Every year, Swiss Hotel School's third-year hospitality and culinary students take on one of their biggest challenges yet: creating, managing, and operating a fully functioning restaurant from the ground up. In this episode of Hospitality Insight with the Silver Fox, Steven Hickmore sits down with third-year student Megan Develin to discuss 33 on Bond – Raising the Stakes, this year's student-run steakhouse. From developing a business plan and leading management teams to delivering unforgettable guest experiences, they reveal what it really takes to turn classroom learning into a successful hospitality business. It's a conversation about leadership, teamwork, customer service, and why genuine human connection will always be at the heart of hospitality.

There is something incredibly special about watching raw passion turn into world-class skill. If you’ve ever stepped into our training restaurant on a bustling evening, witnessed our students meticulously plating a modern South African fine dining menu, or felt the high-intensity energy of our kitchens, you know exactly what we mean.

Every now and again, something happens that restores your faith in people. Over the past 16 weeks, what began as a hospitality teacher training programme became something far more meaningful. It became a reminder that behind every successful student, every inspired young person, and every hopeful future, there is often a teacher who chose to believe in someone before anyone else did. This is a story about commitment, resilience, and the quiet heroes shaping the future of South Africa every single day.

When people think of Conrad Hilton, they think of luxury hotels, global travel, and one of the most recognised hospitality brands in the world. What most people don't know is that the Hilton story was not built during prosperity. It was built during hardship, uncertainty, and near-total financial collapse.

For restaurant operators, chefs, and service staff, it has become one of the most complex challenges of modern dining. For guests, it can be a matter of comfort, preference, or in some cases, a serious medical necessity.

Behind every successful restaurant service is a kitchen operating under pressure, discipline, urgency, and constant movement. Long hours, intense standards, sharp objects, fire, and high expectations are all part of an environment that many people romanticize—but few truly understand.

Behind every successful restaurant service is a kitchen operating under pressure, discipline, urgency, and constant movement. Long hours, intense standards, sharp objects, fire, and high expectations are all part of an environment that many people romanticize—but few truly understand.

A behind-the-scenes look at why restaurants feel more expensive today and the financial realities hospitality businesses face to survive in a changing economy.

As chefs become more successful, they often move further away from the stove. They are no longer simply cooking meals; they are managing businesses, media appearances, licensing deals, and restaurant groups. The larger the celebrity chef becomes, the more the role shifts from chef to entrepreneur. In some cases, the brand begins to outweigh the execution. Recent reports have shown that even Michelin-star celebrity chefs have quietly closed restaurants across the UK and beyond. Rising operating costs and changing diner behavior have made many of these ventures unsustainable, even for world-class operators.