A turning level in Andrew Li’s profession was, as one may count on, on the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the primary to shutter with the least subsidies granted, the leisure/nightlife sector appeared just like the youngster no person wished. But, the revelation of how nowhere else on this planet would the federal government even support a nightclub evoked a brand new sense of possession and dedication.
This 12 months, the homegrown powerhouse is getting ready to its most bold transformation thus far — simply forward of its thirty fifth anniversary. The group’s CEO advocates a powerful group that’s passionate concerning the imaginative and prescient and adept at executing its methods. Having himself labored his manner up from the entrance desk, Li now prioritises guaranteeing an optimum state outdoors workplace hours to cope with the crucial enterprise choices once they matter most.
Every day morning meditations, additionally a by-product of the pandemic, are key to larger psychological readability to greatest sort out the workload. The 43-year-old is obvious on demarcating his private {and professional} functions; a disassociation not essentially practised within the early years. At present, beginning a household and maybe chasing that Michelin nod are the respective targets. Tenderly tethered to a high-profile fiancée (whom he allegedly attracted along with his Dutch courage-induced dance abilities) and two cute canines, Li solutions our greatest Zouk questions brazenly.
We solely keep lengthy in a vocation we’re obsessed with; what’s it about nightlife that resonates with you?
ANDREW LI: I believe life is made from reminiscences. Whenever you look again, it’s actually these core reminiscences that make you who you might be. Leisure performs a big position in constructing that. Whenever you go for an evening out, you’ll often be round individuals that you just wish to be with. With or with out alcohol, you’re more than likely having a good time with the music and the ambiance. Zouk is only a platform the place you carry these individuals collectively, making a neighborhood that performs a component in forming core reminiscences and experiences that you just’ll bear in mind for a really, very very long time. Even for myself, I’ve core reminiscences of Zouk once I first joined. At ZoukOut, I bear in mind seeing 20,000 individuals on the seaside dancing to 1 DJ. Then we see dawn developing, and it’s similar to, wow, it is a snapshot of a second in time. The vitality of everybody form of flows by way of you as properly.
In your time right here, when was the second you felt like what you had been doing was actually gaining traction?
AL: Whilst I got here right here, Zouk was an especially robust model. To reverse that query, once I heard about how a lot individuals talked about Zouk and the way necessary it was to the tradition. I might take the taxi to work [years ago], and the uncle would all the time discuss Zouk and all of the humorous tales he had from there. All walks of life have skilled it. It made me really feel galvanised to verify I put a lot effort into this model as a result of I actually wish to proceed this and make it even greater. I felt like there have been numerous expectations on the position that I used to be getting into as a result of it was so sentimental to individuals. So I hope I’ve executed respectable job within the final 10 years. Zouk is far greater than one particular person, and so long as individuals are proud about what we’ve executed with the model, I believe I’ll be pleased with that.
What’s a definite reminiscence of clubbing that isn’t in Zouk?
AL: The primary membership I went to in Las Vegas blew me away. The entire metropolis itself is about extra, proper? They had been actually good at treating you want a king there. Making you are feeling like you possibly can do nearly something when you had the cash to pay for it. After all, that’s not the kind of enterprise mentality I would like for our group, however I do really feel that as a result of the competitors there may be so fierce, they needed to have that kind of service to outlive in fairly a cutthroat market. If you happen to guide a desk, you’ve got this large bouncer there for you. If you happen to go to the bathroom, he’ll be pushing individuals out to clear the best way for you. It was fairly harsh, however you are feeling very particular. They took it to the acute, and that was one thing I had by no means skilled earlier than. So once we opened in Las Vegas, we wished to take the great half, which was the nice service and hospitality, however possibly not a lot the I’m-trying-to-squeeze-every-dollar-out-of-you-till-you-have-no-money-left.
What was your most expensive mistake… or greatest enterprise lesson, to border it optimistically?
AL: The omakase restaurant. Throughout COVID, I bear in mind eager to eat omakase, however we couldn’t fly out or get a reservation for six months as a result of everybody couldn’t journey both. So I am going, properly, let’s open one up. Clearly, 100 individuals and I had been considering the identical factor as a result of a number of omakases opened in the identical interval. By the point I satisfied the proprietor to do the enterprise, it was already on the tail finish of COVID. You couldn’t do a correct opening when you possibly can solely have two pax seated subsequent to one another. And once we may absolutely open to the general public, you possibly can additionally fly in a foreign country. Everybody was like, “May as properly go to Japan”, so all of the omakase eating places closed down, and we had been one in all them. We needed to be taught that even when it felt like the proper time then, it doesn’t imply it’s the proper time for the following few years. That was a studying expertise, a painful one at that.
Hindsight is 20/20. Timing shouldn’t be one thing you possibly can have recognized.
AL: I may have waited it out. However yeah, I didn’t know the way lengthy the lockdowns had been going to final. Timing and a little bit of luck are wanted to know when to enter a market. Rolling with the punches is necessary for staying in it. I all the time inform the group, “I don’t thoughts attempting 50 concepts, simply don’t are available in right here and provides me excuses about why one thing doesn’t work. As a result of which means we’re not doing something.” We had so many concepts on the desk throughout COVID to the purpose the place numerous them don’t make sense. However, a minimum of, the group was considering, then two or three of the 100 concepts truly ended up working, and helped save many employees jobs as properly.
What’s one loopy concept that didn’t occur?
AL: Oh, the grocery store thought. My thought was to show Zouk right into a grocery store as a result of that was the one place you possibly can go to [during the pandemic], they usually had been all the time packed. However the price of constructing the refrigeration house was actually costly. So we ended up being a spinning studio as an alternative as a result of everybody was spinning like loopy at the moment anyway. It was when, just like the omakase eating places, there was a brand new spinning studio each week. Fortunately for us, they only needed to put the bikes in.
A grocery store would have been cool. You are available in, and it’s simply partitions of bathroom paper.
AL: Yeah, I don’t know why that was what everybody was hoarding. However I bear in mind difficult the group to not consider Zouk as a membership. Consider it as an enormous black field. What can we do about it proper now that’s going to make sense for the enterprise? A resort can be one thing I’d like to embark on whereas I’m nonetheless right here. It’s an ecosystem, getting all these ideas that synergise with each other, and the final stage the place they fall asleep. It captures the particular person’s whole day.
It wouldn’t be very value it for the buyer as a result of they solely get one hour of sleep in spite of everything that clubbing.
AL: We would present late checkout to allow them to seize a chunk at one in all our eating places after (laughs)
Your ideas on the Gen Z development in direction of low-ABV/sober clubbing?
AL: Curiously sufficient, I did communicate to a number of the alcohol suppliers, they usually had been telling me that consuming hasn’t actually decreased. What’s occurring is that individuals are buying and selling down by way of what they’re consuming. Don’t get me unsuitable, there’s undoubtedly a health-conscious wave happening, however it’s additionally as a result of the price of going out and consuming is simply too excessive for them. One factor we did that was well-liked was providing low cost free-flow at our bar, RedTail. Quickly, the scholars discovered, and it received utterly packed.
How do you see the way forward for nightlife in Singapore?
AL: I personally really feel very bullish about it since we’re investing in a multi-million greenback renovation. Our final 12 months in 2025 was simply pretty much as good as 2024. I didn’t see a decline. If something, I really feel there’s going to be an incline simply because, hopefully, with a number of the macroeconomic components like decrease mortgage and rates of interest, individuals can have a bit extra spending energy, they usually’ll have the ability to exit. Proper now, you’re both an enormous membership or a small, intimate lounge; those within the center may discover it a bit more difficult. However the way forward for nightlife in Singapore, I personally assume, goes to be fairly vivid.
This interview was edited for size and readability.
This text was written by Pleasure Ling and was first seen on Esquire Singapore.
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