City Division’s Podcast

Lauren Farrell makes her debut as a presenter of Raising the Bar as Jana is now on maternity leave after having her baby. Congratulations to Jana.  In this episode we speak to Paula Smith from the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC). She talks to us about her recent fundraising trip to Sri Lanka, the history of the LTC, what support they can offer to you and what you can do to support them. Please don't forget that the helpline is available to you 24/7 365 days a year, so if you feel you need to speak to someone or need any support then please don't hesitate to call them on 0808 801 0550. You can also download the app in your app store, that will give you access to great resources and support.  

Hello and welcome to Raising the Bar and the People who make hospitality podcast Episode 7. Jana Puisa and Jonny Blake are back again to bring you some brand-new content. In this episode, Jonny and Jana have made a special episode to mark this year's Holocaust Memorial Day. Jonny shares his story of how the Holocaust has affected him and his family. We discuss: The history of Jonny's family in Hungary The story of their capture and transportation to concentration camps Why it is so important to discuss the Holocaust What it is like to be Jewish How we can stop these atrocities from happening again If you haven't yet, please follow us on Facebook to see some of the behind-the-scenes videos and photos Raising The Bar | Facebook

This episode is all about fantastic work that Social Bite does and how Mitchells and Butlers is partnering with them. Social bite is a charity and chain of social businesses on a mission to end homelessness and they provide homes, jobs, food and support to empower people to transform their own lives. Jonny and Jana have two interviews this time. The first interview is with Mel and Gemma from Harvester in Hillington. They chatted about the Jobs first, who as part of Social Bite, help people from challenging backgrounds to come back into work. Gemma's story is very touching and heartfelt, so we hope you enjoy it listening to it. The second interview was recorded just outside Charing Cross station. They chat with Sara Reed who explains what the Festival of kindness is all about and how anyone can support people who are experiencing homelessness this year.  Across the Scotland and parts of the UK social bite have been putting up trees of kindness to encourage people to donate gifts for people experiencing homelessness and we have the interview with Sara from social bite there. But also we're supporting the festival of kindness within our businesses, so this is for the third year running. We've we supported this. If you want to see some of the behind the scenes footage, make sure to follow Raising the Bar on Facebook Raising The Bar | Facebook You can support Social Bite here Buy a Gift | Social Bite (social-bite.co.uk) Incredible brownies from Social Bite Brownies | Social Bite (social-bite.co.uk)

Hello and welcome to Raising the bar and the People who make hospitality podcast. Jana Puisa and Jonny Blake have joined forces to create some really good content for you. You might have listened to the podcast previously, but now the podcast is even better and even bigger. Raising the bar is a new place to find out what's happening within MAB. From the horse's mouth to you, without any of the waffle. Just real people telling their stories. Welcome to the latest episode - behind closed doors at the PRIDE event. This time Jonny and Jana had an exclusive peek behind the curtain to see how this event actually gets created and how much effort goes in each time. They spoke to Gary Richmond, who leads MAB apprentices in Hilton kitchens and  Peter Skyhammar, who created the winning dish that was served on the evening for the City Division.  Jonny also interviewed to some of our drink suppliers - Nick Clements and Luke Morris from Asahi who have been working with MAB for years. They gave an insight into what's it's like to work at the event and why it is so important to them to support MAB managers. And finally Jana chatted to Nikki Yeomans who has been the key organiser of the event for quite a few years now. She spoke about how long it takes to put the event together, how many people are involved and finally, what gave her an inspiration for the theme this year.  If you haven't yet, please follow us on Facebook to see some of the behind the scenes videos and photos Raising The Bar | Facebook

Hello and welcome to Raising the bar and the People who make hospitality podcast. Jana Puisa and Jonny Blake have joined forces to create some really good content for you. You might have listened to the podcast previously, but now the podcast is even better and even bigger. Raising the bar is a new place to find out what's happening within MAB. From the horse's mouth to you, without any of the waffle. Just real people telling their stories.   In this episode Jana and Jonny are talking to four people, who work in some of our businesses and are balancing parenthood with their careers. They chatted to Steph (part-time AM) from Toby Carvery, Dom (GM) and Sarah (Shift Supervisor) from Nicholson's, and Craig (Accredited Kitchen Manager) from PCP. They all have different ways of balancing work and parenting. In this conversation they share what works for them, their top tips and more importantly they try to answer a question 'Is it harder to men or women?'.

Welcome to Raising the bar and the People who make hospitality podcast. Jana Puisa and Jonny Blake have joined forces to create some really good content for you. Raising the bar is a new place to find out what's happening within MAB. From the horse's mouth to you, without any of the waffle. Just real people telling their stories. In this episode Jonny and Jana are talking about diversity and inclusion, specifically LGBTQ+ community. Jonny and Jana talk to five amazing people from across of our businesses  - Tom Crouch (RBM All Bar One), Hannah (KM Court), Danny (GM court), Maddie (GM O'Neil's Watford) and Harrison (SS O'Neil's Carnaby St). Main topics they cover: Birmingham Pride event How things have changed Allyship Discrimination Being 'too woke' Ask for Clive charity. Don't forget to subscribe and keep looking on the frontline connect page for new updates that will be coming every period.   Get in touch with Jana and Jonny: Jana.puisa@mbplc.com Jonny.blake@mbplc.com   Join M&Be yourself Facebook group - M&Be Yourself - LGBTQ+ | Facebook Learn more about 'Ask for Clive' - AskforClive | Everyone is welcome here Absolut Queen cocktail - https://www.allbarone.co.uk/pride#/

Hello and welcome to Raising the Bar and the People who make hospitality podcast. Jana Puisa (Training Partner Castle) and Jonny Blake (Ops Effectiveness Manager) have joined forces to bring you some new content. You might have listened to the People who make hospitality podcast previously, but now the podcast is even bigger and better. Raising the Bar is a new place to find out what's happening within MAB. From the horse's mouth to you, without any of the waffle. Just real people telling their stories. Welcome to the very first episode, today we are covering the City Division's charity football tournament. On the 28th of July over 400 people attended the event and over £2000 was raised for Shelter. In this episode, we talk to a number of people: Leanne Gwynn (TTP ABO/Browns) did a fantastic job to put the event together. Jess Powell from Shelter gave us a bit more information about what they do. On the day we also spoke to a number of people who were playing in the tournament - chefs, general managers, training partners and we even got an RBM. Don't forget to subscribe and keep looking on the frontline connect page for new updates that will be coming every period. Get in touch with Jana and Jonny: Jana.puisa@mbplc.com  Jonny.blake@mbplc.com   Support Shelter: https://england.shelter.org.uk/ Current Petition Retail Shelter always wants to hear about people's experiences with whether facing/experiencing homelessness or the challenges with renting and affordability (all completely anonymous): https://england.shelter.org.uk/support_us/campaigns/share_your_story

In this episode, Jana is interviewing Amy De Marsac, who is the Head of Invest Relations and Sustainability in Mitchells Butlers. They talk about Amy's journey within MAB and how she ended up driving the sustainability agenda.   Amy and Jana chat about some of the current achievements - reducing food waste, using renewable energy and re-furbishing kitchen equipment, just to name a few. They also discuss what can be done on the individual level, but also what is done on the organisational level to drive the sustainability agenda.   There are many exciting things coming up regarding sustainability in Mitchells and Butlers, so keep an eye out for internal comms for ways to get involved.   The update on sustainability in MAB news Sustainability in action at M&B (sharepoint.com) The episode about Social Bite: https://pwmh.podbean.com/e/with-josh-littlejohn-from-the-social-bite-and-david-gallagher/   As always, if you have any feedback or would like to be a guest on the podcast - get in touch with Jana at jana.puisa@mbplc.com.   People Who Make Hospitality Podcast is hosted by Jana Puisa, who has found herself working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. Jana decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work in hospitality.   You can follow the podcast on Instagram @PWMH_podcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa

In this episode, Jana is chatting to the Operational Direction and Training and Talent Partner in Castle (one of 'the brands that is not a brand' in Mitchells and Butlers).   They chat about what's been happening recently and that the trade is picking up. David gives a great overview of what is coming into the world of People and Learning and Development. The three of them have a conversation about personal development, opportunities that are available to everyone to grow their careers and obtain qualifications.   On the other hand, they also talk about how challenging the hospitality industry has been recently, especially team recruitment; and more importantly, what everyone is doing to make it easier for our teams going forward.   As always, if you have any feedback or would like to be a guest on the podcast - get in touch with Jana at jana.puisa@mbplc.com.   People Who Make Hospitality Podcast is hosted by Jana Puisa, who has found herself working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. Jana decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work in hospitality.   You can follow the podcast on Instagram @PWMH_podcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa

What does wellbeing mean to us and how can we look after ourselves better while working in a very demanding industry such as hospitality? This time Jana is talking to Sarah Pibworth and Paul Smith. Both have worked in hospitality for a few decades now and managed to build fantastic careers. They talk about their career journeys from working in a kitchen or being a kids entertainer to leading, arguably one of the most innovative brands (that isn't a brand) in Mitchells & Butlers.   Have you ever wondered what type of ice cream Sarah would be? Or how Paul spends his Saturday mornings? You will find out the answers to these questions and many others during this interview. They also talk about how they personally deal with pressure and stress, and why they chose hospitality as the place to work.   People Who Make Hospitality Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can't wait to tell you why. If you would like to be a guest on the podcast or have a cool story to share - get in touch!   You can follow the podcast on Instagram @PWMH_podcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa

Have you ever wondered what it is like to sleep outside through the coldest night of the year? Or how you can help to fight homelessness? Or even how George Clooney managed to put a small social enterprise café on the map? The latest episode of People Who Make Hospitality Podcast is about how we, as an organisation, are joining forces with an incredible charity Social Bite to help fight homelessness.  This time we are joined by Josh Littlejohn and David Gallacher. Josh is one of the world's leading social entrepreneurs and campaigners. He is a founder of the Social Bite, which is both a charity and social enterprise, who have in recent years run some national and global campaigns that have shifted the cultural dial on homelessness and pioneered some ground-breaking social impact projects. And having a conversation with Josh is David Gallacher, who is a Divisional Director in Mitchells & Butlers, overlooking some of the most loved and famous brands in the UK such as Toby Carvery, Harvester and Stonehouse. David has over 30 years experience of working in the industry, having worked for many well-known hospitality companies in the UK. David and Josh chat about the story of the Social bite, which started as a small charity café in Edinburgh and now they are building social villages for people who are homeless. (A bit of a spoiler - George Clooney played a big role.) They discuss how people end up becoming homeless, a lack of support systems in the UK, surviving and pivoting through a pandemic, how we as an organisation are partnering with Social bite and what everyone can do to help to fight homelessness.   Want to get involved? Social Bite website social-bite.co.uk Social Bite Instagram @social_bite Follow PWMH  @PWMH_podcast Email jana.puisa@mbplc.com   Thank you for listening.

Welcome back to the podcast! We are back with a new name and with plenty of plans for the future. People Who Make Hospitality - a podcast about and for people who make this industry what it is. This time we chat about changes to the podcast and changes in our life - there are babies, puppies and houses involved. Everyone has been coping with the lockdown and coming back to work so differently and there isn't one way of doing it. We are sharing our coping tools and things that make us feel better. If you would like to be a guest on the podcast or have a cool story to share - get in touch! People Who Make Hospitality Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can't wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on Instagram @PWMH_podcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @_olivers.adventures Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

Our very first #isolatonchat is here. This time we are joined by 5 colleagues and friends for a lovely chat. We talk about yoga, exercise, Disney, food, sign language, Paul and how we are staying sane. Or trying anyway. Our guests are Jodie-Anne Maunick, who is a General Manager in one of our pubs in Manchester. She is the better half of Paul Aisthorpe, who was one of our guests in Season 1 and he also pops in to say hello this time. Liz Summers who is a District Trainer for All Bar One in Worcester. And she has the brightest hair! Rob Cozens another returning guest - a Regional Business Manager for Castle who his currently enjoying life in Chilterns. Jonathan Peach who is a Training Partner for the Premium Division and our wonderful colleague based in Hull. And our lovely Sally Baker is dropping in for a few minutes to say hello and tell us how she is getting on. Things that we recommend and mention: Yoga Down Dog app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yoga-down-dog/id983693694 Disney Plus - both Jodie and Natalie are huge fans! Disney episode anyone? Houseparty app - https://app.houseparty.com/unsupported/ Joe Wicks - https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1 Eat the frog - https://blog.noisli.com/what-it-means-to-eat-the-frog/ Open University Free courses - https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education/free-courses The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

We are back with a special episode about wellbeing. Billy Spong who is our Employee Relations Manager, joins us this time to chat about incredible incentives and tools that are available for anyone who works in M&B to improve their wellbeing. In this fast-pace world, we need to look after ourselves and our wellbeing, so join us to learn what simple things you can do to make changes in your life style and all support tools available. Billy gives everyone a challenge to join wellbeing hub, he talks about his career journey and chats about why he drinks less now... The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. Links from this episode: Billy Spong's email Employee Assistance Programme 0808 801 0550 https://www.licensedtradecharity.org.uk/ Wellbeing portal on Pickaperk (available to MAB employees through Mable) Wellbeing Mab on instagram @wellbeing.mab Wellbeing Mab on Facebook You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

This episode is a bit different. We have gathered our People team (HR) in the City Division to record this Xmas special. Everyone is chatting about their favourite memories from working during festive time in pubs and restaurants. We really appreciate how hard the teams are working during December and we wanted to say a massive thank you to all of them! They are absolute legends! Keep being fantastic and enjoy as much as you can everything that December brings.  Thank you from your People Team: Sally Baker, Paul Burgess, Leanne Gwynn, Neal Patel, Natalie Morrison, Katie O’Sullivan, Mark Hobday, Tom Stephenson, David Marchbanks, Paul Aisthorpe and Jana Puisa. The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

This time we are joined by one of the Regional Business Manager for Castle - Rob Cozens. We chat about his career story, how to water plants in the nursery and washing plates in Pizza Hut. And cats...is #catcast a thing??  Rob Cozens @robertcozens The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

We are chatting to a legend that is Emma Sharpe, who is Drink Quality Manager in MAB. Emma tells us how she fell in love with hospitality while working in France, we discuss an importance of a craft shed and what’s new coming up in the world of drink! Emma Sharpe @sharpiedoesdrinks The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

For our very first podcast recording we joined by a very special guest - inspirational Sally Baker. Sally is the Head or People for the City Division. She talks about her journey in the industry and shares some great advice and her insights. You can connect with Sally in LinkedIn: Sally Baker The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

This time we chat to incredible Kelly Parsons who is Regional Business Manager for All Bar One. Kelly has such an interesting career story which includes butchering, wanting to be a historian and waitressing. She tells us how she met David Beckham, hints about a brand new ABO and we chat about applying for the bake off.  Kelly Parsons @kellymarie1311 The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

In this episode we catch up with amazing Paul Aisthorpe. Paul is Kitchen Skills Trainer for our division and very recently has moved from Nicholson’s to Castle. We chat about French bulldogs having French accents, love for coleslaw, Mauritian food and running. But also his very interesting career journey and importance of all departments working together. PS: there were building works happening next door, so apologies for the noise! Paul Aisthorpe @paulaisthorpe or https://www.facebook.com/paul.aisthorpe.5 Also feel free to join us for one of these events: - Hackney Half in May 2020 - Sleep walk Shelter in London December 2019 The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab

We are launching a podcast!! The secret is finally out. The City Division’s Podcast is created by Jana, Mark and Natalie who are three friends that found themselves working in the hospitality industry for the last decade. They decided to create this podcast to start a conversation about amazing people who work around them. This industry has such a mixed reputation and they want to clear it up! All three have grown and developed while working in pubs and love it!! And can’t wait to tell you why. You can follow the podcast on instagram @citydivisionspodcast Jana Puisa @janapuisa Natalie Morrison @natalie_morrison86 Mark Hobday @mark.hobday.mab