About the show
Edutainment for people who run rooms
The Late Night Restaurant Podcast is Canada's number one restaurant podcast. Every week we sit down with guests from all over the world, chefs, restaurateurs, hospitality coaches, general managers, hoteliers, suppliers and brands, and ask them what they actually do to make food service better.
It is entertainment first and education underneath. No jargon panels, no sponsored fluff. Just long-form conversations about labour, margins, leadership, burnout, service standards and the wins nobody posts about.
If you cook it, serve it, sell it or run it, this show is built for your commute, your prep shift and your late drive home.
Hosted by Jay Ashton, Canada's Restaurant Guy, and Domenic Pedulla, co-founder of Next Food Expo
By the numbers
- 1,600+
- Industry leaders interviewed in six years
- 8
- Countries represented by guests
- #1 / #4
- Canada / North America restaurant podcast
- 900K+
- Foodservice decision-makers reached monthly
Named a Top 50 Hospitality Podcast by the International Hospitality Institute, Best Restaurant Podcast by Million Podcasts, and Top Canada Restaurant Podcast by FeedSpot - and noted by Toast as the number one choice for operators who want clear stories and a strong brand presence.
Part of the Ashton Media network - the podcast, the Plated and NO|BS newsletters, Masterclass Webinars, NEED Magazine (Fall 2026) and the Top 80 Under 80 Awards.
From the studio
Six years of late nights
Started in a garage with two umbrella lights. Now it’s Canada’s #1 and North America’s #4 restaurant industry show - 150+ episodes a year across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and LinkedIn.
Who we reach
Restaurant owners, chefs, executives and the brands that serve them
- 150K+
- Monthly impressions across platforms
- 12–20K
- Average views or listens per episode
- 150+
- Episodes released every year
- 80 / 20
- Canadian / U.S. audience mix
- 1.0–1.1M
- Ashton Media network reach monthly
Internal analytics, Jan–Oct 2025. Performance verified via platform analytics (Spotify, Apple, LinkedIn, YouTube). Cross-posted weekly to LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Your hosts
Jay Ashton & Domenic Pedulla
Jay Ashton
Ashton Media · Canada's Restaurant Guy
Domenic Pedulla
NEXT Food Expo · Co-founder
Jay Ashton - Canada’s Restaurant Guy, with 34+ years in foodservice helping operators strengthen brands, drive sales and build loyal guests. Founder of Ashton Media, host and producer of 1,600+ shows and interviews across eight countries, creator of the Ultimate Hospitality Business Summit and publisher of NEED Magazine (2026).
Domenic Pedulla - co-founder of NEXT Food Expo. He’s the operator’s voice in the room, pushing every guest past the press release and into what actually works on the floor, in the kitchen and on the P&L.
Shot live, unfiltered and real. The flagship show of the Ashton Media network: #1 restaurant podcast in Canada, #4 in the U.S., #32 worldwide.
Explore Ashton Media →The Late Night Restaurant team
Behind the show
The crew who books the guests, runs the room and turns every recording into the episodes, clips and assets you see. They’re also the names behind the guest intake form - the pre-work, headshot and release you fill out before we record.
Salvador “Sal” Pedulla
Producer
Sal produces the show end to end - guest outreach, booking, run-of-show and studio logistics. He’s the one making sure your recording date, pre-work and release form are locked in before you go live with us.
Maya Ashton
Editor & Programming
Maya cuts every episode and the three clips that come with it, and she owns the release calendar. Your headshot, bio and company details from the intake form go straight into her edit and the assets we send back to you.
Partner with us
Put your brand in the room
Every placement includes performance tracking, monthly reporting and verified audience analytics across the Ashton Media network.
Title sponsor
Contact Sal for pricing
- Exclusive naming rights - “presented by your brand”
- Logo and link on every graphic, thumbnail and episode description
- Mention in intros and outros, plus a 30-second host-read mid-roll in every episode
- Integrated promotion across social and newsletter
Ad spots
Contact Sal for pricing
- One 30-second host-read mid-roll ad
- Shared on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music
- Mentioned in episode post captions
- Bundle 10 spots for extended exposure
Sponsorships handled by Sal Pedulla, Director of Client Services, Ashton Media - salvatore@cfsmc.com
Our presenting sponsor
Proudly sponsored by Square
Square is the presenting sponsor of the Late Night Restaurant Podcast - point of sale, payments and back-of-house tools built for restaurants, cafés, bars and multi-unit operators.
Take orders, run staff, track inventory and understand your numbers on one system that scales from a single counter to a full group. We're glad to have them behind the show and the operators it's made for.