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:

• Marketing Basics – The simplest, most achievable first steps for branding your restaurant
• Low-Cost, High-Impact Strategies – Smart marketing ideas that don’t require a big budget
• Social Media Mistakes – What restaurants often get wrong & how to fix it
• Food Influencer Collaborations – Tips for getting noticed in the right circles
• Engaging Your Local Community – Building a loyal customer base through storytelling
• Handling Negative Reviews – The right way to respond to bad press
• Future Trends – What’s next in food marketing & how to stay ahead

🎧 Tune in now and get expert insights to level up your restaurant’s marketing in 2025!

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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:

• Overview of the Updated Guidance: The FSA's best practice guidance emphasizes the importance of providing written allergen information for non-prepacked foods, such as meals in restaurants, cafés, and takeaways. This written information should be accompanied by a conversation between staff and customers about allergen requirements.
• Best Practices for Providing Allergen Information: The guidance includes recommendations such as:
• • Ensuring written allergen information is always available for non-prepacked food.
  • Encouraging staff to engage in conversations with customers about their allergen requirements.
• Voluntary 'Free From' Claims: The guidance addresses the use of voluntary information, such as 'free from' claims, and emphasizes the importance of clarity to avoid consumer confusion. For example, if a dish is labeled 'peanut free,' it must be ensured that the dish does not contain peanuts and cross-contamination is prevented.
• Staff Training and Communication: Effective communication between staff and consumers is crucial. The guidance recommends that all staff receive training on allergens and food hypersensitivity to appreciate the potential consequences of providing incorrect information, which could be life-threatening.
• Resources:

• FSA's Updated Allergen Guidance: For detailed information, access the full guidance on the FSA website: Allergen Information for Non-Prepacked Foods Best Practice: Summary | Food Standards Agency

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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