💡 Connectivity in hospitality is no longer optional — it’s as important as gas, water and electricity.

Host Chris Fletcher chats with Andy Maynard (IT Director, Caffè Nero) and Joe Strudwick (Head of National Accounts, Sky Business) about why reliable networks now power everything from card payments to coffee machines — and how smart operators are treating connectivity like a true utility, not an afterthought.

☕ How do you keep 600+ stores online?
💸 What’s the hidden cost of downtime?
🔐 And how do you build resilience that protects your brand, your teams and your guests?

Powered by: Sky Business

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Why connectivity is as vital as gas, water & electricity ⚡
01:24 – Meet Andy & Joe
02:09 – Inside Caffè Nero’s global network
05:08 – Every SaaS tool depends on uptime
08:01 – When Wi-Fi drops, operations stop
10:02 – Fibre, EPOS, IoT & SD-WAN explained
12:58 – Creating one “gold-standard” store setup
16:59 – Downtime = money on the floor 💷
17:42 – Staff experience and tech frustration
24:03 – Treating connectivity like a utility
30:04 – 4G failover & real-time monitoring
35:03 – The future: security, resilience & smarter sites
43:56 – Wrap-up & next steps

✨ Key Takeaways

• ⚙️ Connectivity is as essential as your utilities

• 🚀 Uptime = revenue, morale & guest loyalty

• 📶 Standardise, monitor & build in resilience

• 🕓 Match support to trading hours — not office hours

• 🔐 Cyber security is now a board-level topic

🎙️ Guests

• Andy Maynard – IT Director, Caffè Nero

• Joe Strudwick – Head of National Accounts, Sky Business

👋 Host: Chris Fletcher
🎛️ Production: Tech on Toast
🤝 Series Partner: Sky Business