00:00It is, of course, Friday, and if you are feeling thirsty, well, it seems like you could be doing a lot worse than heading to Baleone, which is an Italian-themed outlet that's just been named the world's very best.
00:11It's the first time an Asian venue has taken the crown, and this one is only about three years old.
00:17So joining us now is Baleone co-founder Lorenzo Andinori in studio with us.
00:22So we were just talking there in the ad break about the process, and you weren't sure if you would make it to number one.
00:28But just talk us through, yes, you weren't called number three.
00:31You thought you might be number three.
00:32So just finish off.
00:33You made it to number one.
00:34What happened?
00:35Well, it was an incredible emotion because we got called.
00:39We thought we were number third, and then suddenly they announced the winner, and we were on stage.
00:44Such an emotion, especially being in Hong Kong and the whole event being hosted in Hong Kong in front of our friends and our family.
00:52It just made it so special.
00:53And, yes, it will take a few days to recover from this.
00:57Recover from the party, do you mean, or recover from the award?
01:02I mean, it's been, we were just mentioning, it's only been three years, and you guys have gone out from strength to strength.
01:11How do you, like, as someone who oversees the product and your offering, how do you, like, where do you go from here?
01:17How do you improve the bar?
01:20It's a good question.
01:20You know, we never take these awards as the ultimate goal.
01:24The awards are a consequence of the work that we put on every day in the venue.
01:29For us, it's always been how do we improve what we have.
01:32And from, you know, yesterday we came back to the bar and, okay, we need to change.
01:38Some tables need to be fixed.
01:39The lighting, the music.
01:41So every day is an opportunity to improve the product and the quality, because I think this is what actually consumers are looking for these days.
01:48We'll go more into what consumers are looking for, because we talk often about how challenged the backdrop has been for F&B in Hong Kong
01:56and how much people haven't been willing to spend on pricier offerings.
02:01What does it look like for you?
02:03I think it's about really focusing on creating quality experiences.
02:07I think after COVID, consumers nowadays are picking the moment and the time to go out to spend their money.
02:16And I think those moments need to be quality moments.
02:20Also, the reason why I think Bar Leone was successful was because consumers managed to probably connect on an emotional level with the venue itself.
02:33And we are very mindful about the pricing that we offer and the quality.
02:38So I think moving forward is going to be really the balance between quality, affordability,
02:44and creating also a space that is accessible and is affordable the most.
02:48Much has been made over this trend as you go further down the demographic.
02:55The younger the crowd, the less people tend to be drinking these days.
02:58How is that affecting how you look at the business, generally speaking?
03:03And is that something you're seeing, by the way?
03:05For sure.
03:05I think the younger generation, I think they have more knowledge about what they're drinking.
03:12This is because of all the media tools that we have.
03:15I think it's important from our end as an operator to understand their needs and just create offerings that are able to fulfill their needs.
03:25So having a good quality non-alcoholic offering, having a vegan option, a vegetarian option on the menu.
03:32I think it's very important not to be stubborn.
03:34It's important to be flexible, to be dynamic, and constantly be able to change the offering and being able for changes.
03:42Can we ask you, though, what the average spend looks like?
03:46And has that changed it all over the past three years as well?
03:48Since you've been winning and winning.
03:50Bar Leone, we are an Italian cocktail bar.
03:52And I think at the heart of any Italian experiences, that's where I was born, there is always this sense of conviviality.
03:59Food and drinks come together with people and friends.
04:03So the food element for us was very important.
04:05And I'm very open.
04:07You know, 20% of our revenue is food, which is pretty high for a cocktail venue.
04:12And I think, you know, we are looking at probably just over 250 Hong Kong dollars as an average.
04:19But, of course, guests in Bar Leone come and they don't just have cocktails.
04:23They come, they sit, they have a meal.
04:26And I think that's really what makes the place special for us.
04:31Food, drinks, friends all together.
04:34And then suddenly these guests, they don't go for dinner.
04:37They just stay longer in our venue.
04:39And it's great.
04:41Well, I have to say, the number of times I've been to the bar was before you won number one in Asia and the world.
04:46And one of the first things I actually noticed was how good the food was at your place.
04:50So kudos on that.
04:51Now, you're in a good position now because you're number one in the world to, in some ways, be a satellite and a sort of representation of the F&B industry in Hong Kong.
05:02This next question is not a focus on the negatives.
05:03But what do you think the government needs to do to improve the flow of tourists into Hong Kong and to really make it an F&B center?
05:10I think already there has been some great efforts.
05:14I mean, having the opportunity to host the world's 50 best here in Hong Kong, Asia's 50 best in Macau.
05:20This is incredible.
05:21You know, all the friends, all the professionals, the industry leaders coming to Hong Kong for five days.
05:27These are the type of events that we need.
05:28And I think and I'm sure that the government will keep them coming to the city.
05:35We need them.
05:36It's a great also a moment of conviviality and community, which makes our industry so special.
05:41So you've had Bar Leone, you've branched down into Montana, but what's next?
05:46Just give us a sense of the pathway.
05:48I like that you mentioned Montana because it's our new baby and I'm very proud of it.
05:51Well, we are we are opening.
05:54We're going to open Bar Leone in Shanghai.
05:56It's going to happen in November.
05:58We are very proud because I love Shanghai.
06:00It's a city that has an amazing F&B, very thriving.
06:04And so November is the is the the month for us.
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