Season 11 - Episode 14 - What It Takes to Launch a Restaurant in Today’s Hospitality World | Georgie Woollam Edwards

Season 11 continues with conversations that explore the forces shaping hospitality beyond the kitchen.

In this episode, Chef JKP sits down with Georgie Woollam Edwards, Founder of Katch International, a London and Dubai based PR and experiential agency that has helped shape some of the region’s most influential restaurant and hotel launches.

Georgie’s journey moves from early years in theatre and media to studying culture, storytelling, and communication, before building a career across events, PR, and brand strategy. In 2010, she founded Katch in memory of her late sister, grounding the agency in values of honesty, craft, and emotional connection.

Today, Katch operates across the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia, working behind the scenes on hospitality brands, global restaurant groups, and landmark openings including Atlantis The Royal.

This conversation explores what PR really means in modern hospitality. From storytelling and brand positioning to influencer culture, restaurant launches, reintroductions, and why food, consistency, and people matter more than hype.

What You Will Hear in This Episode

• Childhood memories and early creative influences
• Theatre, media, and learning to work behind the scenes
• Studying culture, storytelling, and communication
• Founding Katch in memory of her sister
• Lessons from events and wedding planning
• What PR actually means in hospitality today
• Influencers, critics, and brand credibility
• Launching and reintroducing restaurants in the Middle East
• Building loyal teams and strong company culture
• Advice for hospitality brands and creatives

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and welcome
05:20 Childhood and creative foundations
12:40 Theatre, media, and storytelling
21:10 Founding Katch and personal purpose
32:00 Events, weddings, and hospitality lessons
45:30 What PR really means today
58:40 Influencers, critics, and credibility
72:20 Reintroducing restaurants to the market
88:10 Team culture and leadership
102:30 Closing reflections and advice

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