AUGUST

Published 04.08.2025

The month of sun, spritzes, and—if you're in hospitality—pretending things slow down while secretly panic-planning for Q4 chaos.

Hospitality doesn’t sleep. It may nap. Lightly. With one eye open. It might even lounge around in a deckchair with a rosé, but it never slips into a full-blown coma. Between January and August, those of us in the business of feeding people and fixing their moods swap out our button-downs for t-shirts, shorts, or a well-designed kaftan with a story behind it. (No, I’m not telling you which one I wear—but it involves the Amalfi coast and a regrettable dance-off.)

This time of year feels slower. And sometimes it is. But for most of us, it’s also when we start to plot. To take stock. To squint at the calendar and realise Christmas is, in fact, not that far off. And that means planning. Staffing. Scheduling. Reforecasting. Menu-tweaking. Bracing for that magical season where everyone loses their minds and their budgets in equal measure.

So yes, I’ll be basking in the sun with my feet up…

But I’ll also be side-eyeing the team WhatsApp chat (muted, obviously—but still religiously checked), sending voice notes at odd hours, and muttering "we really need to plan that Christmas special" like some heat-stroked oracle on a lounger.

Because like it or not, come November, we all transform into slightly unhinged, festive lunatics. And if you’re not at least starting to plan for that now, you’ll blink and find yourself elbow-deep in turkey fricassée and wondering where your margins went.

So take the rest. Take the rosé. But don’t forget to take a minute and prep for the storm ahead.

Your future self (and your P&L) will thank you.