The PAX Hospitality Podcast
Episodes
Decisions That Kill Your Business
15 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, hosts Leon Kennedy and Michael Bascetta tackle the invisible force that's quietly killing hospita...
Building a Community-First Brand with Stomping Ground
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the PAX Hospitality Podcast, we sit down with Guy and Justin, the visionary founders behind Stomping Ground Brewing Co. and The Loc...
Bonus: How Stomping Ground Made Craft Beer Welcoming For Everyone
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to turn a passion for craft beer into a thriving, scalable hospitality brand? In this episode, Justin Joiner and Guy Greenstone, the...
We've reached the Pinnacle.
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this series finale, we reach the finish line of our 10-day podcast sprint, recorded in a stifling 34-degree room just 48 hours before the grand reo...
Are we killing live music?
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this penultimate episode of the Pinnicast, Leon and Michael are rinsed but racing toward opening night with only six days to go. The duo is joined ...
Dude, where's my pub?
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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-...
Is there a 'Bunnings' of pubs?
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
How do you fund a pub?
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this financially focused episode, Michael and Leon pull back the curtain on the actual costs of acquiring the Pinnacle. Moving through their budget...
Is there IP in hospitality?
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 we...
Why is every pub maroon?
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this fourth episode of the Pinnicast, Michael shares the surprising ease of his technical setup, including a modern switchboard that avoids common ...
Whatever happened to malt vinegar?
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this third instalment of the Pinnicast, we dive into the frantic final week of preparations before the Fitzroy Pinnacle officially opens its doors....
Is sponsored glassware a thing?
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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. Michae...
Did we just buy a pub?
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Season Finale
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Gen Z – What Happens When Ethics Become The Expectation
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Re...
Reservations – The Front Door To Your Business
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon Kennedy sits down with our very own guest services and reservation specialist Loren Daniels to un...
Marketing — Practical, Measurable, And Not Just Pretty
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Happy Hour – Owning The Re-Boot Or Doubling Down?
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Culture – Design The Journey, Measure The Mood, Grow The Leaders
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 moti...
Happy Hour – What Does It Take To Be The World’s Most Innovative?
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Compliance – Getting Your House In Order Before Culture Breaks
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, Leon Kennedy sits down with HR and people & culture specialist Kate Hemat-Siraky to unpack the rel...
Happy Hour – Two Pots and a Meat Raffle Philosophy Session
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 orbi...
Finance – Building Literacy, Discipline, and Peace of Mind
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Happy Hour — Who Gets to Tell Us We’re Good?
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
Product — The Invisible Effort Behind Great Venues
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Happy Hour – Craft vs Ctrl-C
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Product — The Discipline that Connects Experience to Market Fit
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, hosts Leon Kennedy, Michael Bascetta, Loren Daniels, and Tim Varney tackle one of the most overlooked ...
Identity — Writing Mission Down So Teams Can Use It
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, host Leon Kennedy sits down with Joseph Abboud (Rumi, Rocket Society) to unpack what “identity” lo...
Insolvency – When Push Comes to Shove
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Pyramid Model – An Introduction
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
The PAX Hospitality Podcast – A Podcast Meant To Be Shared
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our very first episode of The PAX Hospitality Podcast, we—Leon Kennedy, Loren Daniels, Tim Varney, and Michael Bascetta—sit down to introduce t...