Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand June / July 2017: The Business Issue | Page 59

Great service and
well-balanced drinks
are the foundation of a
successful nightspot, but
there has to be more.
Ce La Vie in Bangkok
business portfolio includes teaching
about spirits and bar tools. Among his
favorite subjects: “Where does alco-
hol come from? Vodka can come from
anything. It’s a technique, not a thing.”
Neung also advises constant-
ly learning new techniques. During
the years that he hosted the Diageo
World Class events, he asked to join
the workshops that were intended
only for working bartenders, picking
up new skills along the way. “There will be performance expec-
tations in most food and beverage
jobs, so be prepared to have your per-
formance often tied to financial num-
bers,” he says. “If you’re a nightclub
manager and the venue is not very
busy, it’s likely you may hold the re-
sponsibility of getting more people in
the doors.”
And if you don’t? Unfortunately,
you may just be out of a job.
And finally, perhaps the most im-
portant advice of all …
DO REMEMBER IT’S
ABOUT NUMBERS DON’T GET LOST
IN THE PARTY
There’s an art to creating and man-
aging places that are sexy and stylish
enough to draw crowds. But success-
ful people in this business “understand
and have a keen sense of the numbers
behind the business,” Dunne says.
It’s unique to work in a place where
there’s always a party going on. It’s
also a bit dangerous.
Archilla points out that to
succeed and build a stable ca-
reer in this business, you need to
remember that you’re not there to
party. It’s not uncommon, he says,
to see colleagues get a bit lost in
the revelry.
Dunne agrees. Especially in the
nightclub industry, he says, many
people “struggle with the challenges
and can’t keep it together.”
He tells me: “I’ve seen numer-
ous good talents get eaten alive by
the long hours, heavy responsibili-
ties, stress, alcohol, drugs, and more.
Keeping a straight line when so many
people around you are partying and
drinking is tough for a lot of people.
Most people, in fact.”
Melissa Rayworth, a Bangkok-
based American journalist, writes
regularly for Wanderlust and other
publications around the world.
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