Restaurant Growth, Scaling & Hospitality Leadership

Jeff Tonidandel & Jamie Brown: Building, Scaling and Staying True in Hospitality

Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown, founders of the Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group, join the say86 podcast to share the journey behind building one of the most respected independent hospitality groups in the U.S. Starting with just 11 tables, they’ve grown into a collection of award-winning concepts, including Supperland, by combining strong commercial thinking with a clear vision of what great hospitality should feel like. With MBAs and over 15 years of experience, Jeff and Jamie offer a grounded perspective on scaling a business without losing its identity. The conversation explores how they’ve approached growth, the importance of having a clear purpose behind each concept, and the realities of running a multi-site operation while maintaining consistency and quality across the board. They also speak openly about leadership, decision-making, and the unique dynamic of building a business as a husband-and-wife team. It’s an honest and practical discussion on what it takes to create something that lasts in hospitality, with insights that apply far beyond the industry itself.

The Human Side of Hospitality PR

In this episode of Hospitality Mavericks, Tim sits down with Priya Dua, CEO of Arkive PR, to explore how strategic storytelling, brand positioning and authentic communication are shaping the future of hospitality. Priya shares her journey into public relations, the lessons learned from building a successful agency, and why the most effective brands focus on genuine human connection rather than simply chasing visibility. The conversation covers the differences between PR and marketing, the importance of crisis management, the growing influence of social media, and how hospitality businesses can build trust in an increasingly digital world. Tim and Priya also discuss the impact of AI on communications, why authentic storytelling matters more than ever, adapting marketing strategies for Generation Z, and how hospitality leaders can balance technology with the human touch that remains at the heart of great guest experiences.

Storytelling, Branding & Guest Experience

In this episode of the say86 Hospitality Podcast, Tim sits down with Matt Ferebee and Josh Lane, co-founders of FerebeeLane, to explore the real role branding plays within modern hospitality. With experience working with globally recognised luxury and lifestyle brands, including Le Creuset, we move beyond logos and interiors to the emotional connection, storytelling, and consistency that define memorable guest experiences.   Across the episode, Matt and Josh discuss how hospitality brands can create stronger customer loyalty through clarity of purpose, operational alignment and authentic storytelling. The discussion covers everything from luxury guest expectations and hotel culture through to leadership, experience design, commercial performance and why some beautifully designed hospitality businesses still fail to connect with guests.   The episode also explores the future of hospitality, including AI, technology, personalisation, and the growing importance of human connection in an increasingly automated world. This conversation offers insights for operators, hotel owners, restaurateurs, and hospitality leaders on how strong brands build trust, pricing power, and long-term relevance in a competitive market.

From Operator to Owner Mindset - with Mike DeJong

In this episode of the say86 Hospitality Podcast, Tim is joined by entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author Mike DeJong for a wide-ranging conversation around leadership, business ownership and the realities of scaling companies in today’s challenging operating environment. Drawing from more than 30 years of experience across multiple industries, including franchising, Mike shares the lessons learned from building businesses, turning around struggling operations and helping leaders create stronger, more sustainable organisations. The discussion explores one of Mike’s core philosophies — the difference between simply owning a business and genuinely developing an owner’s mindset. Mike explains what he calls the “operator trap”, where founders become consumed by day-to-day operations without ever creating the systems, structure and leadership required for long-term freedom and scalability. The episode also dives into why growing too quickly can often damage businesses, how effective leaders build accountable teams and why systems are ultimately what allow companies to scale successfully. Although many of the themes discussed apply across all industries, the conversation is particularly relevant to hospitality operators navigating operational pressure, staffing challenges, supplier complexity and rapid market change. Packed with practical insights, leadership lessons and real-world experience, this episode offers valuable perspective for entrepreneurs, founders and operators looking to build stronger businesses without losing control in the process.

Leadership, Trust & AI: Navigating Modern Business with Zaher Ibrahim, CEO of Aklarity

In this episode of the say86 podcast, Tim is joined by Zaher Ibrahim, CEO & Founder of Aklarity, a leadership advisory business focused on helping organisations navigate complexity, culture and decision-making more effectively. The conversation explores how leadership is evolving in a world increasingly shaped by pressure, uncertainty, generational change and artificial intelligence. Zaher shares his own journey from civil engineering into leadership development and executive coaching, discussing why many leaders struggle not because they lack skill, but because fear, pressure and self-worth begin to influence judgement and behaviour. The discussion also looks at trust within organisations, workplace culture, burnout, communication, team dynamics and why human judgement is becoming more valuable as AI continues to advance. Although not purely hospitality focused, many of the themes discussed are highly relevant to hospitality operators, founders and senior leadership teams navigating today’s fast-moving business environment. The episode offers a thoughtful insight into modern leadership, organisational psychology and the challenges businesses face in building strong, resilient teams.