NO RESERVATION - The Hospitality Podcast
Every great restaurant or hotel has two lives.
There’s the one the guests see — polished, calm, seamless.
And then there’s the one behind the scenes — fast decisions, quiet compromises, and moments where everything could tip either way.
NO RESERVATION is about that second life.
It’s about what really happens when service is live, the room is full, and there’s nowhere to hide — told by the people who carry that responsibility every day.
Hosted by Antoine Melon, who has spent his career building and running hospitality businesses, and Gideon Lask, who sees it from the other side and notices what most guests never articulate.
Each episode is a conversation with the people who hold standards — General Managers, operators, leaders.
Not for headlines.
Not for promotion.
Just an honest conversation.
Because most of what matters in hospitality…
happens after the doors are closed.
Episodes
11 episodes
Sue Walter | The Roof Gardens, Coppa Club and The Hospital Club
Some people build hospitality around service.Some build it around status.Sue Walter has spent her career building it around people.From The Hospital Club and Coppa Club to Maggie & Rose and The Roof Gardens, Sue has led ...
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Paulo de Tarso | Scott’s, Margot and Bar Boulud
Some people run restaurants.Others define service.Paulo de Tarso has spent his career focused on the craft of hospitality itself.From The Wolseley and Scott’s to opening Bar Boulud London under Daniel Boulud, his reputation ha...
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Murray Ward | Soho Farmhouse, Thyme and Public House Group
Some places rely on spectacle.Others rely on precision.Murray Ward has spent his career focused on something quieter — consistency.From Soho Farmhouse and Thyme to Public House Group, he’s worked across places where atmosphe...
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Alex Ghalleb | Dorian, Emberwood, Julie's and Grind
Some people run great venues.Some people build great teams.Alex Ghalleb has spent his career doing both.From Soho House and Grind to Charlotte’s Group, Ennismore and now Five Graces Hospitality, he’s worked across openings, ...
Matthew Maynard | Gold, Nikki Beach and Riding House Café
Some people run great rooms.Others go on to build them.Matthew Maynard has done both.From Riding House Café — one of the busiest openings of its time — to global scale at Nikki Beach, and now leading expansion at Gold Restau...
Alex Field | KOKO, Six Senses and LVMH
Some people run rooms.Some people build brands.And some understand how the two shape each other.Alex Field has spent his career working at that intersection — across Moët Hennessy, Six Senses, LVMH, Reignwood and The Birley Club...
Antoine Melon | The Origin Story
Every great restaurant, hotel or club has two lives — the one you see, and the one that actually runs it.In this episode, Antoine Melon and Gideon Lask turn the lens on themselves — sharing how they see hospitality from the inside and th...
Aurélien Mouren | The MAINE, Coya, Park Chinois, Roka
Some people arrive in hospitality through management.Some arrive through the floor.Today, we’re joined by someone who has built his career step by step — service by service — through some of the most demanding rooms in the world....
Gianmarco Carla | Big Mamma, The Ned, Soho House
Some restaurants are quiet and precise. Some feel like theatre. Some feel like a party that somehow never loses control.Today, we’re joined by someone who runs that kind of energy — at scale.Gianmarco Carla is Di...
Jamie Kerr | Soho House, HIX, Art'otel
There’s a moment in hospitality when you stop just running a room… and start seeing the whole operation.Today, we’re joined by someone who has lived both sides of that shift.Jamie Kerr began as a management trainee at Hil...
Will Smith | Josephine, Wild Honey, Les Deux Salons
Some people in hospitality chase the spotlight.Others hold it steady.Today, we’re joined by someone who’s been doing that for more than thirty years.Will Smith has worked at every level of British hospitality — from Michelin-s...
