How to make a PROFIT
Make your menu work for you.
Key points covered:
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In this episode we unpack the powerful idea that anticipating your guests’ needs is the ultimate luxury. Great hospitality isn’t reactive — it’s proactive. From noticing empty glasses to preparing for dietary needs before they're raised, anticipation transforms service into something exceptional.
We share real-life examples and practical tips for training your team to anticipate guest needs, create seamless experiences, and boost both customer satisfaction and spend.
Key Takeaways:
• Why anticipation = luxury in the customer’s mind
• How to create a “Table Watch” culture on the floor
• Specific things to look for that signal guest needs
• Quick wins: body language, glass levels, plate positioning
• Empowering your team to act before being asked
• Training ideas to sharpen awareness
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In this episode of Simply Hospitality, hosts Lucy and Ruth sit down with Daniel Leite from FareShare, the UK’s leading charity fighting hunger and food waste. Together, they dive into the staggering reality of food waste in the UK and how FareShare is redistributing surplus food to frontline charities and community groups.
Inspiring stories from the field that highlight the impact of FareShare’s work
Insights into how FareShare collaborates with food businesses to rescue surplus food
Practical tips on what we can all do in our daily lives to reduce food waste
Whether you're passionate about sustainability, curious about the food system, or just want to be part of the solution, this episode is a must-listen.
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In this engaging podcast episode, Lucy & Ruth interview Ashley from Clear Brew, a company specializing in beer line hygiene and cellar management. They discuss the importance of maintaining clean beer lines to enhance the quality of your pint, the common mistakes made in cellar management, and the unique services offered by Clear Brew. Ashley shares insights from his experience in the hospitality industry, emphasizing the financial benefits of outsourcing beer line cleaning and the challenges faced in the current market. The conversation also touches on hygiene horror stories and the importance of proper training.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Trade Show Insights
02:59 The Birth and Growth of Clear Brew
06:02 Understanding Beer Line Hygiene
09:03 Common Mistakes in Cellar Management
12:01 The Importance of Beer Quality
15:13 Market Challenges and Customer Education
17:58 Hygiene Horror Stories and Lessons Learned
20:59 Clear Brew's Unique Selling Proposition
23:51 Conclusion and How to Get in Touch
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Simply Hospitality Podcast
If you’re a chef who’s ever considered becoming a Food Inspector, this episode is packed with the information you need. We’re joined by three fantastic guests to explore what the career path looks like and how you can take the first steps.
First, we speak with Iain Ferris, Lecturer in Food Safety, Food Standards, and Food Law at the University of Birmingham. Iain shares insights about the course he offers for those wanting to become Food Inspectors, including entry requirements, course content, and costs.
Next, we’re joined by Chloe Goodship, a Food Regulatory Officer and former chef. Chloe completed the Birmingham course and talks to us about her experience both studying and transitioning into her role as a Food Inspector, a career she has now been in for nearly two years.
Finally, Jon Buttolph, Executive Director at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), joins us to explain the wider opportunities available in Environmental Health careers.
If you're interested in learning more about courses and careers in Environmental Health, visit the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health website: www.cieh.org.
In this episode of Simply Hospitality, we sit down with Hannah Youell to discuss the importance of employee wellbeing and inclusivity in the hospitality industry.
What We Cover:
🔹 Hannah’s Journey – What led her to focus on wellbeing and inclusivity in the workplace.
🔹 Defining Wellbeing & Inclusivity – How these concepts apply in hospitality and why they matter.
🔹 Common Barriers – The challenges small businesses face when trying to implement effective wellbeing initiatives.
🔹 Practical Tips – Actionable steps for restaurants and food businesses to create a supportive and inclusive work environment.
🔹 Measuring Success – How to track and assess the impact of wellbeing efforts.
Tune in for valuable insights and practical advice to help make hospitality a better place to work! 🎙️✨
In this episode, we’re joined by Jenny Bishop from Nice Group, who shares top marketing tips for restaurant owners looking to build their brand and attract more customers.
What We Cover:
🎧 Tune in now and get expert insights to level up your restaurant’s marketing in 2025!
📲 Follow & Subscribe to Simply Hospitality across the Social Platforms for more hospitality insights.
New FSA Allergen Guidance
In this episode of Simply Hospitality, we discuss the NEW Food Standards Agency's (FSA) updated guidance on providing allergen information, issued on 5th March 2025. This guidance aims to support food businesses in effectively communicating allergen information to consumers, particularly those with food hypersensitivities.
Key Discussion Points:
This week on Simply Hospitality, we welcome back Emily Capps, Ruth’s Glastonbury EHO buddy, this time she is sharing her expertise in waste management, to discuss the UK's new Simpler Recycling scheme. These changes introduce new waste regulations that businesses need to be aware of.
If your company has ten or more employees, this episode is essential listening to ensure you meet your legal requirements. Plus, you'll gain fascinating insights into food waste that might surprise you!
Tune in for an informative discussion on how these regulatory changes impact the hospitality industry and what steps you can take to stay compliant.
In this bitesize episode we delve into the unglamourous details that every start up needs to think about, including:
- Kitchen planning: walls, floors and ceilings: is it durable and cleanable? Do you have a wash hand basin and have you thought about your potwash set up?
- Do you have the right equipment, lighting and electricity supply?
- Think about pest proofing, deep cleaning and extraction systems.
- Get yourself registered as a food business 28 days before you open.
- STAFF TRAINING! Food hygiene and people management go hand in hand so invest in both and you'll be off to a strong start :)
And oodles more about looking after your people from the lovely Lucy.
Enjoy and follow us on social media if you like what you hear!
Instagram: @simply_hospitality_the_podcast
Apprenticeships make sense BUT how can we make a success of them in our industry where labour costs have to be kept as lean as possible, and quality over quantity seems to be the best route forward?
Phil Trevett, L&D Manager from Somerset Larder, explains how they run a successful Apprenticeship Programme and the boundless positive outcomes that come from it.
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Simply Hospitality: The Podcast (@simply_hospitality_the_podcast) • Instagram photos and videos
Continuing to discuss the topic of the Autumn Budget with Chris Hayers from Match Accounting, in Part Two, Ruth and Lucy discuss:
- Budgeting properly: do you know your most profitable product?
- Profit and Loss analysis - know your numbers!
- The importance of keeping in regular communication with your accountant.
The goal is to cut through the noise and get to the heart of how these updates will impact our teams, our venues, and our communities.
If you’d like to get in touch with Chris at Match Accounting, go to http://www.matchaccounting.co.uk and drop them a line.
Please subscribe to the pod if you have enjoyed this episode, and follow us on Instagram and Linked In to keep up to date on all the hot topics in the sector!
Ruth and Lucy step a little out of their comfort zone forthis episode, diving into the UK Autumn Budget and its impact on the hospitality sector. While they’re neither politicians nor finance experts, they’re asking the questions that matter most to hospitality business owners—because we all want to understand, in plain English, what these changes mean for us.
Here’s what we’re exploring in Part One:
🔹 Significant Changes:Now that the dust has settled, what are the key takeaways for hospitality? Topics like the National Insurance increase and Minimum Wage changes are front of mind.
🔹 Support forHospitality: Are there measures or financial support available to ease the adjustment period for our industry?
🔹 Consumer Spending: Will the budget influence how much customers are willing to spend?
The goal is to cut through the noise and get to the heart of how these updates will impact our teams, our venues, and our communities.
If you’d like to get in touch with Chris at Match Accounting, go to www.matchaccounting.co.uk and drop them a line.
Please subscribe to the pod if you have enjoyed this episode, and follow us on Instagram and Linked In to keep up to date on all the hot topics in the sector!
Is Glass the Biggest Sustainability Issue in Wine? 🍷♻️
The wine industry has a major sustainability challenge—glass bottles. While they’ve been the standard for centuries, their environmental impact is huge.
Here are some eye-opening stats:
📊60% of a wine bottle’s carbon footprint comes from producing and transporting glass.
♻️Only 70% of glass is recycled in the UK, with millions of tons still going to landfill.
🚛Heavier bottles = higher emissions—switching to lighter or alternative packaging can cut transport emissions by10-40%.
🔄Refillable bottles can be reused up to 30 times, massively reducing waste.
With growing awareness of sustainability, we need to ask:
✅ Areconsumers ready to embrace refillable bottles or alternative packaging?
✅ How canproducers and distributors reduce glass waste?
✅ Whatgovernment policies or initiatives could support a shift toward sustainable wine solutions?
✅ Whatinnovations are on the horizon for wine packaging?
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Live from The Source Trade Show in Exeter, listen to visitors and exhibitors share what they have to offer and what they one thing they would ask for they had direct line to Mr Keir Starmer!
Featuring...
Fleming Howden (4) Fleming Howden: Overview | LinkedIn
ScrocchiarellaSouth West Food Group
https://swgroup.co.uk
South West Sandwich Company
https://sandwichcompany.co.uk Blackthorn Salt
www.blackthornsalt.co.uk
NFU Mutual
www.nfumutual.co.uk
The Ginger Cat Deli
https://gingercatdeli.co.uk
The Michael Caines Academy in Exeter College
Michael Caines Academy - Exeter CollegeHale Events
www.hale-events.com
The Bar Teignmouth
(@thebarteignmouth) • Instagram photos and videos
Shandy Shack
www.shandyshack.co.uk
When in Rome Wine
www.wheninromewine.com
Glassworks International
https://glassworksinternational.com
Purbeck Ice Cream
www.purbeckicecream.co.uk
Westpoint
https://westpointexeter.co.uk
Scott's Crispy Onions
www.scottscrispyonions.com
Advanced Disposables
www.advanceddisposables.co.uk
Greg Parsons from Food Drink Devon
https://fooddrinkdevon.co.uk
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Jam then cream, or cream then jam...?
One of the many pivotal questions we'll be asking the suppliers at The Source Tradeshow next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Simply Hospitality is excited to be a media partner of the show, where we will be recording live from the trading floor! Listen to this week's episode to hear why this show needs to be in your diary - whether you're South West born and bred, or just fancy a jaunt to this beautiful part of the world to gain must have inspiration ahead of the busy season.
Check out The Source trade show – Inspiration and opportunity on a plate to register and we will see you there!
Don't forget to follow us on here and on our social media platfroms to ensure you don't miss an epsiode.
Are you doing enough to attract families to dine with you?
This week, we’re joined by hospitality research expert Katy Moses, founder and MD of KAM Insights, to explore what makes or breaks the family dining experience.
With over 600 million family dining occasions annually and an average spend of £4,015 per family per year on eating out, families are a key demographic for hospitality businesses.
In this episode, we cover:
Plus, we share insights from KAM’s 2024 Family Dining Report, which surveyed 1,000 parents and guardians of 0–12-year-olds to uncover top frustrations, key stats, and actionable ideas for creating a family-friendly experience that benefits both parents and kids.
Key Stats:
Top Frustrations for Parents:
What Families Want:
Don’t miss this insightful episode packed with practical tips to turn family dining into a win-win for your business and your guests!
Don't forget to follow or subscribe to Simply Hospitality to ensure you don't miss an episode.
In this episode of Simply Hospitality, we’re joined by the incredible Kat Thorne, an international keynote speaker, teacher, and consultant specializing in positive habits and well-being.
Kat is the founder and director of The Morning Gamechanger, an initiative dedicated to helping teams lead happier, healthier, and high-performing lives through intentional habits and personalized morning routines.
Here’s what we cover in this inspiring conversation:
🌟 The Morning Gamechanger Initiative
💡 Advice for Leaders
🙌 Workplace Well-being
Don’t miss this insightful episode filled with practical tips and inspiring stories that can help you and your team thrive.
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Building your network: you don’t have to do it all alone
In this episode Ruth and Lucy discuss the importance of using the skillset around you to build a team of people to support you in your venture.
You can find support both internally and externally in:
• Social media management
• HR support
• Health and Safety compliance
And much more.
Thinking about what you can delegate is key so listen to gain more insight into how you can spend time working ON your business and not IN it.
Like, follow and subscribe and check us out on social media to ensure you don’t miss out on any future episodes.
Bitesize: Hospitality New Years Resolutions
This week Lucy and Ruth discuss what to focus on to give you the best chance of success and growth in 2025.
- Lucy reminds everyone of the importance of one to ones – that 99% of your problems are caused by a lack of communication and how issues can be avoided with preventative action!
- Ruth discusses the importance of making sure you have everything in place to get a 5 in 2025.
Listen for more top tips in this bitesize episode of intention setting and action planning.
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