And Another Thing

This week, Helene and Joella kick things off by turning everyday words into creative additions to their vocabulary before diving into the realities of minimum wage increases and what they mean for small businesses. They explore the impact on independent hospitality businesses, while raising a few unanswered questions about how the same changes might affect larger operations.

Helene shares stories from her recent trip to England, while Joella reflects on a timely reminder of what she loves most about working in hospitality. A little industry insight, a few unanswered questions, and the usual conversational detours make up this week's episode.

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella tackle the realities of being an older woman in the workforce, exploring how the different stages of menopause can impact everyday working life. They discuss why a little education, open conversation, and greater understanding can make a real difference—not only for women experiencing these changes, but for the workplaces and colleagues around them. Because sometimes, a little knowledge and a lot of understanding can go a long way.

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella welcome a very special guest to the studio: Joella’s mother, visiting all the way from New Zealand. She shares stories from her days opening and running a small café/restaurant, the challenges of balancing family life with hospitality, and the lessons learned along the way. From boobs getting in the way to favourite desserts and why having the right dance partner in the kitchen makes all the difference, this episode is filled with personal stories, laughter, and a glimpse into life from a different era of hospitality.

We’ve made it to 50 episodes! On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella celebrate the milestone by taking a look back at their journey so far. They put each other through a series of questions covering favourite memories, the moments that made them laugh the most, lessons learned along the way, and what they’re looking forward to as they head into the next 50 episodes.

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella take on the ever-evolving world of hiring the younger generation and ask the question: are young people lacking the basic life and work skills we once took for granted, or has modern life simply changed the opportunities they have to develop them?

From the disappearance of the traditional after-school job to the realities of stepping into a fast-paced, high-pressure café environment, they explore how work ethic, responsibility and confidence are developed—and whether they can actually be taught. Helene and Joella share the different approaches, mindsets and techniques they use when bringing younger staff into the hospitality world, along with the patience, adaptability and occasional deep breath that comes with it.

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella tackle their biggest pet peeves—or pet hates, depending on which side of the world you're from. They share the sometimes serious, often humorous ways they coach staff to save money, work smarter, and, on occasion, keep all ten fingers intact. Joella also uncovers some fascinating Victorian-era facts from a recent work project, before the pair question just how much history is too much history for a hospitality podcast.

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella take a trip through culinary history as they uncover the origins of the Michelin Guide and how a clever marketing campaign evolved into one of the world's most prestigious restaurant rating systems. They explore what it takes for restaurants to earn the coveted Michelin stars and discuss the dedication, precision, and pressure of working in such a high-standard environment.

With summer well underway, another concert inevitably finds its way into the conversation. And, in true podcast fashion, power outage season arrives just in time to wreak havoc on this week's recording, proving that even the best-laid plans don't always go to plan.

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella talk listeners through what a day looks like when they’re back at work after time away and trying to find their feet again. They reflect on how their leadership styles differ, while also complementing one another in the day-to-day running of the café.

True to form, the conversation takes a detour into the world of sport, where two self-confessed non-sports people attempt to make sense of New Zealand’s team names. An event packed with cyclists also takes centre stage, proving once again that there’s no shortage of drama in the day-to-day life of a café worker.

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella kick things off with tales from a dinner party, where the sound of clippity-clopping shoes becomes an unexpected source of amusement. Hyacinth pops up at a community event, before the conversation moves on to a more reflective turn as they discuss the sacrifices often made in the hospitality industry.

From exhaustion spilling into precious days off to the unpredictability of shift work and last-minute schedule changes, they explore the realities of a life spent in hospitality. Drawing from their own experiences of growing up in hospitality households, they share how finding quality family time was often a challenge.

Despite the demands of the industry, they also examine what continues to attract people to hospitality—and, perhaps more importantly, what inspires them to stay.

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella explore the role customers can play in creating waste within a business, discussing whether it's something that can be controlled and why the challenges differ between cafés and restaurants.

They also unpack a slightly questionable—but maybe justified—dine-and-dash moment, debate who should foot the bill when mistakes happen, and discover that navigating Canadian culture can be just as challenging as navigating hospitality, especially when it comes to common every day words that are not easy to say with a different accent.