Scaling Smart: Change Management Lessons from Bill’s MD - Tom James
Tom James, Managing Director at Bill’s Restaurants, joins Conor Sheridan, CEO and founder of Nory, to share how he led the brand through record-breaking growth over the past 4 years by doubling down on guest experience, change management, and technology.
With decades of experience and a deep operational background, Tom shares how he’s led Bill’s Restaurants through significant transformation, balancing heritage and innovation while maintaining a relentless focus on the guest experience.
Listeners will gain insights into how Tom approaches change management, builds alignment across teams, and integrates new technologies without losing sight of what makes a hospitality brand thrive. From piloting initiatives at select sites to rethinking training and communication across 47 locations, this episode is a masterclass in the leadership strategies and operational tactics that helped a legacy brand adapt and thrive in a dynamic hospitality landscape.
What You'll Learn in This Episode
>> How to lead a successful change management programme in hospitality
>> Why guest experience is the single most important operational metric
>> The value of frontline team empowerment through tech and training
>> What it takes to trial and scale innovation across multiple sites
>> How data-driven decisions improve team engagement and profitability
Meet Our Guest
Tom James is Managing Director at Bill’s Restaurants, where he has led the brand to record sales and a 100% increase in EBITDA. With over 30 years in hospitality, Tom has held leadership roles at Jamie’s Italian, Coppa Club, and Harbour Hotels, known for his operational excellence and people-first approach.
About the Host
Conor Sheridan is the founder and CEO of Nory, an AI-powered restaurant management system alongside being the co-founder of Mad Egg. Conor blends hands-on restaurant experience with a passion for tech-driven efficiency and profitability in hospitality.
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Trailer
What's Cooking? is the podcast for hospitality operators scaling smart. Hosted by Conor Sheridan – CEO and co-founder of Nory, and a former operator who built and ran multi-site restaurant brands himself – each episode goes behind the scenes of fast-growing restaurant groups to explore the operational challenges that actually matter - like disconnected systems, staffing chaos, and margin pressure.
Through honest conversations with industry leaders you’ll get practical insight into what’s working on the ground right now - from automation and AI to culture, data, and waste reduction. No fluff. No forecasts. Just the blueprint for better hospitality operations at scale.
New episodes every two weeks.
What's Cooking? is the podcast for hospitality operators scaling smart. Hosted by Conor Sheridan – CEO and co-founder of Nory, and a former operator who built and ran multi-site restaurant brands himself – each episode goes behind the scenes of fast-growing restaurant groups to explore the operational challenges that actually matter - like disconnected systems, staffing chaos, and margin pressure.
Through honest conversations with industry leaders you’ll get practical insight into what’s working on the ground right now - from automation and AI to culture, data, and waste reduction. No fluff. No forecasts. Just the blueprint for better hospitality operations at scale.
New episodes every two weeks.
Listen to What's Cooking? | A Podcast from Nory, The Studio Sessions of O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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