Listening to podcasts is a great way to uncover new perspectives, get ideas to improve efficiency, and learn from others in the industry. The food-and-beverage and restaurant industries are no different.
While it may be hard to find many restaurant podcasts in your area, we’ve compiled a list of the best restaurant podcasts around the world.
These following restaurant and food podcasts collectively provide a wealth of knowledge and inspiration, catering to various needs and preferences in the hospitality, restaurant, and F&B industries.
In this article, we’ll share some of the top restaurant podcasts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the world. We’ll note the pros and cons of each, along with the top episodes to explore.
Read on to discover the best podcasts for restaurant owners, managers, and marketers.
Why should you listen to restaurant podcasts
Before we dive into the list, here are a few reasons why listening to podcasts about restaurants and fine dining is a good idea.
Restaurant and F&B podcasts help you
Uncover trends
One of the top reasons to listen to podcasts in general, and restaurant podcasts in particular, is to keep up with the latest trends.
From recent tech to marketing strategies to menu development to sustainability to AI-driven customer experiences, there are many emerging trends in the F&B and hospitality industries.
Offer insights
F&B podcast episodes often dive deep into guest behavior and marketing tips for restaurants, providing you with actionable insights to enhance your restaurant’s guest experience.
Offer business ideas and tips
Often, a restaurant owner will get lost in the nitty-gritty of their business and local requirements. However, every business owner wants to grow their business, increase their restaurant’s reservations, and maximize revenue growth and management.
Podcasts can broaden your views, offering practical business tips and growth strategies.
Learn from industry experts
Many podcasts feature interviews with renowned chefs, F&B industry experts, and restaurateurs, offering you valuable perspectives and lessons learned from their journeys.
A few things to consider when listening to F&B podcasts
- Not all the tips and tricks mentioned will work for you. Some are limited to or bound by region.
- Tips may vary by restaurant type.
- Some of the following restaurant podcasts may have run for a limited time, but they are still worth listening to.
- If legalities are mentioned, reach out to your F&B consultant or lawyer to make sure you’re not breaking any regulations.
Best restaurant podcasts in the Middle East
As mentioned, geography can affect the tips and ideas shared.
With thriving restaurant and hospitality industries, the MENA region is also home to some restaurant podcasts.
The Lighthouse Conversations
The Lighthouse Conversations is a podcast born out of The Lighthouse chain of restaurants in the UAE. With 4 concepts in Dubai and 1 in Abu Dhabi, The Lighthouse is a popular F&B chain in the UAE.
Hosted by Hashem Montasser, The Lighthouse Conversations covers a wide range of topics from books to business to food.
Pros: Features talks with Middle Eastern restaurateurs, chefs, and industry experts.
Cons: Covers various topics, not just restaurants and food. On average, there is one episode per month.
Listen to The Lighthouse Conversations via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Chef JKP’s Pacheco Podcast
Chef James Knight-Pacheco, known as Chef JKP, is a popular chef and TV personality, who has worked alongside global chefs such as Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay.
Named one of the “50 Most Influential People in Food and Beverage in the Middle East and Africa” by Caterer Middle East, James hosts the Chef JKP Podcast.
Pros: Entertaining, with a special focus on chef’s perspectives.
Cons: Length of episodes vary. Considered a chefs’ podcast and may not cover all F&B topics.
Listen to The Chef JKP Podcast via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Foodcast
Foodcast is an Egyptian Arabic podcast hosted by popular food influencer Amr Sherif.
Pros: Foodcast is light, fun, enjoyable with lots of humor.
Cons: Foodcast is only available in Arabic. Episodes tend to be long, reaching up to 2 hours.
Listen to Foodcast via YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Kuzbara by Kerning Cultures
Kuzbara, Arabic for coriander, is an Arabic-speaking food podcast, created by Kerning Cultures. This 12-episode food podcast tackled food stories, culinary traditions, and recipes from around the MENA region.
Pros: Episodes are short, not exceeding 30 minutes each with engaging storytelling.
Cons: Covers many food-related topics, not just restaurants.
Listen to Kuzbara via the Kerning Cultures website, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Dubai Eats
Featuring various hosts, Dubai Eats is a leading food and restaurant podcast focused on Dubai’s vibrant food scene.
Pros: It’s an opportunity to get to know the Dubai F&B scene.
Cons: Dubai Eats is a Dubai-centric podcast. It’s about restaurant reviews and doesn’t offer much industry analysis.
Listen to Dubai Eats via YouTube.
The DXB Podcast
The DXB Podcast is a 5-episode restaurant podcast that ran from April to June 2021. Hosted by Tom Urquhart, the Dubai-centric podcast covered a bunch of topics about the emirate.
Listen to The DXB Podcast via YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Supy Talks Podcast
Restaurant inventory management software Supy boasts a popular podcast, dedicated to restaurant operators, looking to expand their F&B expertise.
Listen to the Supy podcast via YouTube and Spotify.
Best restaurant podcasts: The global edition
Restaurant Rockstars Podcast
The Restaurant Rockstars Podcast is considered one of the best restaurant podcasts around the world. Hosted by Roger Beaudoin, the weekly podcast engages industry experts and restaurateurs. The podcast boasts over 400 episodes and 800,000 listens.
Pros: Offers great, actionable tips and tricks about increasing restaurant sales and profits.
Cons: Can often feel pushy and overselling consulting services.
Check out the Restaurant Rockstars Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast
Hosted by Eric Cacciatore, the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast includes over 300 episodes, covering advice and tips from restaurant industry professionals.
Pros: Interviews include restaurant owners and various chefs, along with operations managers and industry experts.
Cons: Episodes are quite long, often reaching and exceeding 2 hours.
Listen to the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast via their website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
The Garnish
Hosted by Toast POS, The Garnish Podcast is a restaurant industry-focused podcast, bringing stories and advice from restaurateurs, managers, chefs, and others in the restaurant world.
Pros: Covers key industry topics with high-quality audio and well-organized content.
Cons: Some episodes may be pushy towards Toast’s POS system.
Listen to The Garnish via Spotify.
Hospitality Mavericks
Hospitality Mavericks covers the entire hospitality industry. The podcast is hosted by Michael Tingsager. With an episode shared every two weeks, it covers innovation, leadership, recruitment.
Pros: Variety of F&B industry leaders. Insights can be applied by an international audience.
Cons: Lots of focus on business and leadership. Episodes can be quite long.
Listen to Hospitality Mavericks via their website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
The Pre-Shift Podcast
Created by employee and restaurant scheduling software 7Shifts, The Pre-Shift Podcast features 61 episodes and focuses on building successful restaurant teams.
Pros: Covers a wide range of topics including marketing, staffing, restaurant tech, and customer service.
Cons: There may be some bias towards promoting the 7shifts platform.
Listen to the Pre-Shift Podcast via their website, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Culinary Institute of America’s Podcast
The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) podcast offers a wealth of culinary knowledge and inspiration. This podcast features video episodes that explore cooking techniques, menu ideas, and recipes.
Pros: Educational, offering professional-level culinary education and expert insights.
Cons: Too specialized for general listeners. Many episodes focus on vegan menus.
Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Opening Soon
The Opening Soon podcast follows the journey of opening new venues, offering insightful tips along the way.
Pros: Stories are informative and compelling, featuring diverse voices from the restaurant industry.
Cons: Episodes can be lengthy and only focusing on new openings.
Listen to Opening Soon via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
The Food Business Podcast
The Food Business Podcast is hosted by Adam Feller and focuses on helping F&B entrepreneurs get their products into stores and onto shelves more effectively.
Pros: Covers a broad range of topics in the F&B industry.
Cons: Audio quality isn’t very good. The 73-episode podcast concluded in 2022.
Listen to The Food Business Podcast via Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
