Jonathan Little

Proud to share this collaboration with RATIONAL AG, filmed right here at the Polynesian Cultural Center, where culture meets culinary innovation. At the Polynesian Cultural Center, we’re not just running kitchen, we’re operating a cultural engine, a leadership academy, and a global hospitality training ground all in one. Every day, I have the privilege of overseeing the leadership and development of a high-volume operation that feeds thousands all powered by over hundreds of student employees and international apprentices from Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Many are stepping into their first experience with real-world business systems, kitchen innovation, and values-driven leadership. Thanks to our partnership with RATIONAL AG, tools like the iCombi and iVario allow us to scale with precision while preserving the soul of our traditions from steaming canoe plants to fusing meat braises blending techniques with modern efficiencies. It’s never just about volume, it’s about values, identity, and efficiency without compromise. Grateful to the team at RATIONAL for capturing what makes our kitchens special: our people, our process, and our purpose. We don’t just serve food. We build future leaders, grounded in heritage, equipped with innovation, and prepared for global impact. Innovation isn’t just about tech, it’s about legacy, people, and purpose. https://lnkd.in/gdGDJFgp #PolynesianCulturalCenter #CulinaryLeadership #BusinessOfFood #InnovationInAction #iCombiPro #iVarioPro #Rational #Apprenticeship #CulinaryStrategy #Luau #CulinaryApprenticeship #BusinessManagement

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Real Hospitality Leadership Shows Up on the Floor. The catering and hospitality hustle is real. Sanjay holds an executive role but there’s no such thing as a desk only day. Catering hat. Hospitality hat. Business hat. Often all in the same shift. Hospitality is different. It’s one of the few industries where leadership doesn’t step away from service = it steps into it. Today’s leaders don’t just plan from a distance. They work on the business and in it, because the impact on the floor matters just as much as the strategy behind the scenes. Especially growing businesses like Chef de la Maison, it’s exactly what we need. It’s not always neat. It’s not always comfortable. But it’s real. That’s Sanjay in a nutshell. A catering and hospitality leader living the reality of the role and growing it step by step. To those leading from the floor this one’s for you ✊

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Flat Iron restaurants acquired by TriSpan and McWin nvestors McWin and TriSpan have teamed up to secure a co-control majority investment in the Flat Iron restaurant chain. The deal will see Piper, the private equity firm which took a £10m stake in Flat Iron in 2017, exit the business. McWin and Trispan said they planned to continue to expand the steak restaurant group in the UK as well as oversee its “first steps into international markets”. Flat Iron was founded in 2012 by Charlie Carroll and has grown to 18 restaurants across London, Manchester, Leeds and Cambridge. For a time, it sold its signature steaks for £10, but they are now priced at £15. Tom Byng, who has led Flat Iron since 2021, will remain as chief executive of the business through its next stage as growth. Byng said: “Our success at Flat Iron is a team effort from the pot wash to the boardroom, and we are pleased to welcome McWin and TriSpan to the Flat Iron family.   “Their deep experience and knowledge of the sector are second to none and will be invaluable as we continue our mission to serve ‘remarkable steak’ to more locations in London, across the UK and abroad.” McWin also backs restaurants including Gail’s, Sticks’n’Sushi and Big Mamma Group. Flat Iron is the first acquisition for McWin’s newly launched Foodservice Fund, which is dedicated to lower to mid-cap European foodservice companies it believes have the opportunity to scale. TriSpan has made the investment through its Rising Stars Programme, which has also backed restaurant brands Pho, Mowgli and Rosa’s Thai. Robin Rowland, operating partner at TriSpan, said: “The UK dining out market is a vibrant growing sector of £110b+ turnover that continues to innovate, and Flat Iron is a clear winning brand offering outstanding value that truly delivers to a wide group of guests throughout the week.” Harry Goss, partner and head of foodservice at McWin, added: “We believe that Flat Iron has the right to become a multi-national British champion.” Houlihan Lokey advised Flat Iron on the transaction. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. https://lnkd.in/e-aWB2pn

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In the fast-paced world of hospitality, mastering hygiene, hazard control, and critical safety procedures is essential for every culinary professional. One mistake in food safety can have serious consequences. Here's a visual guide to help chefs and kitchen staff stay sharp on: - Hot & Cold Storage Temperatures - Types of Food Hazards - Stock Rotation Systems - Receiving Temp Checklist - 7 Principles of Critical Control Points (CCP) - How to Avoid Hazards in the Workplace Whether you're a seasoned chef or a culinary student, following these guidelines ensures safe food practices and creates a secure work environment for all. #KitchenSafety #FoodHygiene

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The ACF 2026 Industry Trends Report is out, and it’s worth your time. What stands out isn’t flash or gimmicks—it’s a clear return to fundamentals: quiet luxury, intentional hospitality, disciplined execution, and thoughtful menu development. This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, consistently, at a higher level. For chefs—especially those in corporate or multi-unit environments—this report reinforces something I strongly believe: leadership today is less about ego and more about stewardship. Guests are looking for confidence, clarity, and quality. Teams are looking for direction and standards that actually mean something. National trends only matter if they can be applied locally. The real work is translating insights like these into daily execution—in the kitchen, in the dining room, and in how we train and lead our teams. Curious how others are planning to apply these trends heading into 2026. #HospitalityLeadership #CulinaryTrends #SanAntonioChefs #TexasHospitality #RestaurantLeadership

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High-performing restaurants do not operate as Front of House and Back of House. They operate as one integrated system. One of the most expensive operational failures in hospitality is the silent division between the floor and the kitchen. When pacing isn’t aligned, the kitchen feels it. When ticket accuracy breaks down, execution suffers. When timing slips in the kitchen, the dining room absorbs it. This isn’t about blame. It’s about interdependence. The host influences ticket flow. Servers influence production accuracy. The kitchen influences guest perception. Every position directly affects the other. Executive-level leadership recognizes this: You don’t fix performance by isolating departments. You fix performance by aligning them. Shared standards. Shared accountability. Shared communication. The guest doesn’t experience FOH or BOH. They experience the operation. When teams operate in silos, they protect departments. When they operate in alignment, they protect the brand. Strong cultures eliminate walls before they become weaknesses. One operation. One standard. One outcome. #ExecutiveLeadership #HospitalityOperations #RestaurantManagement #TeamAlignment #OperationalExcellence

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🧿🧿 When Loyalty Is Met With Doubt. In hospitality, integrity and trust aren’t just words—they’re the invisible threads that hold every guest experience together. For many of us, these values are personal. We show up early, stay late, and go the extra mile not because someone is watching, but because we believe in doing right by the brand, the team, and the guest. We protect the company’s reputation as if it were our own. That’s what loyalty looks like. But sometimes, the very people who uphold these values find themselves blamed when things go wrong. Not for negligence. Not for misconduct. But for trying to do the right thing in difficult circumstances. It’s a painful irony—when the trust you’ve built is questioned, and your integrity becomes a target instead of a shield. The disappointment cuts deep, not because of ego, but because of the emotional investment we make in our work. To be loyal is to carry the weight of responsibility even when resources are scarce, systems are strained, and support is delayed. It means saying “no” to shortcuts, even when they’re tempting. It means standing by the guest, the team, and the brand—even when it’s hard. So when that loyalty is met with suspicion or blame, it doesn’t just hurt—it disorients. It makes you question whether your values are truly valued. This post isn’t about bitterness. It’s about truth. It’s about honoring the silent warriors in every café, hotel, and restaurant who choose integrity over convenience, and trust over shortcuts. May we build workplaces where loyalty is protected, not punished. Where trust is mutual, not conditional. And where every employee who gives their heart to the job is seen, heard, and respected. #HospitalityTruths #IntegrityMatters #LoyaltyInAction #RespectTheTeam #EmotionalIntelligence #WorkplaceCulture #LeadershipWithHeart #SilentWarriors #TrustAndTransparency #HospitalityVoices #TeamSpirit #SeenHeardRespected

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Hospitality Is Defined by How You Handle What You Can't Control Flight delays. Bad weather. Road closures. Construction noise nearby. None of these are your fault. But all of them shape your guest's experience. Great hotels don't hide behind "out of our control." They step up with empathy, creativity, and solutions: 1 Acknowledge the issue openly - guests value honesty more than excuses 2 Show empathy first - frustration needs to be met with care, not policy 3 Offer alternatives a spa credit during bad weather, transport help during closures, or flexible timing when delays hit 4 Over-communicate guests feel calmer when they feel informed 5 Train teams to act, not react empower them to solve, not pass the problem along Because guests don't measure you by the problem. They measure you by your response. And often, it's in those uncontrollable moments that loyalty is truly earned.

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Leadership Isn’t a Title. It’s a Track Record. Walk into too many corporate kitchens or event operations, and you’ll find the same faces in the same roles they’ve held for a decade. No mentorship. No advancement. No innovation — just rotation. That’s not stability. That’s stagnation. And AI is about to expose it at scale. The algorithms being built to manage food systems, staffing, and logistics don’t care about résumés or titles. They care about data growth. If your department hasn’t evolved, if your people aren’t learning, if your systems haven’t improved — AI will flag that faster than HR ever did. The new era of leadership isn’t about control. It’s about development velocity. The future will belong to the managers who train humans and machines to think better together. Everyone else will be replaced by the very systems they ignored. #Leadership #Hospitality #AI #WorkforceDevelopment #FoodSystems #EventIndustry #Automation #FutureOfWork #CulinaryInnovation #Management

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Post about of stewarding Department. What is the Stewarding Department? Most guests never see it, yet it’s one of the most essential departments in any hotel,restaurant, or banquet operation.The Stewarding Department is the backbone of kitchen operations—responsible for: Maintaining kitchen cleanliness & hygiene Washing and sanitizing all utensils, plates, and equipment,Managing kitchen waste and recycling.Ensuring compliance with food safety standards,Supporting chefs and F&B teams during events from operating dishwashers to managing inventory of cutlery and glassware, stewards play a silent yet powerful role in delivering a safe and memorable dining experience. Unsung heroes of hospitality.

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The modern Executive Chef role has evolved beyond mere cooking expertise to become a multifaceted position. The Leader role in the kitchen includes * Mentorship: Fostering professional development. * Fostering Culture: Creating a collaborative environment. * Digital Systems: Utilizing digital kitchen display systems (KDS) for inventory, temperature logs, and to speed up food production, reducing errors. * Workflow Optimization:Streamlining kitchen layouts and processes to improve efficiency and reduce ticket times.  * Cost Management: Managing food and labor costs to maintain profitability. * Inventory Control: Monitoring par levels to avoid waste or shortages. * Compliance: Ensuring strict adherence to health, safety, and sanitation standards. * Consistency: Maintaining high standards of food quality and consistency. * MenuDevelopment. menu planning, balancing food costs with customer preferences. * Trends Adaptation: Staying updated with culinary trends,. * Bridge between Front and Back of House: Acting as the liaison between the kitchen and front-of-house . * Crisis Management: Quickly resolving issues such as equipment failure, staffing.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about professional growth lately. The more I learn about my role and the hospitality industry, the more energized I become. Complexity no longer feels intimidating, it feels strategic. The deeper I understand the operational layers behind business development, catering logistics, forecasting, and client experience, the clearer the opportunities become. And I love a challenge and not because it’s easy, but because it demands precision, accountability, and composure. Executive presence isn’t about titles. It’s about consistency. It’s about decision-making under pressure. It’s about treating people well, especially when things are moving fast. The longer I’m in this industry, the more I realize that commanding respect doesn’t require volume. It requires steadiness, competence, and integrity. Growth seasons aren’t always comfortable. But they refine you in ways comfort never will. The more I learn, the more focused I become on building systems, strengthening partnerships, and leading with clarity. To me, challenge isn't chaos but handled well it becomes momentum. #mindset #growth #change #momentum

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I agree with the premise here: hospitality doesn’t have a labor shortage—we have a *leadership and operating discipline* problem. The properties that win are the ones that invest in training, set clear standards, and build managers who can develop people—not burn them out. Predictable schedules, real onboarding, and consistent accountability change everything. For other operators and GMs: what’s been the single most effective lever for improving retention and performance on your teams? https://lnkd.in/gAH2fMAR #hospitality #hotelmanagement #leadership #operations #employeeretention

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"Even chefs running 3-star Michelin kitchens can fail outside fine dining. Why? Because professional development in restaurants is almost non-existent." — Dan Giusti In this week’s Fugitive Chefs Podcast episode, Dan speaks candidly about the lack of leadership training and professional growth in fine dining — and why so many chefs struggle beyond the restaurant walls. 📌 Full episode link in comments. #FugitiveChefs #DanGiusti #Noma #Brigaid #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #FoodSystems

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Great read, Jeff Dover ISHC I really appreciated your point about labor being too efficient and how that can impact throughput and guest service. I’ve seen situations where a restaurant manager cuts labor by reducing sections and ultimately covers, only creating strain on the back of house prodcutivity.

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