gastromotivator.

Hospitality Consulting · Opening · Kitchen · AI as a Tool · DACH & Benelux

Hospitality.
Straight
Talk.

When your opening, kitchen, numbers, team or sales aren't holding — it's rarely just one thing on the table. I sort operations, concept, kitchen management, sales and AI so the next step becomes clear — for the business and for you. Not prettier. Clearer.

Where do you stand? 30 min straight talk
Consulting Keynote Book

Quick start

Ask GastroMotivator.

Type what's making your operation difficult right now. Or tap what fits. The guide won't send you to the next tool — it'll point you to the right problem.

First honest step

23 questions. No sugarcoating.

Not sure where the real problem sits? Do the self-assessment. Clearer picture in about ten minutes.

Start self-assessment →
Roelof Hulshof, hospitality consultant and keynote speaker with 30 years in kitchen, hotel F&B and sales

Who

Roelof Hulshof.

Thirty years. Kitchen, pass, hotel F&B, sales, project builds, supplier side. Restaurants opened, shifts rescued, teams led, numbers read that looked harmless at first and then hurt. All done myself. Not from a textbook.

Which is why consulting here doesn't start with a model. It starts with your actual operation: what's working? What's stuck? What's eating time? What's costing margin? What's only holding together because you're forcing it to every single day?

What drives me: the person behind the operation. The chef, the operator, the founder who's standing there not knowing which way to go — or who's known for a long time what needs to change but doesn't know where to start. I'm not a consultant who hands you a plan. I work alongside you until something actually changes.

How

Business first. Then the plan.

Koch. Denk. Neu. isn't a poster slogan. It's how the work goes: first see what's really happening. Then sort. Then build. A plan only works if it holds up on a Tuesday evening in the kitchen — not just in the workshop.

01 — Listen

Everything on the table.

Not the polished version. The real one. Rota, kitchen, menu, purchasing, complaints, team, lease, unpaid bills, gut feeling. Only once that's visible does the next step make sense.

02 — Understand

Symptom or cause?

Not every staffing problem is a staff shortage. Not every revenue dip is a marketing problem. Not every AI wish needs software. Sometimes it's the business. Sometimes it's the way you see it. Work on the symptom and you just stay busy.

03 — Build

The right thing first.

Then something concrete takes shape: a process, a decision, a standard, training, an AI tool, an opening plan, a sales process. Not everything at once. What needs to hold next.

Koch. Denk. Neu. method

Who's this for

You're in the right place if —

A — Operation runs, you don't When everything sticks to you. Staff, purchasing, rota, complaints, paperwork. The business is turning over but you're paying with sleep, mood and focus. See consulting → B — Planning & Opening Before the paint costs more than the plan. Concept, lease, kitchen, flow, staff, money. Not as a rendering. As a business that has to actually open and last. Check your opening → C — AI & Automation No magic. Just less work. Reviews, rotas, allergens, onboarding, texts. Pain point first. Tool second. Not the other way round. Use AI sensibly →

What

Four areas. One decision.

Hospitality consulting goes weak when everything sounds equally urgent. Not here. First we sort: opening, planning, operations, AI or sales. Then comes the next sensible step. Not ten projects at once.

A — Planning & Opening

Before the business eats itself.

Concept, location, lease, kitchen, flow, team, suppliers, opening day. For restaurants, hotels, catering and hospitality projects that need to work in practice — not just on paper. Check your opening →

B — Operations & Kitchen

When the pressure keeps coming back.

Stations, mise en place, standards, onboarding, menu, purchasing, food cost. When you're short-staffed and need cover, a hired chef can help. When the same gap keeps appearing, the kitchen needs structure. Sort the kitchen →

C — AI & Automation

Tools, not miracles.

Reviews, rotas, food cost, allergens, onboarding, texts, team knowledge bases. First we look at what's costing you time. Then we decide whether AI actually helps. Use AI sensibly →

D — Hospitality B2B Sales

Selling without the hard sell.

For suppliers, brands and companies trying to reach restaurants and hotels. Target customers, approach, CRM, follow-up and conversations that don't smell like a trade fair. See sales consulting →

Consulting as a starting point

If you want to get your bearings first

Three ways in, no pressure.

23 questions

Self-Assessment

23 questions on staff, processes, food cost, kitchen and AI. Answer honestly — including the uncomfortable ones. You get a score and a clear observation at the end. Free.

Rather read

Koch. Denk. Neu.

Straight talk on operations, craft, attitude and AI. Not a sales pitch. Food for thought for people who don't want to just survive in hospitality.

For your team

Keynote

For teams, associations, hotels, suppliers and industry events. No trend talk. Straight talk about what hospitality needs now — and what it can leave behind.