The Hotel Daddy Podcast

The best restaurants don’t just serve plates; they build worlds. Chef David Myers joins us to unpack how a driveway farm stand, a passport full of stamps, and a Michelin star shaped his approach to food, leadership, and life. From Los Angeles to Tokyo, Dubai, and Miami, David shares how he balances French technique with California freshness and global flavors while keeping one rule sacred: keep it simple and make it craveable.

We talk about pressure—and why he treats it as a privilege. David opens up about the routines that keep him sharp: daily transcendental meditation, non-negotiable training sessions, and the mindset that turned a pandemic into a platform for transformation. He explains why today’s chef must be fluent in finance, HR, construction, and brand, and how AI can become a practical ally for menu modeling, staffing, and scenario planning without replacing the heart of hospitality.

If you’ve ever wondered how to localize a concept across cultures, this conversation is a masterclass. David rejects copy-and-paste expansion, showing how to adapt menus and leadership styles for Japan, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia while protecting brand soul. We also dive into his Miami project, Adrift Mare with AKA, and his next frontier: wellness-driven hospitality that blends performance cuisine, recovery, and design. Along the way, you’ll hear candid advice for chef-founders on mentorship, networking beyond your lane, and committing to a point of view you’d take to Mars.

Come for the travel stories and kitchen craft; stay for the blueprint on building teams, chasing authenticity, and creating experiences that linger long after the check is paid. If this episode sparks an idea or shifts your mindset, share it with a friend, hit follow, and leave a quick review so more curious listeners can find us.

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Step into the lobby with us and meet Victoria Fabio, a people and culture leader who grew up roaming the Gramercy Park Hotel and went on to transform workplaces across Soho House, Four Seasons, The Sydell Group, SALT Hotels, and CORE. Her story weaves together childhood memories, hard-earned lessons, and a blueprint for safer, smarter, and more human hospitality.

We dig into traditional HR and modern people and culture, and why the companies that win invest first in their teams. Victoria breaks down how empowered staff make better decisions, how honest feedback prevents “surprise” terminations, and why culture—not perks—drives performance and retention. Nightlife gets a special focus: dim lights and packed rooms demand stronger policies, clearer training, and a “buddy system” that pairs new hires with pros so they have backup when the stakes spike.

The conversation pushes past compliance to talk about life on the line: drugs and alcohol in an industry that requires 24/7 operations, second chances that actually work, and compassionate return-to-work paths that protect both people and brand. We also get candid about career fit—how linear promotions can derail top performers, and how to chart roles that honor strengths without losing momentum. Victoria also shares the vision behind the EmpowerHER Hospitality Collective, a growing network offering coaching, community, and a practical playbook for women leaders across hotels, restaurants, and private clubs.

If you care about hospitality culture, employee safety, and building teams that guests can feel from check-in to last call, this conversation delivers field-tested ideas you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs a lift, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we’ll feature our favorites on a future show.

Thanks for listening! If you liked our episode today, please like, share, and comment!