#24 Built to Flex - Thomas & Tate on Culture, Tech and Doing Things Differently

About this episode

Patrick McDermott interviews Thomas Pass and Sam Tate about their innovative approach to contract catering and company culture.

Season 3, Episode 6 – Built to Flex: Thomas & Tate on Culture, Tech and Doing Things Differently This week on Food Service Matters, host Patrick McDermott is joined by Thomas Pass and Sam Tate, the dynamic duo behind Thomas & Tate — one of the UK’s most agile and values-driven contract catering businesses. Known for their distinctive strengths — Tom in sales and client growth, Sam in culinary operations — the two share how their yin-and-yang leadership model drives innovation, clarity, and culture. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore: Why they rejected off-the-shelf systems in favour of custom-built tech How real-time data drives smarter buying decisions and reduces food waste What radical candour means in practice — and why it works Why getting access to new business remains their #1 challenge And how they’ve built a Top 10 Employer by investing in people and purpose Thomas & Tate aren’t just growing a company — they’re rethinking what great food service looks like from the inside out. Tune in for an honest, energising episode full of takeaways for anyone building a modern food service brand.

People in this episode

Host: Patrick McDermott

Guests: Thomas Pass, Sam Tate

Topics covered

• contract catering
• leadership
• innovation
• food waste
• company culture
• data-driven decisions

Keywords

• food service
• contract catering
• leadership model
• custom tech
• real-time data
• food waste reduction
• employee investment
• Top 10 Employer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Thomas & Tate

Places: UK

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