Espresso: Tom Kerridge - You'd be Crazy to Open a Restaurant (Without Knowing This..)

Full episode here! 👉🏻 https://youtu.be/cVG8TqtxJQEAfter 20 years running The Hand & Flowers and 35 years in kitchens, Tom Kerridge says something most chefs won’t: restaurants don’t make money anymore.In this clip, Kerridge breaks down why margins have been wiped out, why being “busy” means nothing, and why opening a restaurant today can actually be the worst financial decision you make. It’s a brutally honest look at hospitality — from pricing, staffing and VAT, to the hard leadership calls that come with ownership.This isn’t about food. It’s about business reality, risk, and the uncomfortable decisions that keep companies alive.===============📱 ON THE MENU===============🍽️ Why packed restaurants still lose money📉 How margins in hospitality were quietly eradicated🤔 Why opening a restaurant now makes less sense than ever⚖️ Separating emotion from business decisions🚪 Closing sites, letting people go, and radical transparency🧠 The shift from reactive chef to strategic operator🔥 Why Kerridge thrives on risk — but hates being a passenger🧩 What COVID taught him about control and problem-solving