Grab a pot and pull up a stool for episode eight of the Pinnicast. This week, Leon and Michael are deep in the trenches, recounting the absolute head-spin of nearly losing the lease on a handshake deal. We cover everything from accidental demol...

In this episode, Michael and Leon are joined by executive chef Scott Eddington at the legendary Arnold’s to discuss the final hurdles before taking the keys to The Pinnacle. The team breaks down commercial lease transfers, and what happens when...

In this financially focused episode, Michael and Leon pull back the curtain on the actual costs of acquiring the Pinnacle. Moving through their budget line-by-line, they explore the logic behind a $285,000 launch, covering everything from the $...

Recorded on Christmas Eve, this episode of the Pinnicast finds Leon and Michael at a critical midpoint in their journey to open the Pinnacle. After weeks of deceptively smooth progress, the duo finally encounters their first taste of project vo...

In this fourth episode of the Pinnicast, Michael shares the surprising ease of his technical setup, including a modern switchboard that avoids common startup nightmares. The conversation dives deep into the psychology of pub branding - explaini...

In this third instalment of the Pinnicast, we dive into the frantic final week of preparations before the Fitzroy Pinnacle officially opens its doors. Michael shares the strategic advantages of a recorded handover with the previous owner and ho...

In this second episode of the Pinnicast, we get into the messy, often humorous reality of taking over the iconic Pinnacle pub in North Fitzroy. Michael shares the highs and lows of the past week, including a dealing with real estate agents and ...

Welcome to the Pinnicast, a raw, under the hood look at the reality of opening a venue, warts and all. Leon, Tim and Michael from the PAX sit down to document Michael's high-stakes acquisition of The Pinnacle, a legendary pub in North Fitzroy. ...

The season one finale of The PAX Hospitality Podcast brings the full crew together to reflect on the conversations, ideas, and moments that shaped the show’s first run. The episode acts as a guided recap, revisiting standout themes from across ...

In this episode of the PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon Kennedy is joined by Tim Varney, Loren Daniels and Michael Bascetta to unpack The Gen Z Retail Revolution report from Principals — and what it really means for hospitality. Leon frames Gen Z ...

In this episode of the PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon Kennedy sits down with our very own guest services and reservation specialist Loren Daniels to unpack one deceptively simple question: how easy is it to book your restaurant? Sp...

In Episode 9 of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon and Loren run a practical, no-nonsense primer on hospitality marketing — the kind that turns work into revenue rather than vanity metrics. Rather than lofty brand theory, the conve...

In this Happy Hour episode, Tim and Michael open with the December spiral — too-early Christmas parties, the pressure to “catch up before the end of the year,” and the collective madness that hits hospitality every November. Their thesis? It’s ...

In the second half of this two-part series with Kate Hemat-Siraky from Zest People, Leon pivots from “boring but essential” compliance to the motivating half of People Experience (aka the dry, defunct term Human Resources) – Cu...

In this Happy Hour episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, Tim and Michael welcome their first-ever guest to the format: the endlessly fascinating and wildly accomplished Quentin Berthonneau of Oji House. Fresh off a two-...

In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon Kennedy sits down with HR and people & culture specialist Kate Hemat-Siraky to unpack the relatively unsexy but absolutely critical foundation of a healthy hospitality busin...

In this Happy Hour episode, Tim and Michael shallow-dive into the deep world of pubs — why they matter, why they endure, and why we all seem to orbit back to them no matter our age or stage of life. Sparked by the opening week of Daphne and its...

In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy sits down with Kate Bradford to unpack the least glamorous but most essential pillar of hospitality success: finance. Sitting within the Consistency lay...

In this Happy Hour episode, Tim Varney, Michael Bascetta, and Loren Daniels crack a Bridge Road non-alc and wade into award season — where Michelin, Good Food, and the ever-turning wheels of recognition are all up for debat...

The best venues don’t try to be everything, they just know who they are. When that clarity of identity runs deep, the product, the choices, and the guest experience all align without forcing it.In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podc...

In this Happy Hour debut, Tim Varney and Michael Bascetta shoot the breeze on coffee automation—from the romance of hand-made shots to the reality of rising costs, labour shortages, and the need for consistency. They map the spect...

In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, hosts Leon Kennedy, Michael Bascetta, Loren Daniels, and Tim Varney tackle one of the most overlooked — yet defining — disciplines in hospitality: product.

In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy sits down with Joseph Abboud (Rumi, Rocket Society) to unpack what “identity” looks like when you move it from gut-feel to something a whole team can use. Rather than...

In this frank episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy sits down with Phillip Spry (Director, Mawson)to demystify what happens when a venue slides from strain to financial distress—and how to avoid becoming part of the predicte...

In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy is joined by Loren Daniels, Tim Varney, and Michael Bascetta to explore one of the simplest yet most powerful frameworks in hospitality: the Pyramid.What starts as a pract...