Episode 69

Standards Over Trends

Listen: On spotify

Watch: On youtube

The reality of February in hospitality — the post-Christmas slowdown, Valentine’s Day pressure, and the operational balancing act of set menus, pricing, and expectations when margins are already tight.

The episode is proudly sponsored by Market Wine Store, featuring the 2017 Shaw + Smith M3 Chardonnay museum release. The conversation explores bottle age, value, reliability in Australian wine, and the difference between serious wine and trend-driven theatre.

From there, the focus shifts to standards in food and service. Edible flowers, tweezers, kingfish crudo on every menu, champagne in the wrong glass — not as a rant, but as a broader discussion about repetition, trend fatigue, and why consistency beats gimmicks.

For hospitality operators, chefs, venue managers and anyone working in restaurants, bars or wine, Episode 69 is a grounded conversation about discipline, differentiation, and doing the simple things properly.