“Hospitality, at its core, is about being a nice person. That’s the most important qualification you can have. Everything else you can teach.” – Jamie Poulton
Follow: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
On this week’s Toast to the Host episode, George Huston, founder behind Soho Live Music Club, takes the microphone as our host and serves up an intimate conversation with the seasoned hospitality entrepreneur behind two of Soho’s most distinctive venues, Jamie Poulton. Sponsored by Bizimply, the people management solution for hospitality.
Key Takeaways
- Cultural investment brings enormous benefits for long-term staff retention and operational excellence.
- Regulatory constraints can become creative opportunities to signature brand features for hospitality businesses.
- Evolving customer behaviour requires adaptability, and that initial plan won’t necessarily work.
George Huston dives deep with Jamie Poulton, Owner and Managing Director of Randall & Aubin and Non-Executive Director at Broadwick Soho. From his early days working in his father’s Soho gambling businesses to creating one of London’s most beloved seafood institutions, Jamie’s journey is a masterclass in turning obstacles into opportunities.
Randall & Aubin stands out as a true Soho institution – what started as a regulatory compromise in an old butcher shop became the restaurant’s signature charm. Those iconic high marble tables weren’t just a design choice; they were born from planning restrictions that forced Jamie to operate more as a café than a traditional restaurant.
Listen to a fascinating conversation about how keeping core staff for over two decades has created not just operational stability but a genuine culture of care. He also shares honest insights about navigating post-Brexit hiring challenges, the emotional reopening after COVID, and the intensive six-month learning curve of launching a boutique hotel where “none of your plans go as expected.”
Time Stamps
→ 25:45 – Reducing turnover and building a stronger team culture
→ 4:26 – How regulatory restrictions led to Randall & Aubin’s signature high-table concept and theatre-like atmosphere
→ 6:43 – The secret to 25-year staff retention and building an authentic hospitality culture in a 47-cover restaurant
→ 15:56 – Managing the transition from an intimate restaurant to a 180-person hotel operation and post-Brexit staffing challenges
Resources mentioned in this episode
Learn more about Jamie’s work at Randall & Aubin and Broadwick Soho.
Do you want to be one of the first to hear about the next episodes?
Sign up below and receive our weekly episodes in your inbox!
