When Maxime Dacier and Cheryl Tng speak of the F&B industry, it is with refreshing candour. The duo are the co-founders of Petites Ventures, an independent hospitality group that they started at the end of 2020.
It has only been a few short years since, but they have already amassed several impressive projects to their name. There’s mezcal bar Foxtail, noodle bar Nou and wine bar Juice. Driven by a culture-first approach, the team has also established a design-led extension of the latter, The Studio by Juice. And now, their newest project arrives in the form of Fiasco by Juice, a day-to-night restaurant with fuss-free elevated cuisine and a masterful wine curation adding vibrant life to the colourful tapestry of the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood.
“Each time we open a new place, we get asked about what the concept is, but truthfully, there’s no big concept,” shares Dacier. “We’re not trying to reinvent anything. In this industry, simplicity can sometimes be stigmatised. What we want to do is to keep things simple, but do it right and do it well.”
Tng adds: “The core idea behind our businesses is attention to quality. We want to focus on the people on both ends—both the consumer and the people we choose to work with.”
Ahead of their latest opening, the duo opens up on how their experiences in F&B have shaped the work that they do, the importance of creating social spaces and how they hope the industry will grow.
How did you come to start Petites Ventures together?
Tng: I started working in F&B when I was 21. I actually studied design and film in school, but I was a bartender in a cocktail bar for about four years, and I stuck with it because I really enjoyed it. At 1am, it felt like all the adults I met were their most genuine and childlike selves. I first met Max through common friends in the nightlife industry. A lot of our time spent together was with friends, over shared bottles of wine, talking about why the industry was the way it was. A lot of what Petites Ventures is now has stemmed from those conversations.
Dacier: I began working part-time in a wine bar when I was 18 and I just never left. It was started by a sommelier and a chef, and they became my mentors. Back then, I wasn’t well-versed in the cocktail world and I didn’t know anything about spirits. But I was struck by Cheryl’s approach to mixology. The way she approaches cocktails is almost like a chef, making sure that all ingredients are in balance. She forgets about any rules and builds what she wants to with instinct and taste. I’m the same. That’s what brought us together. We do what feels right and it’s always about the taste.
How has your experience in the industry shaped the work that you’re doing now with Petites Ventures?
Tng: One of the main things I have learnt, and now always tell my team and myself, is that if you’re coming to work and you don’t feel the most you, then you should take time for yourself. Because if you’re not present, then the service standard cannot be met, regardless of the SOPs we try to follow. People can tell if you’re being genuine, especially in Singapore. To that end, we want to support our people and we want to focus on employees’ self-growth as well.
Dacier: I have learnt that F&B can be an emotional business. It’s easy to fall into the trap as an employer to give out free drinks and say things like ‘we’re family’, with an implication that employees then need to work harder. We don’t want to take that approach of being overly familiar, which can lead to exploitation. We make sure everyone has a safe space when they come to work and we try to draw a line so that our personal lives can stay personal. We also try to lower working hours, so we do four-day, or 35-hour, weeks. If we want you to be at your 100 percent when you are at work, then we also have to allow you to rest mentally and physically.
Tng: In our experience, that goes a long way. We want our people to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour. I don’t see that in the industry. For the four years I spent working in F&B, I spent every public holiday and every friend’s birthday behind the bar. I enjoyed what I was doing, but it took a lot of sacrifice.
What is the process of starting a new concept? Where do you begin?
Dacier: So much of life happens in social spaces and we are those social spaces. It’s a responsibility that we don’t take lightly, so we’re always thinking of what the customer desires. What does the neighbourhood need? What does the city need? What would our friends like to see? We share as many ideas as possible and then debate a lot until it starts to make sense. And of course, we also have to think about whether we have the resources for it because consistency is important. Everybody can start a project, but can you commit to it day in, day out? It’s a bit of a community effort, with all our brands, partners and employees. It grows together with everyone. The good thing is that we can grab opportunities fast when we are ready since we’re an independent group.
What’s something you hope to see more of in the Singapore dining scene?
Dacier: More independent owners, and people who are driven by passion for our industry. I understand it is tough because it is not easy to survive, and not easy to create, but I would love to see that.
Tng: People who are passionate about the things that they like to do are very endearing. Especially in this industry because of the amount of time and effort they spend doing all the little things. It’s almost like watching a scientist in the lab. The more we have people stepping up to take that sort of risk to show others what they like to do and how they do it, the more our industry will thrive.
The July/August ‘Cravings’ issue of Vogue Singapore issue is available online or on newsstands.
