Thoughts & Takeaways
Welcome to the Talking Hospitality blog: a place for practical insight and useful ideas for people working in and leading hospitality.
Some pieces are designed to make you think. Some are here to give you clear actions you can take back to your team. Most do a bit of both.
Some pieces are designed to make you think. Some are here to give you clear actions you can take back to your team. Most do a bit of both.
Sept. 7, 2026
The Conversations Hospitality Needs Next
A new series of episodes from Talking Hospitality. Hospitality does not need more noise. There is already plenty of it. More opinions. More hot takes. More posts telling us what the industry must do next, usually in six steps, three hacks or one…
Aug. 31, 2026
Employment Rights Act 2025: A Hospitality Employer Checklist
This is the fifth and final article in our five-part series on the Employment Rights Act 2025. We’ve already looked at guaranteed hours and rotas, Statutory Sick Pay, probation and unfair dismissal, and the responsibilities employers have arou…
Aug. 24, 2026
Sexual Harassment and Whistleblowing in Hospitality: What Employers Need to Know
In a busy hospitality workplace, where does “banter” end and responsibility begin? And, more importantly, would your team know where to raise a concern safely? That question matters in a pub, restaurant, hotel, events venue or late-night bar becau…
Aug. 17, 2026
Probation and Unfair Dismissal in Hospitality: What Changes?
If probation is meant to be a period of support and assessment, what changes when ordinary unfair dismissal protection arrives much sooner? For hospitality employers across England, Scotland and Wales, the answer is not that every new starter bec…
Aug. 10, 2026
Statutory Sick Pay in Hospitality: What Employers Need to Know
Blog 2 of 5 in the Talking Hospitality series on the Employment Rights Act 2025. There is a particular kind of panic that hits when someone calls in sick 45 minutes before service. The rota suddenly has a hole in it. The kitchen is already st…
Aug. 3, 2026
Employment Reforms and Hospitality Rotas: Balancing Flexibility with Predictability
Employment Reforms and Hospitality Rotas: Balancing Flexibility with Predictability How do you balance flexibility for the business with more predictability for your people? That is the question hospitality leaders need to be asking now. Not wh…
July 27, 2026
A Fair Shot
Britain has been good to me. It gave me a fair shot, though not without its fine print. It gave me access, took me seriously and offered me a fair shot at moments that changed the course of my life. But it also came with fine print: glass ceiling…
July 20, 2026
Unity in Diversity: Stories about Sri Lankan food, heritage culture and hospitality
South Asian Heritage Month should create space for people to tell their own stories, in their own words. Ranji Thangiah, founder of Tooting Mama and host of Tea with Tooting Mama, uses food to explore Sri Lankan heritage, identity and belonging thro…
July 13, 2026
Everyone Has A Place
Every July, South Asian Heritage Month asks us to pause and celebrate the histories, cultures and communities connected to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This year's theme, "Unity in Diversity,"…
July 6, 2026
Brand is a feeling
Brand Isn’t the Logo. It’s the Reason People Come Back. South Asian Heritage Month Series Featuring Sachin Parmar and Sanj Naha, Graphic Kitchen South Asian Heritage Month is not an invitation for me to explain someone else’s lived experience. T…
July 1, 2026
People Who Build, Not Take.
There is a tired story that keeps being told in Britain. You know the one. People come here. They take jobs. They claim benefits. They change the country. They do not contribute. It is usually said with great certainty by people who have rarely h…
June 29, 2026
Pride Month Is a Check-In, Not a Campaign
Pride Month Is a Check-In, Not a Campaign Pride Month is here. Cue the flags, posts, panels, themed events, colourful graphics and at least one brand somewhere discovering, with great urgency, that it has always cared deeply about inclusion since …
June 22, 2026
Why You Should Be Supporting Local Drag
Support Local Drag Here's Why A companion piece to "What Can We Learn From Drag Queens?" Drag is often treated as the loud bit of the night. The funny bit. The eyelashes. The heels. The jokes. The song choice that starts as camp fun and somehow …
June 15, 2026
Trans Inclusion in Hospitality
Trans Inclusion in Hospitality Start with Curiosity, Not Assumptions (Companion to: Trans and gender episode with Che Young Gender. Trans. Pronouns. Identity. For some hospitality leaders, those words are familiar. For others, they can feel like…
June 8, 2026
Are Rainbow Flags Enough for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion?
Are Rainbow Flags Enough for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion? The business case for making Pride practical, not performative A rainbow flag in June can be a nice gesture. But it cannot be the whole strategy. For hospitality businesses, LGBTQIA+ inclusion need…
June 1, 2026
Does Pride Still Matter in Hospitality?
Does Pride Still Matter in Hospitality? Yes, but not as wallpaper Suggested category: EDI / Pride Month / Hospitality LeadershipCompanion to: PrideWide conversation with Tris Reid-SmithSEO keywords: Pride Month hospitality, LGBTQIA+ hospitality, P…
March 30, 2026
What Allyship Looks Like in Hospitality Leadership
International Women’s Day conversations often focus on women. That makes sense. But progress in hospitality leadership does not sit solely with women. It sits with those who already hold influence. In UK hospitality, women make up well over half …
March 23, 2026
Is Hospitality Compatible with Work-Life Balance for Women?
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we are continuing a series exploring the key issues women identify within hospitality. One theme appears consistently across research, exit interviews and leadership conversations: Work-life balance. H…
March 16, 2026
How Safe Do Women Feel Working in Hospitality?
In recognition of International Women’s Day, we are continuing a series of blogs focused on the issues women tell us matter most in hospitality. One of the most consistent themes raised across research, industry reports and lived experience is safe…
March 9, 2026
Why Visibility Is the Real Lever for Change for Women in Hospitality
In our recent Talking Hospitality conversation with Mex Ibrahim, co-founder of Women in the Food Industry, one theme surfaced again and again. Visibility. Not visibility for applause.Not spotlight for ego.Visibility as infrastructure. Because whe…
March 2, 2026
Why Are Women Still Under-Represented in Hospitality Leadership?
In recognition of International Women’s Day on 8th March, for the whole of the month, we’re opening up the conversations about the issues women in hospitality consistently tell us matter most. One theme surfaces again and again. Women make up arou…
Feb. 23, 2026
Finding Meaning at Work, Even When the Job Feels Dull
In the hospitality industry, we sell a dream of seamless luxury, excitement, and flawless experiences. But behind the scenes, the reality of our daily operations can sometimes feel like an endless loop. Whether it is polishing a hundred wine glass…
Feb. 16, 2026
Trust Starts With Yourself: The Hidden Foundation of Growth
In the hospitality industry, we are trained from day one to look outward. We are conditioned to anticipate the guest's needs before they speak them, to scan the dining room for raised hands, and to gauge our success by the immediate feedback loop of…
Feb. 9, 2026
Purpose, Meaning and Passion: Why Work Still Shapes Identity (Especially in Hospitality)
It is the most common question in the modern world. You meet someone new, shake hands, and within seconds, one of you asks: "So, what do you do?" In hospitality, we often answer with a title—"I’m a Chef," "I’m a GM," "I’m in Housekeeping." We hear…