Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street

This week I sat down with Jonny Bramwell, Regional Head of Operations for Rosa’s Thai — a man responsible for 22 restaurants, thousands of miles of motorway, and quite possibly the most unexpectedly philosophical conversation we’ve had on Hospitality Meets in a while.
What starts as a chat about pubs, restaurants and leadership quickly becomes a brilliant conversation about burnout, ambition, balance, accidental life lessons, and why sometimes the best thing that can happen to your career… is getting sacked from your first hospitality job.
There are stories of legendary £4.50 breakfasts, pub landlords who accidentally become life mentors, entrepreneurial chaos, brutal kitchen lessons, and one particularly wonderful moment involving a manager solving Phil’s chronic lateness problem with the revolutionary concept of… buying a second alarm clock.
Groundbreaking leadership.
Along the way, Jonny talks openly about the moments where hospitality nearly broke him, the dangers of arrogance disguised as ambition, and how learning to understand yourself is just as important as learning how to run a business.
It’s thoughtful, funny, honest, slightly chaotic at times… and packed full of gold.
In this episode, Jonny and I get into…
• Why a bike accident and a few days in hospital unexpectedly sparked a fascination with medicine
• Falling into hospitality almost by accident — and immediately becoming obsessed with food, drink and learning
• Getting fired from his very first hospitality job… then finding his career-changing mentor in the pub next door
• The magic of great pubs and why community operators still matter so much
• How the right leader at the right moment can completely change someone’s life
• Why hospitality relationships become so deep and enduring
• The difference between management and true leadership
• Burnout, arrogance, ambition and learning difficult lessons early in your career
• Why some jobs teach you more in one year than others teach in ten
• The brutal but brilliant education of kitchens and gastropub culture
• The changing role of modern operations leadership in hospitality
• Why coaching matters far more than fear
• Work-life balance… or just “balance” full stop
• How hospitality can become both your stress and your safe place at the same time
• Why being comfortable isn’t always a bad thing
• The importance of recognising what actually matters in your life before it’s too late
• The joy, madness and sheer unpredictability of hospitality careers
Some cracking quoteables from Jonny…
“If you enjoy food and drink, it’s probably a pretty good industry to be in.”
“I accidentally built roots in Reading.”
“The enemy of your enemy is your friend.”
“It’s a school of hard knocks.”
“You’re one great day away from having a crap day.”
“Hospitality became my place of joy.”
And perhaps the most important leadership breakthrough in modern history:
“If one alarm clock isn’t working… buy a second alarm clock.”
Revolutionary stuff.
Why this episode is worth your ears
This one feels incredibly human.
Yes, there’s loads in here about hospitality operations, leadership, career growth and team culture… but underneath all of that is a really honest conversation about figuring yourself out while trying to build a career at the same time.
Jonny speaks brilliantly about the moments where things didn’t go well, the leaders who shaped him, the mistakes that taught him the most, and how hospitality has evolved from old-school fear-based management into something far more people-focused.
It’s funny, reflective, occasionally chaotic, and full of the sort of stories that remind you why this industry gets under people’s skin in the first place.
Also…
Any episode featuring:
• Pub philosophy
• Angry chefs
• Ping pong bars
• A grammar school kid discovering kinaesthetic learning
• And the phrase “the avenue of arsehole is a two-way street”…
…was probably always going to be a good one.
Show Partner
A big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.
It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.
To find out more, head to RotaCloud

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week I sat down with Adam Hamadache, founder of Formula and host of the Hotel Growth Podcast, a man who has spent the last 15 years helping hotels figure out how to grow in an industry that never seems to sit still for more than five minutes.
What followed was part hospitality strategy masterclass, part therapy session for modern business owners, and part beautifully chaotic conversation about AI, audience-less keynote speeches, and why hiring experts only to tell them exactly what to do might be “the definition of madness.”
From working in a shoe shop during school work experience while dreaming of hotels, to shouting orders on the grill in a Sydney restaurant kitchen overlooking the Opera House, Adam’s journey is full of sharp pivots, curiosity, and a relentless obsession with solving problems properly.
Along the way we get into the terrifying speed of AI, why hospitality still massively underuses its own data, what business owners can learn from bad football defending, and the deeply humbling experience of delivering a keynote presentation to an audience of… one.
And honestly?
The audience of one story alone is worth the price of admission (Which is free by the way)
In this episode, Adam and I get into…
• Why careers often evolve through curiosity rather than rigid planning
• How a failed hotel promotion model accidentally launched an entire hospitality marketing career
• The ongoing battle between hotels and OTAs, and why direct bookings still matter so much
• What operators misunderstand about marketing partnerships
• Why Formula made the bold decision to hire only highly experienced people
• The power of friction, challenge and healthy disagreement in great businesses
• Why “slow down to speed up” might be the most important business lesson of all
• The terrifying speed of AI and how search behaviour is fundamentally changing
• Why hospitality still isn’t using data and technology anywhere near its full potential
• How fear of being left behind can push businesses into bad tech decisions
• Why independent hoteliers often feel isolated when facing huge commercial challenges
• The thinking behind Adam’s new hospitality advisory board concept
And so much more.
Some cracking quote-ables from Adam…
“You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself”
“Search has changed more in the last 18 months than in the previous 18 years”
“You’ve got to slow down to speed up”
“The bold, harder decisions are often much less expensive than the easy decisions you choose to tolerate”
“Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is madness… but so is hiring experts and then telling them exactly how to do their job”
Why this episode is worth your ears
This is one of those conversations that goes way beyond marketing.
Yes, there’s loads in here about AI, growth strategy, technology, customer behaviour and the future of hospitality… but underneath all of that is a really thoughtful conversation about leadership, humility, evolution and the importance of staying curious when the world feels like it’s changing at breakneck speed.
Adam’s honesty around business ownership, difficult decisions, and learning to pause before reacting makes this one feel incredibly grounded and real.
It’s also reassuringly human.
Because sometimes even successful keynote speakers end up presenting to one confused bloke in a conference room.
And somehow…
that might actually be the perfect metaphor for modern business.
Show Partner
A big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform built specifically for shift based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes, all from one simple, web-based app.
It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.
To find out more, head to RotaCloud

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with Gareth Rees, and this is one of those conversations that feels properly important.
Not just for hospitality… but for how we think about people, performance, and what “doing a good job” actually means
Gareth now runs ADHospitalityD, with a mission to educate the industry on neurodiversity, breaking down misconceptions, supporting individuals, and helping businesses create environments where people can genuinely thrive.
But his story starts where many of ours do…
On the floor
In this episode, Gareth and I get into…
Growing up in hospitality with both parents in the industry
Falling in love with the buzz (and chaos) of a busy service at a young age
Originally planning a career in sports… before hospitality pulled him back in
Working his way through the industry via the Exclusive Collection grad scheme
Why understanding the full guest journey matters in leadership
Stepping into a Head of Department role, and suddenly hitting a wall
The shift from doing the job to enabling others to do it
Struggling with admin, pressure, and expectations, despite loving the industry
Discovering ADHD later in life and what that explained
The concept of interest-based vs importance-based nervous systems (game-changer 👀)
Why traditional productivity advice doesn’t work for everyone
Adjusting ways of working to suit how your brain actually functions
And ultimately… turning that experience into a mission to support others

Some cracking quote-ables from Gareth
“We need to value the strengths, but appreciate the struggles”
“I wasn’t failing… I just hadn’t been set up in a way that worked for me”
“At Head of Department level, your output changes, and that’s where it hit me”
“I could do the job… but I couldn’t do it the way everyone else expected”
“You don’t ‘fix’ this, you learn how to work with it”
Why this episode is worth your ears
If you lead people… this one matters
Because it challenges a lot of assumptions we make about:
Productivity
Performance
Communication
And what “good” looks like at work

Gareth’s story is a powerful reminder that not everyone operates the same way, and that’s not a weakness.
In fact, when you understand it properly?
It can be a huge strength
And for an industry built on people…
That’s something we can’t afford to ignore.
Contact Gareth through his website at https://adhospitalityd.com/ or Instagram
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with another Phil, that being Phil Andreopoulos, CEO of YOTEL, for a conversation that starts with washing pots in restaurants… and somehow ends with power naps, gorilla trekking, hotel disruption and leadership philosophy.
Inspired by a first class airline cabin and created by the founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL has always challenged the “that’s just how hotels work” mentality, and this episode dives into exactly why.
Along the way, the two Phils discuss:
Why understanding your own energy patterns might be one of the most underrated leadership skills around
The importance of healthy friction in teams
Building cultures that aren’t just clones of the leader
Why communication matters most when uncertainty is highest
The reality of navigating major business change
Why hospitality still offers one of the greatest careers in the world
And why getting promoted from pots and pans to plates and glasses once felt like a massive career breakthrough 😂

There’s also loads of brilliant insight around leadership, culture, growth and vision, without ever disappearing too far up its own backside.
Phil Andreopoulos speaks openly about:
Growing through the hospitality industry
His journey from kitchen porter to CEO
Building franchise growth across global hotel brands
The recent Hilton partnership with YOTEL
Why “fun at work” matters more than people think
And the importance of creating environments where people actually want to be

Some standout quotes from the episode:
“Knowing yourself is a hugely underrated leadership skill”
“If you leave gaps in communication, people will fill them”
“We spend a huge amount of our lives at work. It should be successful… but it should also be fun”
“You don’t build great teams by hiring people exactly like you”
“Hospitality is one of the greatest industries in the world… and I still don’t think we tell that story well enough”
There’s wisdom in this one.
There’s humour in this one.
There’s also a genuinely fascinating story about how a first-class airline seat accidentally became a hotel concept.
Classic hospitality really. Somebody looked at a plane seat and thought:
“…yeah, but what if we put a shower next to it?” 😂
Enjoy.
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Guy Freedman, Hotel Director at The Pig & The Pig in the Wall, and honestly, this one felt like a giant exhale.
A conversation about leadership, yes.
Culture, absolutely.
But also… naked guests, rogue deer, flood rescues in a Land Rover, student days in a fudge kitchen, and why maybe fun has been unfairly underestimated as a serious business strategy.
Guy’s journey, from a self-confessed chatty teenager being redirected out of the kitchen and into front of house, to Hotel Director at The Pig - is packed with warmth, mischief, humility and some beautifully simple thinking about what makes hospitality…well... hospitality.
In this episode, Guy and I get into…
How a careers adviser effectively turned “I like eating and drinking” into a career path 😅
Why his kitchen career lasted roughly three weeks
Student jobs in fudge kitchens, pot washing and night cleaning, and why every odd job teaches you something
Falling for The Pig over a hungover lunch… then resigning before he even had the job
Why great hospitality businesses recruit personality first, train skill second
Growing through the ranks at The Pig and opening a hotel just in time for COVID (timing 👀)
Why fun at work isn’t fluff, it’s culture
Turning staffing shortages into team challenges, not team stress
The now-legendary flood day
Why adversity often creates the best guest experiences
Working nights in London and the surprisingly frequent issue of naked guests locking themselves out of rooms
Rogue animals, escaped deer, wandering bullocks… and the operational realities no hotel school prepares you for

Some cracking quote-ables from Guy
“We’ve always recruited personality.”
“I got to play at those hotels”
“If we can make it fun, people want to come to work”
“Don’t take a step back”
“There’s always adversity in this industry… so you may as well have fun with it”
“It’s only work” (which somehow sounded profound in context)
🎧 Why this episode is worth your ears
This one is a brilliant reminder that hospitality doesn’t have to choose between performance and joy.
You can be serious about standards…
and still be playful.
You can lead through pressure…
and still laugh.
And maybe, just maybe, the teams that have the most fun are often the teams that perform the best.
There’s loads in here about leadership, culture and community… but also some glorious stories that remind you why so many of us fell in love with this industry in the first place.
And honestly?
Any episode featuring fudge, floods and naked guests was always going to be worth a listen.
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy