We recently re-launched one of our signature restaurants, Breeze at The Dome, lebua. During the glittering champagne cocktail and dinner that we organized, a number of people asked me where I came up with the new restaurant concept. It’s not an answer I am able to give in a single sentence, but having now eaten at 1,600 of the top restaurants around the world, I can say the ideas we apply at all our famous dining outlets: Breeze, Mezzaluna and Sirocco are based on creating an unmatched experience.
In any city in the world, you can walk out of your house and find a restaurant with good food, a restaurant with great drinks or a restaurant with fine ambience, but in my opinion, any one of these elements is not what makes a great restaurant. Neither is price the main issue, luxury is not about expense, but experience, and this means matching and exceeding customers’ expectations at every stage.
Of course, exceptional food is essential and the menu at Breeze came about when I tasted Chef Sam Leong’s culinary delights on a flight with Singapore Airlines. Even eating on the plane was an immensely enjoyable experience, which is why he is now our exclusive culinary consultant. But the cuisine at Breeze is only part of what I see as a more geometrical shape, a three dimensional approach that brings in taste, service and atmosphere to satisfy our customers emotional needs.
Of course, having a great chef and a stunning venue to display his talents is important, but it is not only the big things that matter. There’s a famous phrase that begins with the question: “How do you gauge a person’s maturity?” and the answer is not by how good he is at the big things, but how sensitive he is to the small details. I am a firm believer in paying attention to every detail and through this, anticipating and satisfying our customers’ personal desires.
Some qualitative research study I conducted during my business education (for which I won an award), included a survey of 10,000 people in 4 continents that was designed to gain an understanding of what people look for in a fine restaurant. I was repeatedly told that different countries have different needs: “In India, we do it like this”, they said. “In Singapore, we do it like that”. But what actually came out of the survey was the fact that no matter where they are, diners essentially look for the same thing. This means in order to cater to a global clientele, you do not have to focus on specific nationalities or cultural tastes, but rather identify your clients emotional needs to guarantee total satisfaction.
Another misconception is that a restaurant or hotel should offer a ‘home away from home’ type of experience. This is not the case. At lebua we aim to offer an alternative that cannot be replicated, either at home or in any other hotel. When a client reflects on the lebua experience, although it may seem simple, he soon realizes it is unique and that is what brings him back over and over again. All our restaurants offer something special and memorable that is impossible for others to achieve on their own. Our job is to create something better than guests could hope for at home, an exceptional moment that inspires them to make it a regular indulgence, and one they would recommend without hesitation.
As well as dining in the world’s best restaurants I have been fortunate enough to be invited into some of the world’s finest homes. In many cases, it is clear that the concept and inspiration behind these residences comes from the owner’s experience when staying at top hotels. By continually innovating and re-defining the lebua brand, introducing fresh ideas and anticipating our guests’ needs and desires, we aim set an example that not only drives our success but also keeps our restaurants and hotels firmly at the leading edge of the hospitality world.
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