Interview by Elijah Attard. Chef and host of the Roots Hospitality podcast. @roots_hospitality
Photography by Lateef Okunnu & Millie Tang
For those of you who don’t know Millie Tang, you clearly don’t have Instagram. Self-described as a multi-hyphenate, she has more than 30,000 followers and can wield a camera as well as she can wield a bar tin.
I caught up with Millie to chat about the hidden bonus of doing guest shifts, the bar that thinks about their extra hand while pouring cocktails and how an event at a deserted train station humbled her.
I’d love to start by talking about those early days of doing guest shifts back when you were first putting your name out there. As someone who is in the midst of traveling and doing food pop-ups myself, I’d love to hear your experience enduring the grind.
You get the juice from the squeeze right? From doing what you love in those early days and seeing a few people come out to support you. It means a lot. The first “pop-up” I was involved in was for a bar I managed called Deathproof. We got to takeover a space in Finland with Sailor Jerry which was an incredible experience.
The next time I was fortunate enough to experience industry-related travel was for BCB with some amazing Sydney folks including Chau Tran and Maison Ferrand the next year.
As we walked into the site, which was in a huge abandoned train station, there was this massive billboard filled with hundreds and hundreds of brand names activating that year. You could tell crazy amounts of money had been poured into this event, which is just three days! I remember turning and saying to Chau… “We are nobodies here.”
It was super inspiring, seeing not just the sheer scale of the event and level of brand investment, but the community turn out as well. It made me rethink just what kind of future I could have in this industry and activating overseas could be part of it.
“There are viable careers in hospitality here, in abundance. Solid money and good work-life balance. That’s not necessarily so for others working in hospitality in other countries.”
Which is amazing to see that since then, you’ve been busy traveling the world for your pop-ups having recently come back from South East Asia. But I’m curious, what’s one thing you’ve learnt from overseas that you can bring back to Australia to improve the dining or bar scene?
It’s amazing to be able to experience this industry in all its many manifestations around the world. From the established and high-concept venues in London to the young population in Vietnam, everyone is shaping their own style of bars and offerings.
Something that resonated with me in particular during the trip to Vietnam the realisation of how fortunate we are to live and work in Australia.
There are viable careers in hospitality here, in abundance. Solid money and good work-life balance. That’s not necessarily so for others working in hospitality in other countries.
The fun vibe is important too, right? Especially if that positive energy is part of your service and you want to travel with that to share it with others. Maybe Sammy would be a great example. Taking their bubble guns and that classic tequila song.
Exactly right. Maybe Sammy does it exceptionally. From the uniform to their service and their drinks. It’s engaging, entertaining and makes people want to show up!
But remember to focus on what makes you unique and showcase that. If a guest can get the cocktail or service you’re providing during your guest shift next door or at their local, what’s their motivation to attend? Whether it’s through you, your service, your drinks or the theme of your bar. It should be special and above all, genuine.
What are you finding are some of the hidden perks of pop-ups that the guest may not realise?
l tend to find that guest shifts are more by the industry for the industry. The regular bar-goer isn’t keeping tabs on bars around the world and who works in them. I find a huge amount of value in bars and bartenders working together and networking cross-country. The guests get to enjoy the perks of a win-win collaboration. Particularly if that collaboration is with far-?ung friends!
“I find a huge amount of value in bars and bartenders working together and networking cross-country. The guests get to enjoy the perks of a win-win collaboration. Particularly if that collaboration is with far-flung friends!”
I couldn’t agree more. These events are eye-opening to people who have never done them before like us. They can expose you to plenty of cool ideas and perspectives on a craft you’ve been trying to perfect for so long.
Agree 1000. I feel incredibly lucky to be experiencing regular opportunities to travel and work overseas and I hope to start sharing these opportunities with up-and-coming bartenders in the future. With so many global events that happen throughout the year, I’d really advocate for more ways to get young bartenders and hospos from outside of priority cities involved and attending.
Any international bars that stood out to you who you think are paving the way?
The Connaught. This was the best bar experience I’ve had to date. The best service, the best martini, incredible food, amazing atmosphere. Ago, Giorgio and the team are doing incredible things there. I left a better bartender for the experience and it was mostly thanks to Ago Perrone’s left hand.
As someone who has always been conscious of what unused hands are doing whilst making drinks, particularly as an industry photographer directing other bartenders while making them, it might sound weird but it struck me and has been on my mind ever since.
And to completely flip the coin, another bar was Nê in Vietnam. A Tiny pseudo-dive bar in Hanoi with goldfish on the bar top, indoor smoking and some of the most delicious drinks and coolest techniques I’ve tasted and seen. They have a pho cocktail that sees the spirits blazed and poured down an iron stand of ingredients whilst alight. They then shake the cocktail with the rest of the ingredients and serve it with chilli, lime and coriander on the side to add as you please. It was phenomenal.
Any tips for people considering doing bar pop-ups themselves?
I think that the guest shift space is starting to become oversaturated. So concentrating on identifying what is unique about you, would be an extremely valuable move. Networking and being actively involved in the industry is important, whether that’s by attending events, entering cocktail comps or working with brands.
Social media is a global platform and is an excellent networking tool if used intelligently. Lastly, if there is anything we can learn from the amazing crew at Maybe Sammy, entertainment is king – provided it’s the right ?t for your service and experience.
It’s beneficial all around when your guests are enjoying themselves.
You’d be a hard motherfucker to not crack a smile when they pull out their bubble guns and umbrellas for their dance to “Umbrella”.