning to let go of perfectionism. She also shares hilarious anecdotes about accidentally convincing the internet David Blaine was moving into her restaurant and reflects on how getting fired from her dream job paved the way for her ultimate success. ============================================== ♨️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: Tom Kerridge - You'd be Crazy to Open a Restaurant (Without Knowing This..)

Full episode here! 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/cVG8TqtxJQE After 20 years running The Hand & Flowers and 35 years in kitchens, Tom Kerridge says something most chefs won’t: restaurants don’t make money anymore. In this clip, Kerridge breaks down why margins have been wiped out, why being “busy” means nothing, and why opening a restaurant today can actually be the worst financial decision you make. It’s a brutally honest look at hospitality — from pricing, staffing and VAT, to the hard leadership calls that come with ownership. This isn’t about food. It’s about business reality, risk, and the uncomfortable decisions that keep companies alive. =============== 📱 ON THE MENU =============== 🍽️ Why packed restaurants still lose money 📉 How margins in hospitality were quietly eradicated 🤔 Why opening a restaurant now makes less sense than ever ⚖️ Separating emotion from business decisions 🚪 Closing sites, letting people go, and radical transparency 🧠 The shift from reactive chef to strategic operator 🔥 Why Kerridge thrives on risk — but hates being a passenger 🧩 What COVID taught him about control and problem-solving

How Purdy & Figg Made £1 Million D2C in One Day by Ignoring Marketing

Dan Pope sits down with Jack Rubin, co-founder and CEO of Purdy & Figg — a cleaning brand that somehow turned selling countertop spray into one of the fastest-growing consumer businesses in the UK. Jack explains how a company that started with almost no marketing orthodoxy managed to rocket toward £100M scale by focusing on something surprisingly unglamorous: customer acquisition, ruthless simplicity, and relentless testing. Thousands of creatives, endless A/B tests, and years of building a loyal customer base all culminated in moments where a single campaign could generate a million pounds in a day. Along the way, Jack reveals why he barely thinks about “brand” in the way most marketers obsess over it, and why instincts, judgment, and rational thinking matter more than frameworks. That’s where the conversation drifts into bigger territory — from Sun Tzu-style strategic thinking to Jeff Bezos and the idea that great founders make unusually good decisions under uncertainty. But this isn’t a polished startup fairy tale. Jack also talks about the chaos behind hyper-growth: demand planning nightmares, operational fires, factories on the brink, and the uncomfortable truth that scaling a physical product business is mostly logistics, not glamour. The result is a conversation about business that feels more like philosophy — why simplicity wins, why complexity kills companies, and how a seemingly boring product can become a £100M 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/)

Espresso - Rory Sutherland - How to Create a Massive Brand-quake for Your Restuarant

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Adam Handling - Losing Everything, Making £148k a Day, Winning Great British Menu and 2 Michelin

Ever wondered what it takes to build a £10M restaurant empire? Chef Adam Handling joins Dan Pope to unpack the brutal realities of building a £10M restaurant empire. From nearly losing his parents' house during COVID-19 to making £148,000 on Valentine's Day via home deliveries, Adam's journey is a masterclass in resilience. We dive deep into his Chanel vs. Hermes philosophy on brand building, why his team researches guests online for the ultimate dining experience, and his bold mission to redefine British cuisine. If you want to know what it really takes to chase two Michelin stars while dodging every missile on planet earth, this is a must-listen. #AdamHandling #Hospitality #BusinessGrowth #DanPope ON THE MENU: 00:00 Intro 01:05 Surviving the Restaurant Business 03:16 The Cayman Islands Restaurant Disaster 10:16 How COVID Almost Destroyed Everything 15:02 Risking His Parents' House to Survive 17:59 The Power of Positive Leadership 25:00 Turning Down £100k to Protect the Brand 27:14 From Rebellious Kid to Gleneagles Chef 34:36 Building an Unbreakable Core Team 43:00 Brand Identity: Frog & Ugly Butterfly 55:14 The Secret to Ultimate Guest Experience 01:10:02 Making £10M & Reinvesting Profits 01:17:21 Launching a Secret Caviar Brand 01:19:33 Chasing Two Michelin Stars 01:24:31 Inside Adam's Intense Daily Routine 01:31:13 Personal Struggles & Cancel Culture 01:38:03 Redefining British Cuisine 02:14:37 Dealing with Haters & Misconceptions ============================================== ♨️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: Henry Dimmbleby - The Strange Way Finland Solved Their Catastrophic Health Crisis

Dropped By Arsenal at 15, Stoicism & Manifestation, Exiting The Tumeric Co. - Thomas "Hal" Robson-Kanu

Former professional footballer Hal Robson-Kanu discusses how adversity shaped both his football career and his business philosophy. Reflecting on being released by Arsenal F.C. at 15 and suffering serious ACL injuries, he explains that real resilience comes not from eliminating doubt but learning to live with uncertainty and continue acting despite it. He argues adversity is essential for development, because only through facing difficulty do people discover their capacity to persevere. Robson-Kanu connects these lessons to entrepreneurship with The Turmeric Co.. The company’s “north star,” he says, is creating genuine “life transformations” through clinically backed products rather than typical consumer brands that prioritize marketing over product efficacy. He also reflects on elite sport, emphasizing that high performance is less about motivational speeches and more about obsessive attention to fundamentals—training routines, discipline, and preparation over long periods. Success, whether in football or business, comes from consistent intent, clear direction, and aligning the energy of a team toward a shared objective. Ultimately, his core belief is that “all is mind”: mindset shapes performance, opportunity, and outcomes in sport, business, and life. ============================================== ♨️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/)