BrewDog is one of the fastest-growing hospitality brands. Known for bringing craft beer to the mainstream, they have expanded internationally as well as branching out into food, cutting edge customer experience and even hotels. Not without controversy, they are a brand with a strong identity - it's hard not to have an opinion on BrewDog.

James Brown is CEO of BrewDog Bars and is a senior figure at the company. He started his career as a teenager in Scotland chopping potatoes at a local chippy... and a lifelong passion for hospitality took root. In this episode, James invites Jon to BrewDog's own podcast studio that they have built in their London offices at Waterloo. James and Jon discuss what makes hospitality such a character-building sector to work in. From learning what makes customers happy (and unhappy), to the kind of bizarre scrapes only people in this industry find themselves in (like accidentally disabling a whole city's mobile phone service in an attempt to turn off the venue entrance lights).

Exploring the Crack On spirit, Jon and James discuss what lessons (and indeed opportunities) COVID presented to the industry and the people who worked within it. Resilience was tested and a new spirit of co-operation emerged to help the sector survive.

Finally, James talks about his innovative tech solution for digital tipping - Tipjar. In his honest reflection on the challenges he has faced, and mistakes made along the way to eventual success, there are valuable lessons for anyone with entrepreneurial ambition and the desire to innovate and make a positive difference.