| 36 mins

Episode 28: Hospitality: The new normal for recruiting talent


The hospitality industry is experiencing one of the biggest staffing shortages in living memory. We first covered the scale of the challenges faced by hospitality businesses in a July 2021 episode. Today, we’re returning to the topic to explore the solutions independent operators are trialling to attract and retain staff in the current climate.

In this episode, we speak to small business owners from the UK and Europe and a tech-based recruitment start-up to hear how they are tackling this issue.

Peter Dore-Smith, Founder of London’s iconic café brand Kaffeine, outlines his framework for hiring talent and ensuring staff are able to enjoy a good work life balance.

Marian Plajdicko, Owner of Berlin-based Happy Baristas, shares how he’s pivoted his recruitment strategy and new approaches for targeting potential employees.

Shelagh Ryan and Jo Mason, Co-founder and Operational Director, Lantana, discuss the new normal and improving working conditions for hospitality staff.

Karina Coen, Managing Director of Hospitality Operations at Stint, shares how her start-up company is helping hospitality businesses address staffing pain points and nurture their core team of skilled workers.

Read more from Peter Dore-Smith's blog 'Kaffeine Alumni: 12 Years of Legends' here.

Credits music: "Summer Blue" by Iris Lune for the Coffee Music Project

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Guests

Peter Dore-Smith

Peter Dore-Smith

Founder and Director, Kaffeine

Peter Dore-Smith founded London’s iconic independent café brand, Kaffeine, in 2009 in Fitzrovia and opened a second location in 2015. Dore-Smith is a seasoned hospitality professional and has over 30 years’ experience across café operations, management, F&B, training and development, staffing and recruitment.
Karina Coen

Karina Coen

Managing Director of Hospitality Operations, Stint

Karina Coen has 20 years of experience working for multinational hospitality and hospitality tech organisations in both operational and functional roles. As Managing Director of Hospitality Operations at tech start-up, Stint, Coen is passionate about working with businesses to create growth, resilience and profitability.
Marian Plajdicko

Marian Plajdicko

Owner, Happy Baristas

Marian Plajdicko began his coffee career 10 years ago while studying at university, where he was first drawn to the world of coffee. After moving to Berlin in 2012 and working in specialty coffee chains, Plajdicko twice won the Slovak National Barista Championship title. Plajdicko opened Berlin’s Happy Baristas in 2015.
Shelagh Ryan

Shelagh Ryan

Co-founder and Food Director, Lantana

Shelagh Ryan co-founded Lantana Café in 2008 to introduce to London everything she loved and missed about the thriving Australian café culture back home. Lantana now operate three restaurants across the city and has recently expanded into the corporate dining space.
Jo Mason

Jo Mason

Operations Director, Lantana

Jo Mason is the Operations Director at London's independent restaurant and café chain, Lantana. Mason previously held operations management roles at London restaurants such as Venetian-style boutique restaurant Polpo and joined Lantana as head of operations in January 2019.
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