The man behind Hot Potato.

Hey Hot Potatoes,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Hot Potato Newsletter. With 15 newsletters in the bag, now feels like the right time I give you all a bit of an introduction to myself, so this edition will be a little personal and a sort of reveal all. But first, for those who haven’t made it through to the end of my newsletters yet, my name is Max and I am the man behind Hot Potato. This week I’ve had Mrs Hot Potato put 15 questions together for a Q&A session, which means I’ll be letting you in on a bit more about me, my background and this Hot Potato gig. So without further a do, let’s dive in!

In today’s email: The man behind Hot Potato.

Read Time: Approx 7 mins

From your first job to where you are now, what is your hospitality story?

I’ve been in the hospitality industry for over six years now, and it actually started at Deliveroo during my ‘gap year’ after University. I had a friend who managed the team that hired Deliveroo couriers, he told me about a role they had going, and so I applied. Soon after I joined the team and spent the next six months hiring the couriers… it was a fast paced environment with tough KPIs, but also a fun place to work.

As part of my ‘gap year’, I had always planned to do a bit of backpacking around South East Asia, so I went off and did that. Then when I returned to London, I ended up working in Telecoms. Truth be told, I wasn’t particularly passionate about the Telecoms industry, but I stuck it out for 18 months despite deep down knowing it wasn’t for me. An opportunity came my way to swap the Telecoms world for takeaways, leading me straight back to food delivery and did somebody say… Yes, Just Eat was the next stop where I spent the next three years. For the first half of this period I was responsible for signing new restaurants and mini chains onto the Just Eat platform. The next half of my time at Just Eat was spent in account management (and partly in lockdown), including looking after McDonald’s franchisees on the platform #Iamlovingit. My passion for the food and hospitality industry grew at Just Eat, but I wanted to veer away from the big company scene and instead to go somewhere smaller where I could be more hands on.

Fast forward to today and I have found myself in the very niche (but cool) world of branded packaging. I’ve spent the last two and half years at Brand Your, working closely with both small and large hospitality brands to provide them with all their branded takeaway packaging. The packaging we supply today can be anything from branded cups, boxes, greaseproof paper to bags or even stickers. I work as their Head of Growth i.e. sales, and have had the pleasure of working with some really great brands that look cool, are cool and make great food and drinks. Some clients even give me their tasty pastries and loaves of bread to take home, a nice perk of the role. But really, I just love working with my clients, being customer facing and helping them. Having been the first sales hire at Brand Your has been an amazing experience; sitting close to the founders, I get to see the business grow first hand, the workings behind the success and the impact my work has on the company.

What was your 'lightbulb moment' that made you dive into the hospitality industry?

I wouldn’t say I had a specific ‘lightbulb moment’, but growing up I loved eating food and cooking food to eat. I always knew I wanted to do something with food and even semi considered being a chef, but the unsociable hours did put me off slightly. So, when I had my first taste of the hospitality industry with Deliveroo, I knew it was somewhere I wanted to spend more time and explore further.

Hot Potato... spill the beans, where did the name come from?

Do any of you out there just love Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares? It’s probably one of my favourite TV shows of all time. Anyway, the day before I decided to start this newsletter, I turned on the TV to watch another Kitchen Nightmares episode, it was an old episode, they’re the best ones… and the name of the restaurant on the show that Gordon was trying to save was called ‘Hot Potato Cafe’. The restaurant only served potato dishes, which I found hilarious, but also the name just stuck with me. I also saw the potential wordplay with the name Hot Potato, like ‘hot off the press’ or ‘hot seat,’ and resonated with potatoes being so versatile, like me ;) I know I am biased but I actually really love the name!

With fifteen newsletters in, what made you start this journey?

After six years in the hospitality industry, I felt there was a need for a comprehensive, easy-to-access resource for restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and other hospitality businesses. The hospitality world is a chaotic place and everyone knows how challenging it is to have a successful but also profitable business. Whenever I speak to hospitality folk and business owners, I ask them about their challenges and the general consensus is they don’t have a resource to help support them that is easily digestible (no pun intended). So I wanted to create Hot Potato and be that resource that could provide guidance, inspiration, encouragement and start to build a community of Hot Potatoes raring to go.

What's been your favourite newsletter to cover so far and why?

It’s hard to say as I have genuinely found each topic very interesting to write about. If I had to choose, I’d say I enjoyed writing the ‘How to launch a food brand from scratch’ edition. I have always loved the idea of starting something on my own, so it actually got me thinking of potential ideas and how I could actually start something myself (other than this newsletter of course).

What's the most surprising thing you've learned since starting Hot Potato?

The most surprising thing I’ve learnt is that just because you write a newsletter, you can’t expect it to grow organically, nor will it take off overnight. Like any other business out there (and something I need to do more of), you need to devote time to growing your audience and have a strong strategy behind it too. Growing a business is tough, especially a newsletter business! But don’t worry, there’s plenty more in the pipeline.

What's the best piece of advice you've received from someone in the industry?

As I wrote in my first newsletter, a successful restaurant owner I met told me how important it is to ‘keep it simple’. By keeping things simple you focus on quality ingredients, make operations easier to manage, improve economies of scale in purchasing and overall create a better customer experience. It’s better to be recognised for one thing than nothing at all.

If you could have dinner with three people from the hospitality world, who would they be?

It’s a tough question because there are so many iconic people out there who have helped shaped the industry. I’d absolutely love to have dinner with Gordon Ramsay, I imagine he’d have some cracking stories and he’s an incredible chef. Rick Stein would be my next guest, the guy is an OG ledge! I’d also want to bring Ruth Rogers from River Cafe to the party because she’s created an iconic institution and really set the bar for what restaurant standards should be. I reckon having those three all around the table is a recipe for a dinner filled with good stories, laughter, great food but also loads advice for me to take on!

What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

You know what, I don’t have a huge sweet tooth, especially as I’ve grown older. I would say that I absolutely love chicken wings, I can’t get enough of them. Fried, grilled or baked, you name it, I’ll eat them. On a random note, I am obsessed with dumplings too and could eat them for days. I’ve just started making them at home, they’re way easier than you think and taste epic.

Quick-Fire Round: Favourite London restaurant? Go-to place for comfort food? Most overrated food trend?

Having a favourite London restaurant is tough as there are loads of top restaurants out there, but if I had to choose I would say it is Blacklock; with a good price point, great quality and service, it ticks all the boxes for me. My go-to place for comfort food would be Wingmans in Kilburn or Soho, I can’t get enough of their Shanghai Oriental wings. The most overrated food trend in my personal opinion is Neapolitan style pizza. Sorry to offend anyone on the latter point, but I am bored of it, I love my pizza thin and crispy… thank god the pizza scene is changing! 

What's the most challenging part about writing the newsletter that readers might not realise?

The most challenging part is time management. It can be challenging to work on Hot Potato while I am in a full time job as there isn’t a huge amount of free time to play with. I’d say writing HP takes up a couple of nights in the week and a chunk of my weekend. How I bring each edition to life involves thorough research on the chosen topic, getting the content together, writing the edition and then leaving enough time to ensure it is edited properly. All in all it requires a bit of sacrifice, but it’s a sacrifice I am willing to take as I really believe in the Hot Potato brand. This is just the beginning.

Talk us through your process - How does a Hot Potato newsletter come to life?

Well it typically starts on a Saturday morning where I will choose my topic and put aside a few hours to do some research, read a few articles and start compiling resources. Then I’ll write the majority of the newsletter on a Sunday afternoon and use the Monday evening to finish the first edit. Baring in mind, I’m football fan, so I also have to manage my time around some matches. I’ll also put my social content together on a Monday, making Tuesday night the last chance for final edits. Wednesday morning, my post is scheduled for 9am and then the whole process starts again!

Where do you see Hot Potato in five years time?

In all honesty, I haven't put too much thought into the five year plan or figured out exactly what path HP will follow, all I’ve focused on so far is getting started. I do want to continue to grow the newsletter and make it the biggest and best resource out there for everyone in the hospitality industry; an informative and fun resource with great ideas, and something that helps owners grow their business. I also have a lot of ideas on how HP could evolve into something more than a newsletter, whether that is a consultancy business, podcast or educational industry focused courses. Watch this space!

That’s a wrap and I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know a bit more about me and Hot Potato!

Now, for those of you that have a keen eye, or simply read my story, you would have noticed I work in the world of branded packaging. I see first hand how your packaging but also branding plays a significant role in acquiring new customers and developing brand loyalty. In next week’s article we will deep dive into the importance of branding and the simple steps you can take to improve yours.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated weekly on all things hospitality!

Bon appétit,

Max Shipman, Editor-in-Chief, Hot Potato

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