Steve Schneider

Steve Schneider, bar manager of Employees Only Singapore was recently in Australia and caught up with Drinks World’s Lukas Raschilla to talk New York, Singapore, living life out of a suitcase and new ventures in Panama.

LUKAS RASCHILLA: What are the main differences between the New York and Singapore bar scenes?

STEVE SCHNEIDER: As far as the menu goes, I’ve changed it more times in the first seven months of being open than I did in years of being bar manager in New York. In New York, you’re constantly getting new customers, here you have to keep switching things up because it’s a small market and when people come back they always want something new. Plus, I have a list of a lot of cocktails that I want to teach the apprentices before I move on, so if I constantly change the menu they have no choice but to keep learning the menu. People in New York, they grasp the concept and what we’re doing a little easier, whereas in Singapore we’re new in terms of our style of service, being able to interact with strangers and being jam packed in a bar - not a nightclub - is unknown in a bar in Singapore.

LR: What types of drinks and cocktails are you currently seeing a high demand for at Employees Only Singapore?

SS: Well, because it’s such a young drinking culture, they’ve been accustomed to cocktail bars being a certain way. As for trends, local and regional native ingredients are things that have always happened, but people are getting into it more; people like to be sustainable and support their local producers. My drinks are tried and tested recipes, either mine or from some of the guys back at EO in New York. People ask me all the time, “What’s your best drink man?” and I hate it, so I’m like “What are you talking about? There’s no such thing.” It’s so subjective, so I have a number of options. I’ll ask guests the usual - what do they like and what kind of flavours etc.

Humour is another difference. We’re the craziest bar in town. We’re like that in New York, that kind of edgy sarcasm where sometimes we push the boundaries a little too far. And it can get lost in translation. The job is the same, but the crowd is different.

LR: I’ve been reading about The Strangers

Club in Panama City. Can you tell me about the space?

SS: It’s a two-storey space; downstairs is going to be what you would expect from a neighbourhood restaurant in Latin America - natural lighting, light colours and pastels. Upstairs is going to be a bit darker, sexier with a lounge feel to it with couches and tables. Actually, it will be a little similar to the room with lounges at Lobo Plantation in Sydney. As for the timeline, we’re aiming for April if all things work out and all the paperwork is in place. We’re all going to be there for the opening; I’ll be there for around 10 days when we open and then I will work there in June and July. And if it’s not open by then, I’m still going to go down there!

We’ve actually all chipped in to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Panama City right near the bar. Even when it’s not my shift I’ll head down there now and then. I want to see how we go with Strangers Club, obviously we want to expand, maybe buy a little boutique hotel in Panama. I don’t know sh*t about hotels, but I think it’d be fun. And, hey if it all fails, it’s like I bought a Honda Civic and drove it through a flood; it’s a bummer but a relatively low investment, lets move on.

But I’m super confident in my partners. We’ve all travelled quite a lot so we’re going to take a bit of inspiration from all over. Strangers Club is going to embody what we are - travellers, and hopefully provide young Panamanian bartenders with an opportunity.

LR: At Employees Only you hire your staff based on attitude and heart rather than experience. Any standout rookies we should keep an eye out for?

SS: I do actually. My top guy, his name is JiaWei. He was my last hire. He’s really soft spoken and at the time, had just left the army; I think he got out of the army on a Monday and signed up with me on a Wednesday.

Early on, I took the apprentices to my house to show them some free pouring drills. JiaWei was there and after he emailed me a ton of questions. He actually carries coloured pens and a label maker everywhere he goes, and is always taking notes; I told him, if we were the Ninja Turtles, he’d be Donatello – the smart one.