This week, Chris Fletcher is joined by two guests with serious flavour and flair: James Packham, founder of cult bacon sandwich brand Le Swine, and Nick Clark, founder and MD of Sheffield-based creative studio 93FT. What starts with a bacon butty turns into a masterclass in brand building, creative bravery, and how friendship can drive business success.

Together, they unwrap:

• How a stolen sandwich sparked a business

• Turning a street food truck into a brand with national reach

• Designing a café that feels nostalgic and new

• Why great design is more than just visuals – it’s storytelling

• The rise of ‘hole-in-the-wall’ dining and micro-concepts

• Working with heritage suppliers and building guest experiences that last

Expect plenty of laughs, some seriously tasty storytelling, and honest chat about scaling without selling out.

🔥 Why Listen?

Whether you’re running one site or rolling out fifty, this is a must-listen for anyone building a hospitality brand from the ground up.

🛠️ Guests:

• James Packham, Founder, Le Swine

• Nick Clark, Founder & MD, 93FT

🍳 Highlights:

• The “bacon epiphany” moment in Clerkenwell

• Designing with intention: from colour palettes to reclaimed floors

• Navigating Covid with care kits and delivery hacks

• The importance of supplier relationships in hospitality storytelling

• Becoming an employee-owned creative agency

📦 Try it yourself:

Head to leswine.co.uk to grab a bacon kit or visit the café in East Sheen.

Design inspo? Visit 93ft.com or connect with Nick Clark on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Chris is joined by Nikki Perry, VP of Product at TripleSeat, who flew in from Boston for her very first visit to London. They dive into Nikki’s journey from bussing tables at 13 to leading product strategy at one of the most exciting events platforms in hospitality tech.Expect a brilliant blend of real-world hospitality experience and cutting-edge product thinking — from how TripleSeat is cutting admin, increasing conversions, and transforming pre-orders in the UK, to how AI is quietly becoming the venue’s best friend.They also cover: • The rise of 3D event planning (think The Sims, but for weddings and private dining) • The difference between US and UK event culture (spoiler: pre-ordering cocktails is wild to Americans) • How AI integrations like AdSalt are streamlining inbound calls and converting more leads • Why TripleSeat’s newest tool, PartyPay, is making painful event payments a thing of the past • What’s coming next in the product roadmap (hint: AI assistants, natural language reports, and hotel tech upgrades)Nikki shares how TripleSeat remains laser-focused on one core user: the event manager — and how the team stays close to the ground through regular customer visits, product feedback loops, and actual party-throwing.✨ Key Takeaways: • 📊 Built by Operators – Most of the TripleSeat team has worked in restaurants or events, making the product truly hospitality-first. • 🧠 AI for Admin – From call-handling bots to natural language reporting tools, AI is embedded in the TripleSeat future. • 🍽 UK vs US – The cultural difference around pre-ordering food and drinks highlights the importance of local product nuance. • 🛒 Self-Service Sales – Tools like TripleSeat Direct and guest portals allow for faster bookings and better guest experiences. • 💳 Payments Solved – PartyPay means no more faxed credit card forms (yes, that was still a thing). • 🧭 Always Iterating – The product roadmap is fuelled by customer feedback, and prioritised by real impact, not just loud requests.🔗 Mentioned in this episode: • TripleSeat • AdSalt AI for hospitality • Tech on Toast📣 Connect with us:Got feedback, questions, or want to be featured?👉 Visit techontoast.community👉 Follow us on LinkedIn: Tech on Toast

What do Isle of Wight ferries, dirty tables, and KFC at midnight have in common?

This episode.

Chris is joined by the silky-voiced Jamie White, Head of Business Development at WRS, fresh off the back of a brand revamp (RIP “Systems”) and full of stories from hospitality, media, and SaaS trenches.

🧠 Whether you’re a single-site pub or a 100-venue group, Jamie’s here to talk about:

• ✨ Why WRS dropped the “Systems” and what it says about where tech is going

• 🎙️ Jamie’s radio past (he needs his own podcast – we said it first)

• 💸 How kiosks are quietly boosting spend and smoothing service

• 🤯 Why putting in tech without fixing your process first is like driving a Ferrari at 20mph

• 📊 The surprising POS reports helping operators win back 80 hours a week • 🤖 What AI actually means in hospitality right now (hint: not magic robots… yet)

• 🤝 Why consultative selling and relationships still rule the tech game

🍞 Bonus: hear Chris confess to a KFC bucket at 12:30am.

We’ve all been there.🚀 Want to future-proof your tech stack?

Take your free Tech Check and find out where the gaps are – from kiosks to kitchen screens.

📌 Stuff we mention:

• WRS LinkedIn • Cornish Bakery (spoiler: Jamie wants one on the Isle of Wight)

• Isle of Wight Festival – yes, there are stories…

• Deliverect – our brilliant podcast partners keeping orders flowing

🎧 Subscribe, share, or shout at us from across the pass – just make sure you’re listening.

In this episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris chats with Rob Bowie, co-founder of Marker, the UK’s first standardised sustainability rating for hospitality. Rob shares the journey behind launching Marka with co-founder Chiara, and how their gamified platform is helping restaurants, pubs and cafés take tangible steps toward sustainability—without the overwhelm.💡 What’s inside: • Why Marka is like a “food hygiene rating for sustainability” • How gamification and AI help operators drive real impact • The commercial value of shouting about your sustainability wins • How Marka's rating system works (and what it really takes to get ‘Outstanding’) • The challenges (and wins) of scaling a purpose-led business from NewcastleWe cover the shifting consumer mindset, the reluctance from operators to be first movers, and why sustainability needs to be team-led—not dumped on one overworked person.🍻 Expect plenty of laughs, a few digs at food hygiene ratings, a surprising Hard Rock Café chat, and serious insight into how sustainability can be a differentiator rather than a tick-box.👣 Start your journey at wearemarka.co.uk

In this episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris Fletcher chats with Archie Heaton, Head of Commercial at Level, the salary-linked financial wellbeing platform that’s making waves in hospitality.

We dive into:

• Archie’s journey from Microsoft and Xbox to startup life

• What on-demand pay really is—and why it’s not a debt trap

• How Level compares to WageStream and why many operators are making the switch

• The real impact of financial flexibility on retention and team morale

• Why hospitality is next in line for a financial wellbeing revolution

• And how Level is now powering platforms for other providers, like US giant Daily Pay

💬 “You only get one chance to mess up someone’s pay. People don’t forget.”

💡 This one’s for the operators, people directors, and GMs who want to do things better—for their team and their business.

🔗 Learn more:

👉 Explore Level on the Tech on Toast Marketplace

📧 Contact Archie: [email protected]

🔍 Follow Chris: @techontoast

🧡 Like what you hear?

Follow the show, leave a review, and share with someone who needs to hear this!

This week on the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris sits down with the always-insightful Joe Heather, Regional General Manager for Northern Europe at Deliverect, the Order Management Platform powering thousands of digital orders across hospitality and retail.From deep dives into the ever-evolving world of kiosk tech, third-party logistics, and marketplace dominance, to spontaneous chats about dogs, golf, and growing teams across borders, this one is packed with both insights and energy.What we cover:🍕 Why Deliverect is more than an integration platform📦 The retail delivery boom, and how Deliveroo and co-op might just replace your corner shop🛍️ How customer expectations from Amazon and Uber Eats are shaping hospitality tech🧠 Joe’s take on operator loyalty, tech partnerships, and the psychology behind marketplace ordering📊 How Pulse and Dispatch are giving operators more control over downtime, data and delivery🐶 Why a Labrador named Mars might be the best career move Joe’s ever made, seriouslyTop Takeaways: • The mid-market restaurant squeeze is real, and QR, kiosk and speed are winning. • Operators aren’t just thinking about “tech stacks” anymore, they’re thinking about order flow. • Retail’s on-demand revolution is just beginning, and Deliverect is building the rails. • Consumer convenience to price point. And speed is becoming non-negotiable.💬 “If it’s an order, and it needs managing, we want to be the platform to control it.” Joe Heather🔗 Want to connect with Joe? He’s very available on LinkedIn: Joe Heather on LinkedIn🖥️ Learn more about Deliverect: www.deliverect.com🎧 Like what you heard? Hit follow and check out more from Season 12 of the Tech on Toast Podcast, proudly supported by our pals at Lightspeed. For a demo of their all-in-one EPOS, head to lightspeed.co.uk/techontoast

In this episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris Fletcher sits down with Jonny McKenzie, co-founder and CEO of Bustle, the cafe management platform built by operators for operators. Jonny flew all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, for this conversation—and it shows in the insights shared.Jonny’s story is anything but ordinary. From launching cocktail bars in his early 20s to running a full-service cinema and now building Bustle, he’s lived every shift, every challenge, and every spreadsheet that independent hospitality operators face.☕ What’s in your cup this episode? • Why Jonny left IT to shake cocktails—and how that shaped his tech career • The pain of running multiple venues without visibility—and how Bustle fixes that • Bustle’s “88% Rule” for building features that work for real operators • The myth of rapid transformation: why real clarity takes time • Emotional loyalty vs points-based systems—what real recognition feels like • Why Bustle celebrates when their customers outgrow them • Why most POS systems fail creatives—and what Bustle is doing differently • The rise of bakery as the new coffee shop culture • How price confidence, not just cost control, can help operators sleep at night👀 Who should listen?This one’s for independent owner-operators, hospitality creatives, and anyone who wants to use tech without losing the soul of service.📍Want to meet the Bustle team?Find them at heybustle.com, or pop by their stand at London Coffee Festival (just follow the treasure hunt 👀).💡 “We’re not trying to replace the human behind the counter—we’re just helping them stay in business.”⸻Brought to you by Lightspeed, the EPOS and payments platform trusted by hospitality leaders like Big Mamma, Mallow, Mildred’s and more. Check out lightspeed.co.uk/techontoast to book a free demo—real-time insights and slick service await.🎧 Follow us for more fresh takes on hospitality + tech.#TechOnToast #HospitalityTech #POS #CafeLife #Bustle #HospitalityCommunity

Ready to get quizzical? 🧠🍻

In this laugh-out-loud episode of the Tech on Toast Podcast, Chris Fletcher sits down with ✨ Mark Walsh ✨ – the fashion-journo-turned-tech-founder behind Kwizzbit, the interactive quiz platform shaking up the pub game across the globe!

From loading up fashion mags in the 90s to loading quizzes into over 47 countries, Mark’s journey is anything but ordinary. He shares how his love of music, people, and pub culture led to creating Kwizzbit – a platform where anyone can run a full quiz night from their phone. No pens. No paper. No faff. Just proper fun.

In this episode, we chat:

✅ From fashion journalism to hospitality tech

✅ How Rock and Roll Bingo paved the way for Kwizzbit 🎸

✅ Why the smoking ban created opportunity, not chaos

✅ How venues can drive footfall, capture data & boost sales with one smart quiz

✅ What it means to build tech that your mum could actually use 👵📲

✅ Plus: Chris joins a live quiz mid-show (and rates himself a bit too highly)

Mark also shares:

🔧 Why they built Kwizzbit to be plug-and-play

💸 How hospitality venues can try it for £60 for 3 months – unlimited quizzes included!

📺 What’s coming next: Kwizzbit Live and Quizbit Solo (spoiler: it’s big)

Whether you’re a pub operator, restaurant group, hotelier or just nostalgic for those classic quiz nights – this one’s for you.

👉 Try Kwizzbit: www.kwizzbit.com

📲 Follow Mark on LinkedIn: Mark James Walsh

🎯 Explore the Tech on Toast marketplace: www.techontoast.com

💬 As ever, brought to you by our mates at Lightspeed – the platform powering over 165,000 venues to scale at, you guessed it, the speed of light. ☕✨

Tune in, laugh along, and maybe even beat Chris in the quiz (it’s not hard).👇

🎧 Flex Appeal: How YoungOnes Is Flipping Hospitality Staffing

Guest: James Medd, COO, YoungOnes

Host: Chris Fletcher, Tech on Toast Podcast

Recorded at BrewDog Waterloo, this episode explores how flexible staffing is reshaping hospitality.

Chris sits down with James Medd to uncover how YoungOnes, the freelance staffing platform, is empowering operators to find vetted, on-demand talent in minutes — and giving Gen Z more control over when, where, and how they work.

In this episode:

✅ Why flexibility is the future of hospitality staffing

✅ How Gen Z and side-hustle culture are changing the game

✅ Why YoungOnes isn’t an agency — and why that matters

✅ How operators are cutting labour costs and improving service quality

✅ The tech James wishes existed…

Whether you’re scaling a team or freelancing for freedom, this one’s packed with insight.

🔗 Links

🌐 YoungOnes

💼 James Medd on LinkedIn

⚡ Explore Lightspeed EPOS

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

02:15 – What is YoungOnes?

06:42 – Freelance lifestyle & Gen Z work culture

10:00 – How it works for operators

14:25 – Trust, ratings & smart matching

18:40 – Planning vs panic: The flexi-labour approach

23:10 – The future of staffing

28:00 – The tech James wants to see

31:00 – Where to find YoungOnes

🎙️ Subscribe for fresh conversations every week with the sharpest minds in hospitality & tech.

#HospitalityTech #FreelanceWork #StaffingSolutions #TechOnToast #YoungOnes #FlexibleStaffing

Welcome back to the Tech on Toast Podcast, where we serve up fresh conversations with the sharpest minds in hospitality and tech.

In this episode, Chris sits down with the brilliant Catherine Allan, Head of Sales at Beds & Bars – and former NHS children’s nurse – to explore how empathy, agility and tech have shaped her unique approach to driving results in hospitality.

From revamping bookings with +180% growth to cutting system admin time by 87%, Catherine’s story proves that real connection beats pushy sales tactics every time. Whether you’re an operator overwhelmed by too many platforms or a tech company looking to genuinely support venues, this one’s packed with sharp insights and big laughs.

We also hear how Catherine’s new venture, Tidr, is on a mission to reduce reactive labour and boost ROI by helping operators manage their third-party platforms more efficiently. Want to join the pilot programme? Grab a free trial here 👉 tidr.co.uk/techontoast

• Catherine’s journey from NHS nurse to sales powerhouse

• Why empathy is the secret sales superpower

• What most people get wrong about booking platforms

• How Beds & Bars doubled auto-confirmed bookings

• The truth about tech adoption (and how to actually roll it out)

• What “Data Detangle Day” revealed about internal comms

• Why operators must update their listings or risk wasting time

• Launching Tidr to tackle reactive sales chaos, Tidr aims to improve efficiency and increase ROI to third party private hire listing platforms

• Catherine’s dream venue (yes, Jessie J is involved)

• And why caring might just be the ultimate KPI

👉 Try Tidr for free: tidr.co.uk/techontoast

👉 Book a Lightspeed demo: lightspeed.co.uk/techontoast

💬 Like what you hear? Don’t forget to follow, rate and share this episode with your team.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else you get your audio fix.

#TechOnToast #HospitalitySales #EmpathyInTech #HospitalityInnovation #TIDR #HospitalityTech #DataStrategy #SalesLeadership #HospitalityOperators

🧠 What we cover in this episode:🔗 Useful links: