And Another Thing

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella talk listeners through what a day looks like when they’re back at work after time away and trying to find their feet again. They reflect on how their leadership styles differ, while also complementing one another in the day-to-day running of the café. True to form, the conversation takes a detour into the world of sport, where two self-confessed non-sports...

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella kick things off with tales from a dinner party, where the sound of clippity-clopping shoes becomes an unexpected source of amusement. Hyacinth pops up at a community event, before the conversation moves on to a more reflective turn as they discuss the sacrifices often made in the hospitality industry. From exhaustion spilling into precious days off to the...

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella explore the role customers can play in creating waste within a business, discussing whether it's something that can be controlled and why the challenges differ between cafés and restaurants. They also unpack a slightly questionable—but maybe justified—dine-and-dash moment, debate who should foot the bill when mistakes happen, and discover that navigating C...

On this week’s episode, Joella returns from 10 days in Italy with plenty of stories to share—from unforgettable meals and memorable experiences to observations on hospitality culture abroad. Together, Helene and Joella explore the slower approach to dining in Italy, where meals are centred around experience rather than fast-paced act of turning over tables. Of course, some things in hospitality pr...

This week, Helene and Joella are bringing plenty of flavour to the conversation—equal parts exhausted, slightly salty, and ready to unpack the many characters that make up hospitality life. From the labels customers unknowingly earn to the pros and cons they bring to a business, this episode blends industry insight with the reminder that no matter how old you get...some things never stop being fun...

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella share stories from the first concert of the season, question whether “brain food” is really doing its job, and reflect on a week of customer interactions that left them wanting to ask, “Are you alright, love?" They also explore the delicate balance of saying “no” in hospitality, and how setting boundaries with customers can either risk losing business—or c...

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella celebrate one full year behind the mic. Featuring special clips from listeners sharing what they love about the show, they take a nostalgic look back at favourite moments, memorable episodes, and the stories behind some of their most iconic sayings. From technological learning curves to standout segments, titles, and plenty of laughter created along the wa...

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella prove that even a chaotic start can lead to plenty of laughs—and a strong finish. From power outages and internal flooding to late-night dinners, this episode delivers on both humour and real-life hospitality moments. Amid it all, a couple of wholesome stories restore their faith in humanity—including an unexpected matchmaking moment. Helene then flips the...

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella are finally back in the studio together after four weeks apart. Helene shares stories from her recent trip home, including some eye-opening cost comparisons between England and Canada when it comes to the hospitality experience. Meanwhile, Joella fills her in on the workplace drama that unfolded while Helene was away. The conversation also turns more refle...

On this week’s episode, Helene and Joella explore the idea that saving the pennies really does take care of the pounds — especially in hospitality. They dive into how small, everyday cost-saving habits can make a meaningful difference in a business, and why clearly communicating those goals to staff is key to getting everyone on board. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a controversial que...

This week, Helene and Joella unpack the history behind the infamous “The customer is always right,” exploring what the phrase was intended to mean—and how it’s been stretched, twisted, and overused in modern hospitality. Along the way, another concert makes it onto the calendar, travel plans start brewing, and a stranger sitting a little too close becomes the catalyst for some entertaining cultura...

On this week’s episode, Joella and Helene revisit the psychology of café environments and why these spaces play such an important role in human connection. From there, they dive into the realities of hospitality life, comparing the traditional 9–5 workday with the unpredictable world of shift work, and how each lifestyle has its own individual impacts.

Aannnd we're back! On this week's episode Joella and Helene are back from their Christmas and New Year break, stepping into 2026 with motivational resolution content (just kidding they avoid resolutions), encouragement and drive for the future (nope, they are still wadding the water wondering how to make dreams come true) and more stories about the hospitality work environment (the only thing they...

It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas in this week’s episode. Joella and Helene dive into the similarities and differences of the festive season across the countries they’ve lived in. As a special treat for the final episode of the season, this extended installment leans fully into the friendship dynamic that has shaped the podcast from day one.

On this week's episdoe Helene is back from vacation - sun kissed and full of rest and relaxation - while Joella laments on her week while she endured Helene's absence. Remembrance Day also happened, and let’s just say trying to enforce a one-minute silence in a busy café was peak stress with a side of chaos. And good news: Hyacinth has returned, ready to supply premium content for our ongoing soap...

In this week’s episode, Joella dives into her theory about how she and Helene manage their team—drawing some hilarious (and surprisingly accurate) parallels to life as schoolteachers. They also chat about what it’s really like to serve people on their worst days, and how much emotional energy goes into showing up with kindness. Plus, they unpack the art of upselling: why it matters for the busines...

In this week's bite sized episode, Helene and Joella build their fantasy menu in a world where stomachs never get full. Helene attempts to pin down where in the world she will be when this episode drops - her sense of geography may be questionable, but the holiday certainly won't be!

On this week’s episode, Joella and Helene share stories from their week that spark the all-too-familiar servers response, “No problem” — even though it definitely is a problem. They dive into the things they wish they could say to customers, versus what actually comes out, and they daydream about the kind of restaurant/cafe they’d love to visit, complete with their ideal vibes, food, and chaos lev...

This week, Helene and Joella dive into the world of food delivery services — exploring how they shape both businesses and consumers alike. With spooky season in full swing, they also share how Halloween is celebrated in their respective countries and what they would do in some 'spooky would you rather'.

This week’s episode comes to you fresh from a whirlwind week — complete with late-night concerts, border crossings, and a mini holiday adventure for Helene and Joella. The duo swaps stories from their night out and relives the chaos of all the things that somehow ended up on the floor during Thanksgiving. Along the way, they dive into the big questions: What does Thanksgiving really mean, and wher...

Laughter kicks this week's episode off, because sometimes pushing record and seeing what comes out is the only way forward. Helene and Joella explore big cafe life vs little cafe life and how leaders of a business have a financial outlook as well as a staff and customer experience mindset. A rare Milo question comes through this week after the legend himself stopped in to say hello and offer a ran...

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella explain the difference of new staff vs old staff and how the new is always an adjustment but having old staff come back is a refreshing change of pace. Both of them dream about whether they would prefer to work in a smaller cafe or a larger one which naturally leads to a chat about sandwiches.

On this week's episode, Helene and Joella vent their frustrations with fall becoming punkin season rather than pumpkin season. Things start to go haywire with accents and pronunciations, they discuss loyalty cards and how they benefit a business and the pivotal question of 'if you had to introduce yourself as your hidden hobby what would you be called?' is asked.

On this week's episode Helene and Joella discuss the difference between service and hospitality and how that impacts the human experience of connection. Spots on spots and stripes on stripes, can this line of clothing be pulled off and is there an age cap to it? Helene's final question of the episode stumps Joella...will she forfeit an answer or manage to say which she would rather?

In this week's episode, a tale of white lies are spun within the lives of retail and hospitality. Helene and Joella discuss the small lies they tell to customers to ease their days behind a counter. They discuss the communal cafe life of some European countries and if it would be possible in Southern Ontario. As well as all of these topics, they create some rather questionable names for the charac...