221: Unsubtle Resignation
Brady Lowe is a connector, educator, and experience-maker who founded Taste Network and the nonprofit Piggy Bank, spending more than two decades building unforgettable collaborations between chefs, farmers, hotels, and brands. Through his Next 10 coaching and accelerator hub, Brady helps hospitality founders design smarter events, deeper guest relationships, and sustainable revenue with a focus on pairings, playbooks, and pre-visit engagement. Susan and Brady chat during this special in-person episode, recorded at The Pub at EAV.
• How to use Facebook groups, comments, and DMs to attract sports fans and turn them into faithful regulars
• Why “11 to 35 micro-interactions” often have to happen before a guest spends a dollar with you
• Ways to make your social media as personal and welcoming as your host stand or bar top
• The origin story of Taste Network and how a single wine-and-cheese pairing can shape an entire career
• How to think about guest engagement as “relationship currency” that carries your brand through tough times
• What a strong pre-visit engagement sequence looks like for restaurants, hotels, and bars
• Practical examples of surprise-and-delight moments that guests can replicate at home and rave about for months
• How to turn recipes, rituals, and house favorites into high-value digital giveaways that build your email list
• Why most hospitality social media fails (and what to ask your social media person about actual revenue)
• How to download your Instagram data and use AI to audit what’s working and who your real audience is
• What to expect from the 2026 World Cup in terms of premium experiences, demand, and guest expectations
• The key non-negotiables Brady uses to design memorable F&B experiences: surprise, emotional sequencing, and human connection
Our Top Three Takeaways
1. Engagement before the visit is the new battleground for hospitality success.
Brady argues that guest engagement must begin long before someone walks through the door. Restaurants and hotels should treat Instagram and their websites as extensions of the front door—places where you start building relationship equity. A simple “hello,” a thoughtful comment, or an acknowledgment of someone’s interaction can fundamentally shift how guests perceive your brand once they arrive. Most brands post but don’t connect, and that is the biggest miss today.
2. Hospitality operators need training, tools, and intentionality around social media—and most don’t have it.
He’s adamant that restaurants and hotels rarely train their teams to engage digitally. Social media isn't just a marketing channel; it’s a hospitality channel. He encourages leaders to audit their digital presence, use tools like ChatGPT to evaluate Instagram data, create value-focused lead magnets (recipes, techniques, guides), and measure whether social efforts actually drive revenue. Without this skill set, the business model is incomplete.
3. First-time “transformational moments” are at the heart of memorable hospitality.
From his earliest career epiphany—watching a guest have a life-changing food experience—to building Taste Network and Next 10, Brady centers everything around delivering unforgettable moments. His non-negotiables: surprise, carefully sequenced emotional storytelling, and genuine human connection. These principles apply whether you're designing an event, launching a restaurant, or building community—and they’re key to earning loyalty and sustaining brands through peaks and valleys.
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