BOSISTO’S: 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Bosisto’s Liquor Bar:
318 Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC
(03) 9428 6888 or www.mrbosisto.com
It’s ‘goodbye Asia, hello Europe’ for the team behind Double Happiness and New Gold Mountain. Like most savvy operators, they’re always looking for something new to sink their teeth into. Seeing an opportunity for a boutique venue on Bridge Road, Richmond, the team decided to spread their wings and headed out of the CBD into the ’burbs. Bosisto’s Liquor Bar takes its influence from a range of European enoteche or ‘wine libraries’. It’s about the combining of liquor and coffee as in a Parisian café, where you can have a beer with an espresso.
This time around the team approached Michael Frazzetto from architectural firm Six Degrees to step out on his own, with the intriguing request that the design be ‘anything but Six Degrees’. Marcus Ward, one quarter of the team, and Manager of Bosisto’s elaborates:
Marcus Ward: We had a clear idea of what we wanted, especially the layout. We gave Michael very clear direction and were there every step of the process. Michael was able to interpret that and add elements to bring out the depth of character. And Dave Murray the builder was instrumental in interpreting the ideas. The look is derived from a lot of European styles and none in particular. We had a very restrained budget that blew out ever so slightly. It was more in line with the budget of Double Happiness, than New Gold Mountain. Double Happiness is great — very pared back and simple — and Michael did the same here.
venue: Are you finding that people get it?
MW: People do get it, although we aren’t here for everyone — the lack of signage in all our venues is a good indicator of that. The city is quite comfortable with that whereas Richmond is a little bit more traditional. However, the feedback we’ve received suggests many people have been waiting for a venue like this.
venue: You have a small parcel of outdoor space, how important is the rooftop nowadays?
MW: I think rooftops are a great way of achieving elevated city living. The more we’re able to embrace a denser lifestyle, the less we’ll use our resources by moving out to the suburbs. So I think the proliferation of rooftop bars is great. Any way we can stop wasting taxes and space by spreading and spreading, and embrace more of a European mindset is great.
venue: Does your team ever worry about spreading itself too thinly?
MW: People say it’s hard to find good staff, but I think if you’re a professional operator and understand your venue, ‘like’ attracts ‘like’. There are great people out there, wanting great jobs managing great venues. It’s about setting systems in place, making sure the staffing arrangements can easily handle multiple venues. The Van Haandel’s do it, and Con Christopoulos does it, and that’s why I admire their approach. It’s about motivating and employing people that are like-minded and/or professional in their approach.