Ep 12 - Using data insights to grow multiple locations with confidence with the co-founder of The Major Venues Joshua Harrison



When our next guest came across their first cafe with his cousin called Little West, the shopfront had its windows plastered with movie posters.   It took 18 months to open but was soon loved by the local community for its great coffee, food and service.

The second cousins have built a cafe group that is quickly growing, with Little west, Applegum and Somewhere North soon to open, so it's great to chat with the co-founder Josh Harrison on this episode of RAW.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How Joshua started out in the hospitality industry and come to work with his cousin.

-What the great things about running a business in a partnership are.

-How they broke through in the cafe industry, and if he feels it's purely based on location and consistency these days?

-Seeing the benefit of looking at insights on Lightspeed, what the important data to look at so you can make educated decisions.

-What the plans are for the brand in the future.

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series  RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

Little West Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/littlewest.haberfield/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 11 - Growing sustainable dining with an indigenous focus with Zachariah Buckley from Grow Cafe Co.

Grow Cafe Co. is revolutionising the way we think about sustainable and socially responsible dining by not only offering delicious, locally sourced food but also supporting small-scale farmers and bringing the traditional community values of Aboriginal Australia into its cafe group.

I am so excited to have Zachariah with us today to share their story and insights on the future of the hospitality industry.

In this podcast we discuss:

-Can you tell us more about the mission and vision of Grow Cafe Co., and how it all started?

-How does Grow Cafe ensure a sustainable supply chain and focus on local bush tucker ingredients like you are doing?

-Can you share with us some of the biggest challenges you've faced in growing Grow Cafe so far and how you envisage building the brand?

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

Grow cafe Co. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growcafeco.leonay/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 10 -Not making apologises for making delicious fried chicken with Joss Jenner-Leuthart from Belles Hot Chicken Group 

Officially opening Fitzroy in August 2014, Belles Crave Worthy Chicken, great booze, Vinyl friendly soundtrack and legendary parties quickly proved to be a damn good recipe for success. Having locations in Melbourne and Sydney and now growing into other venues in 2023 as well, it's amazing to sit down with the manager director Joss Jenner-Leuthart on this episode.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How did you start in the hospitality industry and come to work at Belles?

-With staff being such an issue, how important is building a unique team culture in hospitality or any organisation.. and how do you do it at Belles?

-Belles has developed many different brand verticals over the last few years: Belles Hot Radio, An apparel line, Belles Draught beer and the original seasoning for retail - why have you deemed this to be important as you have gone deeper down this track than a lot of brands which is impressive?

-Belles has been a brand that has flexed up and down with the number of venues you have and you are now in a very stable and impressive position, what plans do you have for the brand in the future?

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

Belles Website: https://belleshotchicken.com/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 9 - Have solid foundations for sustainable growth with Yanan Zhou & Adam Chen from Oriental TeaHouse and David’s Restaurant. 



Oriental Teahouse is an authentic Chinese teahouse re-imagined for modern times. Since its opening in 2003, Oriental Teahouse has built a reputation as Melbourne’s best teahouse, thanks to its tasty selection of handmade dumplings and yum cha, all served alongside a carefully selected range of cocktails and herbal and Chinese teas. 

The greater group incorporates 2 Oriental Tea House locations, Zhou Zhou Bar, The dumpling studio, and Davids Restaurant, along, with a tea and teaware range as well a high-quality dumpling range that is sold at Coles Local Australia-wide. 

Therefore it is a pleasure to sit down with Yanan Zhou, the General manager and Adam Chou the Operations Manager to talk with us about this amazing family-run business today. 

In this podcast we ask the questions: 

-How did you start out in the hospitality industry and come to work in the family business? -What the great things are about running and working in a family business? 

-You have different verticals in the business like the ‘dumplings at home range’ and selling teaware and tea wholesale, when and why did the brand take this step? 

-Why are the foundations important for a business like yours for growth?

-What plans do you have for the brand in the future? 

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here: 

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/ 

Oriental Tea House Website: https://orientalteahouse.com.au/ 

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 8 - Pushing the boundaries of what a coffee brand can be With Lachlan Ward from ST ALi.

ST. ALi was one of the first speciality coffee brands in Australia and blazed a path for what we define as specialty coffee in Melbourne; 

Since its inception in 2005, ST. ALi has been an industry leader in direct relationships with farmers, in-house roasting, and expert coffee brewing, with a best-in-category food offering.

They have always pushed the boundaries of what a coffee brand can be and whilst they have always had their landmark venue in the laneways of South Melbourne, they have grown into so many verticals of coffee and food products that are now proudly sold worldwide. 

They have collaborated with such brands as  Mercedes Benz, Mr Black, Archie Rose, and Koko Black just to name a few, and I feel fortunate to chat with CEO Lachlan Ward today as they make an entry back into expanding their footprint of hospitality venues in 2023…

In this podcast we discuss:

-How ST ALi started in 2005 and how Lachlan came to be involved in the brand.

-With a distinct focus for the brand to concentrate on different verticals other than running venues, why they took this action.

-How ST ALi continues to stand out in the coffee market in an industry of so many quality players.

-How Lachlan feels about the Melbourne hospitality scene moving forward and what plans ST has for the future.

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

ST ALi's Website: https://stali.com.au/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 7 - Developing a resilient mindset to succeed in the industry with Co-Owner and Venue Manager at ONA Coffee with Danny Moreno

Ona Coffee has a few different arms to the business, Ona wholesale which roasts and distributes coffee to cafes around Australia, Project Origin which is our green bean supplier, and the Ona retail group which consists of 5 venues, 3 in Canberra, 1 in Sydney and 1 in Melbourne 

Attached to the ONA Coffee roastery, they offer the entire signature range of house blends and an ever-changing range of single-origin coffees.

Today we talk with Danny Moreno who is the co-owner and Venue Manager of Ona Coffee House in Canberra.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How he started working at Ona Coffee House after years of working as a chef in restaurants.

-With the Canberra hospitality scene getting lost in conversation a lot and gets overshadowed by what's happening in Sydney, how Canberra is a unique offering.

-How Danny gained the support he needed when he had challenges with his mental health.

-How he feels about the Canberra hospitality scene moving forward and what plans the Ona have for the future.

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

Ona Coffee House's Website: http://onacoffeehouse.com.au

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 6 - Respectfully building on a 50-year restaurant legacy with Martika Van Rijn from Una's

Una’s Restaurant is an institution in Sydney, first opening in the late 1960s when the rent was just $25.  They serve a Home-style menu that has been inspired by the foods and flavours of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary. ‘

They pride themselves on using traditional European recipes, and the result is a menu of stable favourites that are always high in quality and taste.  Their beverage program is almost as famous as their food with a range of imported beers and spirits, including their famous schnapps.

They sell on average, 500 kilograms worth of potato rosti per week as well as having some of the most infamous artwork in a restaurant in Sydney, so it was great to talk with Martika Van Rijn in this episode.

In this podcast we discuss:

-What the history of the restaurant is, and how did it become an institution in Sydney.

-What some of the changes have been in the venue that are noticeable.

-What has been the importance of Una's not changing very much over the years.

-How the business made changes during the pandemic in order to survive and keep going, especially with the weight of having staff who have worked with the brand for decades.

-With having one successful venue for over 50 years, if there any appetite to expand into another venue in time.

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

Una’s Website:  https://www.unasrestaurant.com.au/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Ep 5- Managing to move forward as the wall is literally crashing down next to you with Managing Director of The North Spoon Gareth Naar.

Located north in Sydney’s CBD in McMahons Point, The North Spoon is a neighbourhood favourite cafe by day and event-come function space at night. Famed for its Italian nights.

From its humble beginnings in 2017 it has grown into a favourite spot for many in the local area.

It is committed to using seasonal and locally grown produce from NSW artisans, farmers, and producers.

Like all venues in the industry, it has faced challenges in recent times and has had to adapt and evolve quickly in order to keep the business strong and sustainable.

So it’s a pleasure to chat with the co-owner of The North Spoon, Gareth Naar on this episode.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How he started out in the industry and how he would describe North Spoon to someone who hasn't visited.

-If he ever thought about going out on his own and not having a partnership.

-The challenges they had over April 2022, and how they worked their way through it.

-How they are dealing with the staffing challenges right now, and what his thoughts are about the future of hospitality staffing in Australia

-What he is looking forward to in the future for himself and the brand.

Find out more about the Lightspeed x POH Series RAW here:

https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/raw-hospitality-podcast-series/

The North Spoon Website:  https://thenorthspoon.com.au/

Lightspeed Website: https://www.lightspeedhq.com.au/

POH Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

A little more about RAW

RAW is a podcast series about the highs and lows of hospitality.

Each episode our host over at POH, Shaun De Vries, will conduct off-the-cuff, unscripted and uncensored interviews with the best in the industry.

They’ll be talking about their experiences, what they’ve had to sacrifice or overcome to achieve their success, and what keeps them pushing forwards in an industry that has a tendency to both wear down and excite in equal measure.

The guests will leave everything in the open, showing that even though they may enjoy a success that seems out of reach to most, they too had to work hard to get there and we all start from the same place.