Langosteria Founder & CEO: Enrico Buonocore & Strategy Manager: Alessandra Maestroni – Intuition, Understated Excellence, & Building Italy's Most Desired Table

0:00What did you steal? Secrets.

0:04The Gstaad Guy:Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's best film in 20 years. Are they people? No. Are they human? My god. Spielberg does this better than anybody in history. I can see you. They're coming. Disclosure Day. Rated PG-13. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. In theaters Friday. Get tickets now. So I think your names are very descriptive of your characters. Alessandra Mestrone, the good teacher. I'm always learning a lot from you. Thanks. Enrico Bonacore with a big heart. A big heart indeed. So it's a perfect match as well. The two of you together, beautiful couple, sharing each other's last names.

0:50The Gstaad Guy:It makes sense. Makes sense. For sure. Thank you so much for being here today. Thank you. Thanks to you. Around the world with your host, the Stad Guy, we welcome you back to the Stad Guy podcast, sharing stories of excellence with those in the know for those who just know. I had the pleasure of meeting you both, I think, for the first time two years ago at Langosteria in St. Moritz. Yes. Right. Correct. Only two years ago. I think only two years ago. Looks much, much longer. Yeah. Young guys. He's a young guy, yes, but he did so many things. And we share so many nice memories and events together.

1:39The Gstaad Guy:Beautiful moments. Always in beautiful places and doing nice things. Usually at one of your beautiful restaurants. Thanks. Which I'm a big fan of. And with our amazing mutual friends. One of which is Damien, who I wish could be here today. Exactly. But also a big fan of what you guys have built. So, for those who don't know, Langosteria, I think, has become a global icon, but a true Italian icon of Italian food, seafood, but also what it means to be Italian. Of course. Zalrico, I know you started the business now quite a while ago. How many years has it been? We started 18 years ago. 18 years ago?

2:19Yes, 2007. Oh, my God. Without any plan. nothing nothing only to found the way for my life to mix the day job and the night job because in my family when you work in the hospitality is you don't want to do nothing in your life. This is the old idea of my papa, my mom and now after years when langosteria is starting to have success, I understand it's possible to create something very special. But in real I do every day the same job. Nothing is arrived without passion because the Italian style is important for the art, for the culture. Yes. But it's important to be very organized because now in my business, only passion, only heritage, only good recipe is not enough.

3:32No. It's important to build, to create very important people beside you behind you together to go and to create the experience you want to do for your guest Italian passion is a part very important it's an incredible effort we have because in every part of the world when you are waiters or chef Italian you are sure you receive a good welcome a good food. This is the big power of Italy. But out of Italy we have the rest of the world. This is the reason why I want to build a company to develop our brand not everywhere. In a top location with top partner because it's important to have the booth. Not only location, not only partner, it's important to create.

4:41I say many years ago, when I started talking with my team to develop the brand, hey guys, we need to find the people have the key of the town. This is very important. Because when you arrive in a new town, you don't know the rules, the real rules of the town. If you do a partnership, not with the rich people only, with the people have the key, connection very good connection knows very well the angle of the town the power of the city the the reason why the city have success in my job how many brands come to Milano have a very difficult to develop here because the Milan people have a very good relationship with the owner.

5:36If you are not here, you don't have success. For the startup, it's very important. Absolutely. If you go to New York, you need to respect the rules in New York. You need to decide the location. You need to decide the manager you want to have close to you to develop and to create. The logistic, the supply chain, there's a lot of important points to have under control. But in the end, the success is very high now. The people are very happy because one guest Sunday night said to me, I don't know, Enrico, I think when I arrive in Monte Napoli, you do a big restaurant. When I see it real, it's very cozy, very elegant, the same you do always.

6:27I'm very happy because I don't know why these guys think I go to the Montenapone I develop a big restaurant and we have the same energy because now you know we have the four floor is closed the five and six is Langostini and Ellis is the new project we started in November and the fourth floor is arriving another Italian brand the name is Pepe it's very new, it's very Italian only by the counter. Oh, nice. And we are very strong to build the same way for Langosteria. Different because I don't want to copy the two brands, but it's important to the knowledge, because I start to understand many points very important.

7:24Now with my team, we are ready to start with another big big project with the same energy but not alone when i started many years ago i don't have a team we need to do everything okay and to to build the team is one of the important secret because how many people say to me you have seven restaurants everywhere is good the food good service because I'm not alone this is the point not to follow to have people follow you you have people understand your philosophy you have people want to stay with you because understand the target mm-hmm it's not only take business okay to create something very special uh for my opinion the point important now is to continue no in this way to select very important project not a lot this is the boss of the project alessandra and before the cameras turned on we had some nice conversations

8:39The Gstaad Guy:about what's right versus what's maybe good for the business and always understanding what aligns with the DNA of Linguisteria. For me, what feels good to me, it's what is good for the business. So I think that I came to this business from the outside and I always give my perspective as a customer. I am still a customer of Langosteria. I always love to travel and during my travel to find restaurants and places where you can fill the city, where you can meet locals and feel like you are part of the city. So this for me is very important. So when I started also to work with Enrico, I always had this point of view from the outside.

9:32And for me, if you ask me what is the secret, is that Enrico does what he likes. So the restaurant is tailor-made on him. He's his first fan. And I try to have the same attitude. But for sure, I have the same point of view. So for me, what feels good in my stomach, for me, it's going to be good. So when we have to choose a project, we follow a lot our intuition. And we always think when we are going to tell to our customer the next opening is, which is going to be their reaction? Enthusiastic? So-so? Wow? Amazing? so a lot

10:29The Gstaad Guy:no a lot a lot not yet not yet I think we have how many restaurants do you have in seven in the world now yes of which four are in Milan three in Milan because of the the close to the my first restaurant now there is another new incredible project Langosteria Private for only one table I'm very happy because I have this idea in my in my heart for many years and now we have my apartments. Because this project goes in the same way of the project Langosteria Chef Casa Tua. Because now the people love to have a dinner at home. I want to prepare the dinner with my chef. It's not a catering. It's not a pushing.

11:19I want the people to invite the friends at home and I take care of everything. You take care of your guests. This is the project of Langosteria Chef of Casatua. And I say in my mind, okay, I create my apartments. You do the dinner or at home or in my home. And this new project is close to Langosteria, the main restaurant.

11:46The Gstaad Guy:It's not actually your home. Is it actually your home? No, no, no. It's not really our home. But the idea is that. But the idea, the restaurant looks like it's our home, but then for the night it's your home. So it's your home, you invite your friends. We are not making a show. So in the kitchen you have our chef, but our chefs are not going to be the divas, the protagonists. The staffs, no. You don't even know who is cooking in the kitchen. And that's the same thing that we do when we do Langosteria Casa, because we want to make you feel that you are the star. Like you host the dinner, you have your friends there.

12:26Our chef is not the star. Our chef is in the kitchen, prepares the dinner and makes you enjoy the night without the stress of, you know, taking care of the food, of the drinks, of this and this and that. So that's the same idea. This apartment, you have the living room. So your friends arrive, you have aperitivo in the living room. You have your own bar. You can choose your own music. You play your own music. You stay as long as you want on the sofa. You have your fireplace. So you can drink something in the fireplace and have a more intimate conversation with one of the guests. You can sit at the table.

13:07Maximum 16 people. And also the mise en place and the whole look of the restaurant. It's like a real house. You decide the menu. and the chefs are preparing the dinner for you. There is a matter, there is all the service, but it's really a house attitude. Okay, this is the... We do a lot of events, little big events in our restaurant in Milan and this is really dedicated to our guests. Love to have a private dinner or to stay with us because maybe there are some events we present to our guest. Maybe there is the night I want to serve some fish, some wines. We have in mind that we invite your top guest.

13:57We stay together in a very family dinner. This is an important project.

14:03The Gstaad Guy:I think with what may seem like second nature to you, because it's so true to who you are, to me it's something that is so beautiful to notice. but you have such a deep understanding of the lifestyle of the langosteria customer who is you. And I think it's a really deep understanding of this Milanese culture and northern Italian culture, because even your early restaurants in Milan and in Portofino and St. Moritz, the same person that I'm thinking of when I think of like, who is the expert in the art of living Italian in Milan? Like if I think about that, I have people in mind who I won't say on the microphone, but like spending 80 % of the year, like the Milanese expert in the art of living spends like 80 % of the year in Milan.

14:54The Gstaad Guy:Then they go summers in Portofino or around, winters in St. Moritz or around. And that's where the restaurants are location wise. But even the feeling of your restaurants, it's excellence at the highest level without the extravagance. it feels homey but at the highest level of what home can be you know it's not homey in terms of the messiness of the home it's homey in terms of the love and the warmth you know one of the I think nicest thing I heard about the new restaurant that we open in November in Monte Napoleone the second night I was there I was having myself dinner with my girlfriends and one friend was there for dinner too and came and said like, Alessandra, looks like this place, it's here since forever.

15:47And it's only day two. Because, you know, sometimes a restaurant, especially when it's new, it's just open, it looks like a bit rigid or looks like you just remove, you know, the, the, the curtain from, from the tables. But when, when customer tell you like it looks like it's here since forever because the place it's really warm so there is the energy of the people there is the energy that we put in the in the place and there is the energy

16:18The Gstaad Guy:that our people are putting there i love that and i see it i'd love for the the listeners today who may not be familiar with milan and italian culture i think people think italy they may think of one thing but really it's a hundred things and I think Languisteria is a great representation of Italian excellence but also of Milan in many ways yes can you describe what it means to be a luxury business in Italy but particularly in Milan for my opinion the the Our representation of the luxury business is very simple. Because if you welcome every day top people, the top people want the right feeling with the place and with the team.

17:27because one important numbers in our company is the repeat guests. We have a lot of repeat guests. When you are in the restaurant, 50 % of repeat guests, the tourists, the customers, when they arrive, have a feeling of the right place because you see the food arrive at the table, the people are relaxed, you have nice people because for me, our big, big asset is our customer. I think we have the best customer in the world. No problem, no way. We have family. We have people go to celebrate. We have old people, young people, very nice woman, very elegant people come with us to prepare the dinner to come with us.

18:20We are very happy because we build a good relation with the people. Every single day. Another point important for us is the turnover of our employee. We have the very low number of turnover. Our people stay with us a long time. This is for me very important. In Milan it's very important. Because in Milan the people want to arrive in the restaurant, I want the waiter knows very well the name, what you want to do, what you want to eat. It's a part of the experience. When you are in New York, it's a little bit different. It's a big city, you know. Milan, Portofino, St. Morris. I studied that because our top guests come.

19:08Milan, Portofino, St. Morris, Forte de Marne. Okay. and when you see your guest in town,

19:19very linear, elegant, and you see the same guest with the shorts on the beach, you create good relationship. That's true. You make a bond.

19:29The Gstaad Guy:That's true. And in the ski clothes on the mountain. Yes, because you see with the family in a relaxed time. Like that. This is very important because you create legacy with the people. and luxury luxury for me is now the people say langostia is luxury fine dining okay now all the people want to say definition luxury fine dining I don't know if it's luxury fine dining I think we have the top guest the reason why the top guest continue to come with us or to follow us is only one because we do every single day the same job with the same passion attention to the detail because the details cleaning, top people on the floor top food, no compromise to the quality I'm not chef my story is very funny I'm the same of you, I'm guest, I look the quality, I want only the quality in terms of people in terms of lighting, decoration, uniform, everything.

20:43Because I love the top quality. And I want to create my idea of the top quality. And our guests understand very well what Langosteria do every single day. And this is the reason why we select all the top projects. Because I don't want our guests to say, no way, why Langosteria go there or do this project. because our guests are a real fan of us, is supporter. And I say to my manager, look, guys, every single night, I have minimum 100 managers sit on the table because something happened in my restaurant. I sent a message to me. It's very important because the people take care of your brand. They want to have the langostia go in the same way.

21:36is a family you love. For me, it's very important. And now the power of Langosteria and Monte Napoleone, I say, when I think about we do or we don't do this project, I do this project for the Milan people because I want the Milan people to help me to welcome the people from each part of the world because the Langosteria represents Milan, represent Enrico, and represent all the Milan people, are very kind people. And I'm lucky because it's many years stay with me to grow the brand.

22:20The Gstaad Guy:Europe may seem like a very small continent, and it is, but there are different crowds of people that are very loyal to certain destinations, and they can kind of be grouped into these subcategories of consumer. Because I think a consumer in Paris wants their version of the best and what they think is the best of the best. And a consumer in London and Monaco and in Milan, they all want the best in their luxury bubble, but they may not think that each other's are the best. Like, for example, what you were saying about the consumer in Milan who goes to Forte de Marmi and St. Moritz and to Portofino, their version of the best is actually quite particular I think it's this sort of understated excellence where something complex is presented simply while Stade for example the Stade crowd who vacation in Stade in winter many of them do summers in Sardinia which seems quite similar but actually it's quite different to what's happening in a place like Fort de Marmi and Portofino and then the London crowd who goes to Saint-Tropez, which is entirely different.

23:35All this to say that the crowd of Milan, they use service uniquely,

23:43The Gstaad Guy:I think is actually coming to Langosteria for a taste of Milan. And I think it's the only Milan-first high-end restaurant that I can think of that's now scaled globally. And it's bringing a taste of Milan to the world. It's like from Milan to the world. So I'd like to, maybe it's difficult because it's just so you, so you basically need to pick up a mirror. But I'd like to better understand how Milan is different to the rest of Italy. And how luxury in Milan is different to luxury in Paris, for example, and different to luxury in London. And why the consumers here feel so proud of their secret gems here.

24:28The Gstaad Guy:Because if you ask any great Milanese consumer, what are your 10 favorite restaurants? They hold the list so dear to their heart. Like you can only go to these places because they do this, this and that the best way. And everything else, forget about it. And langosteria is on all their lists. So I'd love to understand what it means to be Milanese. I think that first of all, Milano, it's a secret gem or was a secret gem. Now it's a, it's discover. but 15 years ago traveling internationally and with international friends nobody when was asking where are you from Milano was saying like oh wow amazing so cool incredible I really want to go there it was more talking about Italy it was more Roma, Firenze, Venezia now everybody says incredible, wonderful, wow because it's a gem that now it's discovered we have first of all we are like in a strategic position so we are close to a very very beautiful place and Milanese people love to travel during the weekend so it's also one of the reasons why we have our restaurant in St.

25:39Moritz and in Paragi because our customers during the weekend they really love to go to their weekend houses and Milanese people love to be connoisseurs It's something that it's part of the DNA. It's something that makes you proud of being able to research for good things. So we all have a list of exactly what we like for everything, like the good coffee, the good panettone, the good risotto milanese in very, very, very, very like little details. And that's I think that make us unique. It's a piquiness that I think you can find on Limonese.

26:26The Gstaad Guy:I agree. I fully agree. And I think that feeling transcends into the restaurants and into the DNA of Langosteria. You feel that detail even when you're at the Cheval Blanc in Paris and you're having the rooftop Langosteria, which you feel it's so French because of the view, because of where you are, but really it has that Milanese energy. Look, in Paris, it's an important story because when we start, the locals say, why Langosteria is there? I see the people from Paris, they're very local. Because why is it not Ducasse, Alenot, or another big chef? because we have energy. We have our idea. And now, after four years, because now we start the four years when we start, every day we are full.

27:37But not only is important the number. We are full with the local people. Because I say every time, every time if you don't have success with the local you don't have success in the town because it's important to build a real relationship with the city okay the location is wow really wow you you see all paris everywhere from sacro coeur to notre dame it's incredible But now there is Italian community. We have 82 employees. Wow. 60 from Italy. Wow. It's a flag. All the Italian guys who want to work with us. And the language in the restaurant is Italy French, Italy English, Italy German, because we have, because Paris is an incredible town compared to Milano.

28:42It's incredible in terms of customers arrive from everywhere. When it starts in April, May, June, the two weeks in Rolangaros is crazy. I don't know. Big Americans arrive. Big Koreans, big Chinese. Every night we sell big bottle. Incredible, because you think about Paris, Italian food, big bottle it's incredible for us that we we sell every single day we have six sommelier six because we it's a big business the people want to i want sheva black and what little money continue oh my god and with our food it's a great pairing yes big big big food from fish for langosteria and big bottle. It's incredible.

29:35Yeah. And we sell a lot of red wine, because now the people want to have a funny night, a funny food. They want to stay relaxed. They want to have my bottle. This is the reason why now Langosteria in Paris is the same restaurant you have in Milano. Long story. We have only four years, but if you go there, you say, how many years in Langosteria in Paris? It's stable. very stable yeah it feels like timeless yes very stable and uh and very stable and continued relations with the local people for me this is very important part absolutely i control the crm every single day how many guests repeat we have okay okay this is very important for me i think

30:24The Gstaad Guy:running a successful restaurant business of course a big blessing but it comes a lot of challenges and I'd love to make that a bit clearer for the audience. What are the biggest challenges in running a restaurant and also even from the inception part? Like I think coming up with the identity and the dishes, I'd love to learn more about how that process came about. Now it's different because many years ago when he started with the restaurant my idea is to have a good share good team okay top people and i'm in the floor i have everything under control because enrico is there now it's different and now we need to think about to design the restaurant very well in term of operation because when you open we need to the process do very well it is a very important point and then in terms of lighting and decoration it's very important we need to build a real restaurant the investment it's very important to to go in target okay what do you have in mind your idea you need to create energy but the secret is build a consistent operation okay supply chain is important okay now we are only Europe because Milan Paris St.

32:06Moritz now Porto Cervo now London okay is not difficult for us to find the solution the point is when we want to go in other part of the world to respect your dna and you don't go only for business it's possible to open langostaria there yes or no you respect the quality you respect you have the people it's possible work with you to build the real feeling that you want in your restaurant this is a point of my discussion with alessandra to okay how many restaurants we want to open because we receive every single week every single day a lot of offer we want to open there there everywhere. But now, the formula is open the new restaurant close to our point.