Fabrizio Napolitano bought a one-way ticket to Hong Kong at 25 with no English, no contacts, and no idea what he was walking into.

What he built over the next 16 years (and what he lost) is one of the most honest accounts of hospitality ownership you'll hear.

We talk about his first restaurant in Hong Kong, the debt collectors calling at 3am, moving to New Zealand and opening Spiga, with a pavilion that got taken away a week after opening, a Cuisine hat followed immediately by making his whole team redundant, and why he now believes the numbers matter more than the food.

This one's raw, real, and essential listening for anyone who owns or wants to own a venue.

02:52 — Starting out at 14, washing dishes in Turin

05:17 — A one-way ticket to Hong Kong. No English, never flown before.

12:29 — Deciding to open in Hong Kong and why he wasn't ready

21:59 — The business bleeds money. Suppliers call the triads.

23:32 — His wife's ultimatum — and why it was already too late

39:59 — Opening Spiga, Covid, and the pavilion that got taken away after one week

51:32 — A Cuisine hat. The whole team redundant a week later.

62:24 — From worker to business owner. "You cannot buy yourself a job."

66:16 — "The numbers are more important than good food."

72:42 — Would he do it again?

Go support Spiga Restaurant next time you're in Auckland!

https://www.spiga.nz/

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spiga.nz/

Check out Overproof on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/overproofff/

Want to track your bars numbers? Get the Bar Maths Operations & Profitability Toolkit at: https://www.getbarmaths.com/