MEET: JASON ANG & TINA WING KEE

Shaken but Not Stirred

THERE IS A JAPANESE PROVERB, “NANA KOROBI YA OKI” THAT TRANSLATES TO “SEVEN TIMES DOWN, EIGHT TIMES UP”. IF ANYONE UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING, IT’S JASON ANG AND TINA WING KEE, PART OF THE TEAM BEHIND SYDNEY’S JAPANESE BARS AND RESTAURANTS: TOKYO BIRD, OSAKA TRADING CO. AND BANCHO. WHILE THERE WAS NEVER A GOOD TIME FOR A GLOBAL PANDEMIC TO HIT, COVID-19 ARRIVED ONLY MONTHS AFTER THEY OPENED THEIR NEW JAPANESEPERUVIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR, NIKKEI, IN SURRY HILLS. BUT UP THEY GOT, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, PROVING LITTLE COULD SHAKE THEM. AND IN THEIR DARKEST HOURS, THEY MADE THE MOST OF WHAT THEY HAD.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN TOUGH FOR THE INDUSTRY, BUT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO TAKE AWAY ANY POSITIVES AMIDST THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC?

It sure has been a tough one. At one point, we had four of our five venues closed and no idea when any would reopen. But we’ve learnt how resilient we are. We are also lucky to have a supportive team that really cares about our venues; they’ve kept us going.

The pandemic has given all of us some time to stop and smell the roses, but also to appreciate what we have. We’re extremely grateful to be able to continue what we’re doing while embracing a new way ahead.

HAVE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS CHANGED?

We’ve reduced trading days for now at our bar in Chinatown, Banchō, and at our newest venue, Nikkei Bar and Restaurant, with a view to increase our trading days later in the year. At Nikkei, we’ve moved to a set menu and dining only, which helps the kitchen to manage the inventory a lot better over a reduced trading week. We’d always taken bookings at all our venues, but the proportion of walk-ins has reduced as more people are planning and booking ahead given the limited capacity in venues currently.

We have strict sanitising and disinfecting processes in place for before, during and after service, which will be one positive legacy of COVID-19. Our menus have either moved online or can be accessed with a QR (quick response) code, which reduces printing costs and makes changing the menu easier. We have moved to single-use print menus in some venues.

HOW HAVE YOUR CUSTOMERS REACTED TO THE CHANGES?

Generally speaking, our customers have been great. At Osaka Trading Co. in Tramsheds, we moved to takeaway only for two months or so during the lockdown, so we have been open the whole time. Initially, more customers were using Uber Eats or other delivery platforms instead of coming in for takeaway, but we were just glad to be open and still cooking. We also started retailing all sorts of goods: bottles of wine and sake; Japanese ingredients such as mirin and tonkatsu sauce; Japanese ceramics; and even toilet paper at one point!

When we were able to have ten dine-in customers at a time at Osaka and Tokyo Bird in Surry Hills, our customers looked glad to be drinking out of the house. While bottleshops were going gangbusters during the pandemic and people were drinking up a storm at home, we’re glad our customers haven’t lost their enthusiasm for drinking out.

QR codes have been a bit tricky for some guests who are new to the technology and some are getting tired of the check-in process, especially if they are going to multiple venues in a night.

WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY DURING THE PANDEMIC?

It’s been so hard to watch the impact on the hospitality industry, ourselves included. There were nights at Tramsheds when we were one of only two or three venues open and trading, and there are usually ten-plus venues open. Meanwhile, we got to know our Surry Hills neighbours well, especially during the weeks when there were more hospitality operators roaming the streets than customers. Chinatown was a ghost town for many weeks, with many businesses shut up and no tourists or visitors in the streets. The industry has been shaken-up, but it’s nice to have a community around us for support or even just a drink and a laugh about how terrible the situation was. I think it will be a stronger industry when the dust settles.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HAS STOOD OUT TO YOU AS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE AT WORK OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS?

Having our business partners and teams backing us up as our world came crashing down was something we’ll be forever thankful for. To know that there are people around to support us at the worst of times is everything. We’ve also received great support from some of our suppliers across the board, so thank you!

HOW HAS YOUR TEAM RESPONDED DURING THE CHANGES?

It was hard in the weeks just before the shutdown. There were no customers around and rumours of the looming shutdown were circulating. But our staff were so resilient, supportive and understanding, even when we had to cut hours and stand down some. JobKeeper eventually helped to alleviate a lot of the pain. There have been a lot of operational changes but the teams have just taken it in their stride.

YOU OPENED YOUR NEWEST VENUE, NIKKEI, JUST BEFORE COVID-19. HOW BADLY WAS THE VENUE IMPACTED?

Unfortunately, at the time of the shutdown, Nikkei was so new it barely had a foundation to pivot off. We considered doing takeaway and delivery, but having stood down a lot of staff across the venues, we opted to consolidate our efforts into Osaka Trading Co. and ensure the bars would be ready to reopen as soon as they could. We reopened Nikkei in July with a set menu on Thursday and Saturday nights only. We hope to open on Wednesday nights and for Friday lunches soon.