After 15 years in luxury hotel food and beverage programs, Auden Hospitality founder Scot Turner found his way to independent restaurants. It was there that the consultant and entrepreneur realized the opportunity for hotels to take pages from the restaurant playbook. Now all he had to do was start his own company to build a bridge between the two worlds.
Watch now to learn about authenticity and curated experiences in hotels, improving food and beverage programs, and leaning into digital storytelling
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
Watch now to learn about authenticity and curated experiences in hotels, improving food and beverage programs, and leaning into digital storytelling
Sponsored by:
• TOAST - All-In-1 Restaurant POS: https://bit.ly/3vpeVsc
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🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Restaurant Influencers. I'm your host, Sean Walchek. This is a Cali BBQ Media
00:10production. We are recording at Cali BBQ in Spring Valley, and I'm here with my friend
00:18Scott Turner. He is the owner of Auden Hospitality. He is the man behind teaching me, teaching
00:26our community about improving food and beverage in the hotel space. We met on LinkedIn. He
00:34flew 10 hours from London all the way to San Diego to come and share his story with you,
00:41the audience. Thank you guys for being here. Scott, welcome to the show.
00:44Thank you. This is an exciting moment.
00:46It's very exciting.
00:47It's a very exciting moment.
00:48So can you give the audience a little bit of what have we done already today?
00:55Well, what have we done already? We've done a lot already today. We went for a sunrise
00:59gratitude walk, didn't we, down at the beach, which was unbelievable. Brought back some
01:03amazing memories of time in Dubai, which is where we lived for about five years, that
01:08we had breakfast, which was awesome. And then we found out there was a great deal for me
01:14as a Brit on the iPhone here. So in true Yorkshire fashion, which is where I'm from, we went
01:20into the Apple store at 10 a.m. We left at six minutes past 10 with an iPhone in hand,
01:27ready to go.
01:28iPhone 16.
01:29iPhone 16. Six minutes. So that is the power of getting it right when it comes to digital
01:34experience, isn't it? So yeah, we got the iPhone and then we've been here at Cali Barbecue,
01:40which I'm super excited about because ever since I started watching your stuff on LinkedIn
01:44and TikTok and stuff and chatting on digital hospitality, then we chatted on Zoom. I've
01:52always wanted to come and just see behind the scenes. So it's been amazing.
01:55Well, we are grateful to Toast, our point of sale partner, technology partner for Believing
02:01in Storytelling, for powering our barbecue restaurants. Now they are opening up locations,
02:07Toast restaurants in London. We have a good friend, Phil Lovell. Is that how I say it
02:12right?
02:13Phil Lovell.
02:14Phil Lovell.
02:15Phil Lovell. Phil Lovell. Phil Lovell, who's doing great work helping out restaurants,
02:19bringing on Toast. But today I really wanted to talk about the work that you've done, Scott,
02:26in the hotel space, in the food and beverage space, what Auden Hospitality does so that
02:30we can share a little bit about this mindset shift of the old way of hospitality versus
02:38what you do for your clients. So can you high level bring us into what's Auden Hospitality?
02:44Yeah. So Auden Hospitality is working with hoteliers to really get them to think a little
02:49bit differently about how they run their food and beverage venues. So I spent 15 years in
02:55luxury hotels in food and beverage operations, and then I left to go work in independent
03:01restaurants. And what I found in independent restaurants is that restauranteurs just think
03:07and are wired in a very different way to hoteliers. And what I wanted to do was kind
03:12of bring some of that experience of learning how to drive into the experience where I learned
03:17to drive and bring a different mindset that can get people to really think outside the
03:22box when it comes to hotel food and beverage.
03:26Give us how many brands were you working with at the peak of your career before you launched
03:31Auden Hospitality?
03:32Yes. Just before I built Auden Hospitality, I was managing 16 brands. In those 16 brands,
03:40we had 85 restaurants. We had annual revenue of about $175 million. And that was across
03:45four countries. So New York here in the States, London, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. So we had
03:51brands all over. And our role was we brought incubator brands and we looked at how we could
03:57grow and scale them through our platform, ultimately then franchise and then look how
04:01we could exit the brand and bring more brands into the ecosystem.
04:07From that experience, what inspired you to go out on your own?
04:14When I was there, I saw the model of how you can go in to businesses that have limited
04:22expertise, limited capital, limited skill, limited people, and really make an impact
04:28in how they operate and how they can be successful. And it got to a point where I realized I just
04:35wanted to do something on my own. I wanted to try and build a company that could make
04:41a difference on people that I had created on my rules, on my term. So we founded Auden
04:50and it was really about that going into hotels because I saw a huge opportunity in that restauranteur
04:56mindset piece that I could go in and I could make an impact by sharing some of the experience
05:01we picked up. So it was really driven by that whole ecosystem of seeing how you can come
05:07in and grow and scale by sharing experience and expertise and things like that to help.
05:15Can you give us a story about what you've done recently in making an impact and bringing
05:21up, elevating the F&B, food and beverage?
05:25Yeah, well, we're working with an amazing golf resort called Fox Hills in just outside
05:31of London. So it's just near out towards Ascot where they have the races and Wentworth, beautiful
05:37golf resort, golf course there. And these guys, they have 5,000 golf members and part
05:44of their mentality is how do they keep building value for their members so that their members
05:48want to stay there, use the country club, use the golf resort and how can they attract
05:53more members. So we were really looking on the food and beverage side about how we could
05:58elevate what they were already doing and how we could create reasons for them to either
06:03spend more time in the resort or come back to the resort when they left. So we started
06:08with a cafe environment which had a couple of swimming pools. We really looked at how
06:12we could elevate that whole experience that was there already. And because of some of
06:17the work that we did with those guys, we then got a second project which was they have
06:22a beautiful old stately English manor that is their main building of the hotel and the
06:29resort. And we got an amazing brief by them to make them feel uncomfortable. So that was
06:36the brief. It was make us feel uncomfortable.
06:38Really? That was the brief?
06:40That was the brief.
06:41That's fantastic. If you're a client out there, that's a fantastic brief.
06:46Because it just means that you don't have to take anything off the table.
06:49Yeah.
06:50The only limitation we had by the owner was you can't touch anything structural. So as
06:56long as it wasn't a structural wall, we could knock it down, we could move it, we could
06:59change it. So we took the whole floor and our project there was we create a strategy,
07:08we're looking at the interior design. And then once we've got to a point where everyone's
07:12happy with what we've put forwards, we're going to help them go through the process
07:16of construction into implementation and then help them afterwards as well. So we looked
07:22at it and there's a thing in the UK where you go to an English country house hotel,
07:26it's all English food, it's very stereotypical, it's swooshes on plates, it's shoes, it's
07:32very obvious. So what we really wanted to do was appeal to the members, appeal to the
07:39local community and find a gap in that market that could then add value to everything else
07:44that was going on in the resort. So we decided to kind of push the owners on concept as much
07:51as we did layout. So we changed the layout, we moved where bars were, we moved the thought
07:55process of how the guests moved around the building. But then we also looked at the concept
08:00and we put a few different concepts to them that was going to really push the boundaries.
08:07And we just got signed off last week on one of the concepts, which was a Western Indian
08:13concept. And this Western Indian concept is very much focused around seafood and vegetables.
08:19So that's their kind of cooking and it's less around spice, it's more around fragrance.
08:23So it's just got this real opportunity to be this beautiful restaurant that does amazing
08:27food with amazing flavours that's completely different to anything you'd see in an English
08:31country house hotel. But that's actually the USP and the benefit of it. And now what we're
08:37working with them on is how do we start telling people about that process as well? And how
08:41do we start recording the journey so that people can start seeing that come up and get
08:46excited about what's happening? The bar, as I said, moved location and we've really looked
08:52at how we can reposition that as a place where it can be a driver for the house as well that
08:59can then feed into the restaurant. So it's still a work in progress and we're going to
09:03share a lot more about that on on some of our channels and we'll probably talk about
09:08it later, but we're really going to start focus on how storytelling it becomes a big
09:12part of what we do as consultants, as experts in our business, let alone in our clients
09:18business as well. But it's probably the one that we've done most recently where we've
09:23been able to really push the boundaries of what hotel food and beverage is now and deliver
09:29something that's going to substantially change what is there today.
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10:13I mean, what's interesting for me when I think about hotels in the past, you would think
10:19that hotels had an elevated restaurant experience, but now we've gotten to a place where you
10:27can almost get better food and beverage at a stadium, which is a crazy thing to stay
10:33because stadiums used to have an old outdated, we're giving you hot dogs, we're giving you
10:36nachos and that's pretty much all you're going to get. Now they've brought in a lot of local
10:40partners, Petco Park here in San Diego, Cali Barbecue, we're in Snapdragon Stadium. We
10:47see it happening in airports. And for you, when you think about hotels partnering with
10:54local brands and local restaurants, what does that ecosystem look like?
10:58Yeah, I think this is the situation where sometimes if you're not going to do something
11:05properly, don't do it at all and hand it over to the people who are the most passionate
11:10about it. Because I was in San Antonio this week doing a presentation at the Bar and Restaurant
11:17Expo and the hospitality show. And one of the statistics I shared there was that 52%
11:23of people now traveling want authenticity and want experience when it comes to hotel
11:29stays. So if you're not going to offer that authenticity, you're not going to offer that
11:32experience because you're a branded restaurant or you just want to offer it as a service
11:38amenity or an amenity, hand it over to people who can, because it's going to drive people
11:44to your hotel, whether that's from a food and beverage perspective or a hotel bedroom
11:48perspective. So for me, it's about finding local partners who can really bring that into
11:54your business, bring that community element into your business. But when we, we work with
12:00hotels to look at third party operators, because I truly believe if it's about delivering great
12:06experience, so if you're not into that, let someone else do. And what we really look for
12:10is we help them do the difficult bit, the negotiating, talking about room service, talking
12:16about breakfast. But then we ask them to really focus on the connection and the relationship
12:23between the two. We do the admin, we do the doing, let them connect because that relationship
12:30is the most important thing. If you aren't on the same page and you don't connect and
12:35you don't have the same vision, the partnership's never going to go into work like any partnership
12:40that you go into outside of that relationship. So I think it's really about finding, if you're
12:45a hotel who's listening to this, if you're a restauranteur who's listening to this show,
12:50it's really about finding that partnership where you both connect, you're both aligned.
12:55And then the world's your oyster, the world's your oyster for the hotel because they can
12:59drive people to their hotels. There was a statistic that I saw a couple of weeks ago
13:05from the American Lodging Association and it was 65% of hotel bookings are now being
13:11driven by food and beverage. Now that's food and beverage in the hotel and that's food
13:16and beverage in the local community around. And that's some of the reason that Airbnb
13:20is starting to see a rise is because people are wanting to go into where the locals hang
13:24out and hang with the locals. So it's really about creating that environment and getting
13:30that community in there and it's going to drive your hotel bedrooms. And then from a
13:34restauranteur's perspective, depending on the deal, you can get CapEx paid for, you
13:39can get infrastructure paid for, you can get a free location in an amazing environment
13:47with people upstairs that you have to fight really hard for as a restauranteur to get
13:51in and sit in locations like this or in the center of cities. So you have an amazing opportunity
13:58if you can get that relationship right to build and grow your business without actually
14:03needing capital. You just need operational cost and operational cashflow to get you off
14:07the ground. So there's benefits for hotels, there's benefit for restauranteurs. And if
14:12it gets it right, it can be a really good, it can be a really good relationship.
14:16So a mutual friend of ours, Richard Liverman, he's part of our digital hospitality community.
14:21I know you guys work together. He says he has a mantra of, don't be boring. And you
14:25and I, we were driving, we walked on the beach, we were past the La Jolla Beach and Tennis
14:30Club, we were talking about hotels, we were talking about the template. People open up,
14:36in business you want to create a template, like a restaurant, this is my concept template
14:39and I guess the same thing happens in hotels and probably stadiums. This template seems
14:46to be broken. And you shared a statistic with me this morning about Millennials and
14:52Gen X, how much they're traveling. What's that statistic?
14:58So in 2024, 84% of Millennials and Gen Z traveled in some way, shape or form.
15:07Gen X is my, my kids actually travel a lot. They probably travel more than anybody else.
15:12The statistic then was only 15% of Gen X travel. And next year, only 15% of baby boomers
15:22are expected to travel. So it's really impacting experience and decision-making, or it should
15:29be impacting decision-making in hotels. And to be honest, in restaurants as well, because
15:34these guys are now the people who are making up our workforce and our guests and customers
15:41coming into hotels and restaurants. And they want really different things. They want really
15:47different things from experience than what the baby boomers and generations of the past
15:54have wanted. And that's where I believe at the minute, as hotels, as hotel food and beverage,
16:02we're not moving quick enough with the changing consumer habit, guest habit, because of that
16:08drive from Millennials and Gen Z.
16:13We talked about the basics that oftentimes you have a client or potential client say,
16:21Scott, please come in and take a look at what we're doing. And from a basic standpoint of
16:26hospitality, like going into the coffee shop, into this hotel and the owner saying, why
16:33don't we have a busy hotel lobby experience? Can you share what are the basics, like literally
16:42the basics that people are getting wrong?
16:43Yeah. I mean, I shared an example about a hotel GM who he was sitting in his lobby lounge
16:52and it was empty. There may have been one person in there and he was using his phone
16:56while he was waiting for an Uber. And we were sitting on really low seats. The tables were
17:01even lower. There was no plugs around us. So if I was there with a laptop or a phone
17:08or I was trying to do anything digital, it'd have been really difficult. Not only that,
17:12but there was plugs, but it was those house plugs, you know, that you can't put the socket
17:17in and they're almost more infuriating than not having sockets there at all, because you
17:22think you're going to get one and then you find out you don't get one. And then the coffee
17:27comes. It's not great coffee. The coffee quality is lacking. And if we just look at
17:33that one experience next to Starbucks, and that's before we start going into like roasteries
17:39and specialty coffee houses, you walk into a Starbucks and the coffee is good or it's
17:45consistent, consistently good. And the tables are the right height. The chairs are the right
17:52height. The socket's around for people to work. The music's loud enough and at the right
17:58tempo that if you're there to work or you're there to just move through, it's at a pace
18:01that helps with it. And that's the bit that we lack. We're lacking what the current consumer
18:09is wanting from an experience. And in the old days when I was in hotels, I left in 2015
18:16before digital working and desolate working became what it is today. That's where people
18:22used to go and do deals. Like businessmen would meet, they'd have the contracts printed
18:26in the leather briefcases, they'd sit down, they'd meet and then they'd go in the restaurant
18:30after to celebrate. Whereas now that meeting's done on DocuSign or it's done on Zoom and
18:36they might never go out for dinner and celebrate because they're in two different parts of
18:41the world. So I think where we have to start moving is starting to look at who is the consumer?
18:49What do they want? What's important to them? And when we're building future hotels or we're
18:54renovating future hotels, we work alongside it. And I think that's the piece around right
18:59now we're seeing hotel food and beverage more as an amenity and as a function that sits
19:04in the bigger hotel offer and less like a destination in its own right. That's then
19:10driving engagement and reason for people to visit.
19:14So you and I, I found you through LinkedIn. I don't know if it was your post, my post,
19:19a comment on someone else's post, but you've been creating content on LinkedIn for, I mean,
19:25you and I connected what four years ago, probably at this point. Talk to me about just LinkedIn
19:31and storytelling in general from a business personal branding perspective.
19:36Well, the reason I started posting on LinkedIn in the first place was I had no cash and I
19:44started ordering hospitality and I needed to get the message out there. I didn't have
19:50loads of money to start spending on PR companies or agencies or all the traditional things
19:54that you think of when you set up a business. The only thing I could do was go on LinkedIn
20:01and talk about what I knew because at the time I didn't even have any projects of my
20:05own to talk about. So I started going on and writing and started writing every single
20:11day on the hope that at some point someone would see those messages and would get in
20:16touch and think, this guy knows what he's talking about. We're going to ask him to come
20:19and do work at our hotel. And it didn't happen overnight, but I got my first lead and then
20:28I got my second lead. Then I got my third lead. But what I actually found by posting
20:32on LinkedIn every day was that it helped me craft my message. So it helped me have
20:38examples in my head when I was going to talk to hoteliers or restauranteurs because I'd
20:43written them on LinkedIn. I'd written what I knew, what my expertise was on LinkedIn
20:48and I could bring that crap curated to conversations. So it helped me probably at that point look
20:55more professional. Is that the right word? Yeah. Yeah. Like bigger than I probably was
21:02because I was a bit more crafted in the message. And then all of a sudden I learned that I
21:06had the opportunity then to talk about what we were doing as a business, talk about the
21:10people within the business. And then it just became almost habit to go on there every day
21:15and post, start testing things, trying things. I found out about like AB testing and, and
21:21why have you, but the biggest thing that I learned, and I said earlier, I think LinkedIn's
21:25changed my life. And that is not a dramatic statement because I don't think Auden would
21:30be what it is today without going and posting every single day on LinkedIn. You wouldn't
21:34be here. I wouldn't be here. Kelly barbecue. We wouldn't be having this conversation. No.
21:38But then one day, and this was when we first got in touch is one day I was starting to
21:44get bored of my own posts because I was just doing text only. It was taking a bit of time
21:49and I was starting to get bored. And I thought, well, if I'm getting bored, then the person's
21:53reading it will probably get bored as well. I've actually since found out that that's
21:58not really true because people don't see it every day and you pick up new people. But
22:02at the time that was it. And I saw what you was doing on video. And this is where the
22:07real power of LinkedIn's come in for me is I got on the message and I messaged you and
22:12said, can I chat to you for 30 minutes? And you came straight back with a calendar link
22:17and within a week or something, we were talking, it was like at the time it was always available.
22:22Yeah. Weirdly available. Weirdly less available these days, but I'm still weirdly available
22:28if you reach out to me on LinkedIn, I'm happy to set up a call with you.
22:32And we were just chatting as part of the conversation. It was, it was, um, I was like talking to
22:37you about my content and asking you about video and you were like, just do it. And I
22:41said earlier, I think it was the little final prod in, in, uh, in the, in the bed post I
22:48needed to go start doing something different, start making yourself uncomfortable and start
22:52putting yourself out of your comfort zone. And I think, um, I remember on that call as
22:57well saying, you've just given me 30 minutes of help. What can I do for you? And the only
23:03thing you asked me for was to go and listen to a restaurant influencers. So this is cool
23:08that I'm now here. I don't even remember what my homework assignments are, but that's good.
23:14Okay. The show. Yeah. And sweet. If you're listening to this, please rate the show. That
23:20will help us grow. Hopefully we can come to your restaurant, wherever you are in the world.
23:24We want to travel. Um, we can't do this without toast and without the support of you guys,
23:29the watch, the listeners, the viewers, seriously, seriously, please rate the show. But you know,
23:34you never asked me to rate the show without listening. You said, listen to the show, which
23:37was Spotify. We'll make sure that you listen. And, and that, that is what you can do by
23:44engaging on LinkedIn. And I think if I was, if I'd have had LinkedIn earlier in my career,
23:50imagine the people I could have spoken to by doing that. Um, so I spoke to you, then
23:58I spoke to other people, spoke to Troy, uh, spoke to other people in the hotel industry
24:03that could help me then craft my message, could help me work on different things. So
24:08not only was I using it as a business development tool, I was working as a personal development
24:12tool. And, uh, yeah, that's why I think I, I owe everything of where we've got to with
24:18Auden to LinkedIn right now. And now we're starting to look at how we can use other platforms
24:24to have the same impact, not just on us, but on our clients. Now that we call guests, um,
24:30because we believe that that storytelling and by engaging and adding value for people
24:38can come back and really build something quite special because you've taken the time to do
24:45something other than just try and sell to people or do projects and that type of thing.
24:49I would love for you to talk about video and YouTube specifically, you shared about some
24:55restaurants in London that are literally booking reservations because of their YouTube content.
25:01Can you share a little bit about that and then what Auden's going to be doing, um, on the YouTube
25:05front for your clients? Yeah. So there's two, two restaurants in London. Um, one's called Fallow.
25:11Fallow. Fallow. Fallow. We want you on the show.
25:14Yeah, definitely. Fallow. We're coming, we're coming to London. I don't know how it's going
25:17to happen, but Fallow. Yeah. We're going to get, we're going to make it happen.
25:21You'll get on with these guys. So they are going on, they're making YouTube videos. They're posting
25:25stuff that's happening behind the scenes in the restaurant. They'll get in big, huge pieces of
25:29me and it'll show you what they do with it and how they make some of the dishes in the restaurant.
25:33I think it was 500,000 people on YouTube when we looked earlier. I think it's almost the same,
25:39if not more on TikTok, they've just raised 3 million pounds. And of that 3 million pounds,
25:44I think it was one or 1.5 million of that is going towards enhancing their content team
25:48so they can create more. And then the other one was a chef called Adam Byatt, who a good friend
25:54of mine, Michelle Moreno, works a lot with from, uh, with his team on like leadership coaching.
25:58Um, uh, and he's done the same. He's going on there. He's showing you what dishes he makes
26:04in the restaurant, putting them on YouTube. And then people have got this educational recipe of
26:10his food to try. And we know when chefs make food, you never recreate at home exactly the same.
26:16So when they, when people at home and try it and don't get it as good as it is in the restaurant,
26:21they have to go try the real thing. So that's how he's then starting to drive bookings through
26:25YouTube and using it almost as a, as what you would traditionally think of Instagram and
26:30Facebook and things like that to really drive his restaurant bookings.
26:34So I think it's just a really cool example of, of two restaurants that are following a very
26:39similar ilk to Cali Barbecue in terms of creating content, putting it out there for people,
26:44and then driving covers through to the restaurant, uh, as a sales tool. So we kind of, at Auden,
26:51we've been working with Richard, as you know, on, on our message and how we've evolved over
26:55the last couple of years. And, um, one of the big things in there was how do we tell our story
27:01because we realize how important storytelling is. Some of that's come through the influence
27:05of watching Cali Barbecue and Cali Barbecue media scenes. Some of these other people are doing,
27:10and then just understanding what's happening with our own LinkedIn channels. So we've hired
27:15a videographer in house with, um, the, the whole view of how do we post more content on more
27:22channels, video first, because people seeing videos of me chatting with our clients about
27:30the projects we've done together and then food that they produce and drinks that they produce
27:35is just much more engaging, much more social proof of what we're doing than anything else.
27:41And I think as we, as myself and Richard were looking at kind of my competitors, what we
27:46realized is none of them were doing video. None of them were doing, uh, none of everyone had the
27:53same logos on the, on the websites and it was, there was nothing different. Yeah. And we were,
27:59we were part of that. So when we sat there with Richard, it was like, how do we be different?
28:03Well, we're different because we bring a different mindset, but now we're going to start
28:07doing video first. We're going to start storytelling what we do. And consultants
28:12always been quite like they've not wanted to share the secrets. Well, I have no secrets
28:17because that's how I've got business over the last two years. So I might as well get on a video and
28:20show people as well. So we're going to really drive that video storytelling and that content
28:25throughout more channels to try and one, show how we work with people and show the
28:32authenticity of how we work with people. Cause it's a big part of what we do. We bring, we bring
28:36no ego or, um, uh, or personal opinions to projects. It's everything's in the interest
28:44of the guest, but how do we tell our clients stories so that hopefully when we see examples
28:50of Kelly barbecue or follow or Trinity getting bookings from YouTube, we can start sending
28:56bookings to our clients as well because we're helping them tell their stories.
29:00So if you're listening to this, we want to hear from you. We want you to come on stage. We host
29:05a room called the rising tide LinkedIn live room. You can follow Cali BBQ media on LinkedIn
29:12every Wednesday, every Friday, 10 AM Pacific time, 1 PM Eastern time, 6 PM London time people from
29:19all over the globe, restaurant tours, people in hotels, people in events, sales professionals,
29:24marketing professionals, content creators. Uh, we want to hear from you. So please join us. You can
29:29send me a message at Sean P Walsh. If I will send you the link, Scott, before I let you go,
29:36we believe in smartphone storytelling. We also believe that everyone has a personal tech stack.
29:41So I'm going to ask you some quick questions about your personal tech stack. And I think I
29:46know the answer to the first one, but we're going to let everyone else know, are you an Android
29:52or an iPhone user? Uh, I'm iPhone all the way iPhone all the way. And today you purchased,
29:57how fast did it take you to go to the Apple store to purchase the iPhone 16?
30:02So the Apple store here in San Diego, it was six minutes from opening the door of the store to
30:08walking out with the bag in hand. Six minutes. I couldn't believe it. I looked at my watch and I
30:13was like, did we just buy an iPhone 16 and six minutes? That was brilliant. Um, do you prefer
30:21phone calls or text messages, text messages? How many text messages do you send a day?
30:27Now you 100, 150. How many group chats are you in too many? How many group chats do you enjoy?
30:37Uh, probably about six, six. Yeah. Um, do you leave voicemails? Never. I always text after
30:47you always text. I always call, hear the voicemail, hang up and then text text. Yeah. Okay.
30:51Do you have a voicemail? I do, but it's still got the automated voicemail message on it.
30:57Always don't brand and you got to fix that. It's true. You got to do it today. Richard fixed that
31:03that's unacceptable. That's boring. That is so boring. You got to fix that. Uh, how many emails
31:09do you get a day? Um, now probably about a hundred, a hundred. How many do you enjoy reading?
31:16Oh, probably about that. This is a difficult question. How many do I like reading? Yeah.
31:22How many of you enjoy reading? A third, maybe a third. That's a lot.
31:28I work with some good people. Okay. That's why it's good. That's good. Uh, happy to get client.
31:32I'm not talking about junk mail at this point. Correct. Uh, Apple maps, Google maps, ways,
31:39Google maps, Google maps, Google maps, and Google places as well. And Google places.
31:45Do you listen to Apple podcasts? Spotify? Where do you listen to music?
31:50Well, that's different. Yeah. Where do you, so where do you listen to podcasts? And then
31:52where do you listen to podcasts on Apple podcasts? Because I just, I like the UX and I don't like it
31:58being interfered with my music, but I listen to music on Spotify. Yep. And if I listen to audio
32:04books, which generally I'll read, uh, cause I take it in more, but I'll listen to that on Spotify,
32:10but I like my podcast separate. Okay. What's your favorite social media app?
32:15LinkedIn is my favorite, but I think YouTube could take over. Yep. Yep. It's possible.
32:22Um, what is your favorite app that no one would know about?
32:29It's an, it's an app. I'm going to show this has nothing to do with businesses. All right,
32:33fine. There's a, there's a, um, there's an app called fop mob and it's all the football scores,
32:40the football scores, but what it does is it goes into all the data. So you can start seeing like
32:45momentum graphs. You can start seeing like player averages, the individual stats for the players.
32:52So when I start looking at like the scores, I can just start like really drilling down into,
32:57okay. It's like a box score analysis, like AI box score. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Yeah. So it's cool.
33:02Interesting. Um, do you take photos or videos or both? Uh, I do both more photo than video.
33:11In fact, actually that's a lie. I do more screenshots than photos. I do a lot of screenshots.
33:16Yeah. My team knows I do a lot of screenshots. Uh, quickest way to communicate. Um, anything
33:21else that we need to know about Auden before we wrap up anything for the hotel years out there?
33:26Yeah. I, you've got to understand that the, that the guests now is changing
33:33and those guests value authenticity, the value experience, and we're living in a world of
33:40curation. So we're living in a world where people can personalize and dictate how they consume
33:47whatever it is that they're consuming. Spotify playlist, Apple baskets, um, Peloton workouts,
33:53whatever it might be. So if we, um, making experiences digital, we aren't helping guests
34:00curate their experiences. And moreover, we aren't personalizing those experiences when they can.
34:06And then we're not offering authenticity and we're not offering experience because we just
34:09have amenities moving forwards. The stats tell us that you are going to get left behind. Yeah.
34:17And the guys in restaurants and the guys in independent restaurants
34:21are already quicker and more agile than you are. So you have to start thinking now about how you
34:28book some of those trends and you start thinking about how important they are to your experience
34:34to really start having a chance of competing with some of those independent restaurants that
34:39are currently taking your guests away from you. Amazing. And that's it. All it takes is one DM
34:46on LinkedIn and you get on a plane all the way from London to spring Valley. If you're watching
34:51this, if you're listening, please reach out to Scott, um, hit him up on LinkedIn, join us on our
34:56rising tide, LinkedIn live call, come out to Cali barbecue. If you make it out to San Diego,
35:01we would love to meet you. We want to hear about you. Your story matters as always stay curious,
35:06get involved. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We'll catch you guys next episode.
35:10Thank you for listening to restaurant influencers. If you want to get in touch with me,
35:19I am weirdly available at Sean P Walsh F S H a W N P W a L C H E F Cali barbecue media
35:28has other shows. You can check out digital hospitality. We've been doing that show
35:33since 2017. We also just launched a show season two family style on YouTube with toast
35:40and if you are a restaurant brand or a hospitality brand, and you're looking to launch your own show,
35:45Cali barbecue media can help you. Recently, we just launched room for seconds with Greg Majewski.
35:52It is an incredible insight into leadership, into hospitality, into enterprise restaurants
35:59and franchise franchisee relationships. Take a look at room for seconds. And if you're ready
36:04to start a show, reach out to us be the show.media. We can't wait to work with you.