About me
Hi, I'm Jon.I help independent hospitality businesses make the numbers work, and develop food people love, without losing sight of what makes them special.I'm a husband, dad, step-dad and part-time air guitarist, originally from a small village in Wales and now living in Liverpool. I've always had a passion for food, drink and hospitality, but a trip to California and Australia really set things in motion.Inspired by the independent coffee shops and juice bars I found there, I took a leap of faith and opened my own coffee shop in Leeds in 2006. I built it from the ground up, opened a second site and learnt what it really takes to make an independent business work.After 15 years in Leeds, I moved to Liverpool, sold my shares to my business partner and went on to manage and support other people's businesses: coffee shops, restaurants, bars and live music venues, including seven years running a busy bar, restaurant and venue with 35 staff and 200+ covers.Today, with almost 20 years of hands-on experience, I run Nurtured Hospitality to help people turn their ideas, passion and hard work into successful, sustainable businesses.Why I do what I doI've always been drawn to independent hospitality: places with real personality, people who care deeply about what they do, and businesses that become part of their community.I also know the less glamorous side: pricing menus, managing wages, controlling stock, paying invoices and making sure there's money left in the bank at the end of the month. I've made mistakes, learnt hard lessons and spent plenty of hours working out why the numbers weren't doing what I expected.What I've learnt is that great hospitality and commercial success should go hand in hand. You shouldn't have to compromise your vision to build a business that makes money.
How I can helpI start by listening. I want to understand you, your business and what you're trying to achieve before I suggest anything.On the food side, I develop menus and hero dishes, write recipes your team can deliver consistently, and build breakfast, brunch, bakery and grab-and-go offers that give people a reason to visit.On the numbers side, I look at recipe costs, pricing, gross profit, stock, wastage, labour and cash flow, and turn them into information you can actually use, not another spreadsheet that sits in a folder.Often the answers are in the details: an item that's priced wrongly, a portion that's a little too generous, a rota that doesn't match how busy you are. Small changes can make a big difference.Recent work92 Degrees Coffee: developed a brunch concept rolled out across multiple sites, delivered by baristas and front-of-house rather than trained chefs.Il Capitanos: reworked breakfast and lunch to suit their Italian cooking and target margins, now bringing in around £11k extra revenue a week.Press Bros Coffee: simplified a very small kitchen and cut wage costs to around 32% without losing the character of the food.Read what clients say about working with meHow I workI won't impose a formula or tell you how to run your business. Every business is different. I'll listen to your story, find what's already working, agree the priorities and work alongside you to put practical solutions in place.I've spent years on every side of hospitality: serving customers, managing teams, working with suppliers, taking deliveries and, yes, spending hours in Excel (which I secretly love). So anything I suggest has to work in the real world, during a busy service, with a team to look after.My aim is to leave you stronger, with a clearer understanding of your business and the confidence to keep improving it long after we've finished.Let's nurture your visionYou bring the passion, the ideas and the vision. I'll bring the experience, the commercial understanding and the practical support to make the most of them.Whether you're starting out, looking to grow or just want to make your business more profitable, let's grab a coffee and chat about next steps.Let's make your hospitality business work as hard for you as you work for it.