Zeman says, “There are good operators opening new places. One of the tenants just rented another space that went out of business and it’s doing really well. This is usually what we see with excellent operators. Mediocre and poorly operated ones, regardless of the conditions, simply won’t thrive.”

On the street, there are visual indications of a bounceback in Zeman’s kingdom. Though perhaps not heaving as much as it was pre-Covid, weekend crowds have definitely returned to Lan Kwai Fong. Zeman identifies two critical reasons for the continued fortune of the district. The first reason is that Lan Kwai Fong has evolved to meet a wider range of customer demands and that includes major developments.

Zeman explains, “The new California tower? That’s been a real home run. That helped change the area. It brought it to the next level because it’s a first-class building, a total entertainment building. For lifestyle, you’ve got your fitness and other kinds of different elements. You’ve got some of the best clubs in the area in the building, like Faye on the top floor which offers amazing views. So, in general, there’s something that caters to everyone.”

As for the other reason? Well, put simply: magic.

“I think that if you come down [to Lan Kwai Fong], you will be able to feel that there’s some kind of magic in the air. You don’t even have to spend money, you can stand in the street and feel the magic.”

When pressed on what exactly that “magic” is, Zeman believes it’s a form of universality that connects people beyond the class divides, especially in the wake of Covid-19.

“It’s a place where everybody’s the same. Whether it’s someone with money, a millionaire or billionaire, or somebody who’s in college, both of them could be sitting next to you having a beer. You’ll never know who’s there and who you’ll meet.”

The scenario Zeman paints is familiar for many a barhopping Hongkonger, but there’s legitimate uncertainty on the horizon. Numerous studies have shown that younger generations—Gen Z in particular—are eschewing alcohol and clubbing in general. But Zeman, himself a lifelong teetotaller, isn’t overly worried about it.

Answering how bar spots can counter this trend, Zeman says, “Just be exciting—there’s plenty of new customers. We’re lucky that we’re part of the mainland. There are a lot of customers who come from there. I can also tell you that a lot of young people still want to meet their friends. When they get tired of chatting on WhatsApp or WeChat, they want the face-to-face interactions you get when you go out.”

But does he think that Lan Kwai Fong will eventually need to drop its party-hard image to become the area these younger patrons will want their face-to-face meetups? Is that change even possible?

Zeman believes that as changes are needed, he’ll be there front and centre. He says, “I grew up in the fashion business for about 30 years. I started when I was 16 years old. So, for me, life is about fashion. It’s everything we do, whether it’s a magazine, whether it’s a restaurant, whether it’s the cloud. Fashion changes all the time. Life is about evolution, just as the fashion world does and so will Lan Kwai Fong. That’s the beauty of it.”

Read more: Hong Kong’s newest restaurants & bars to visit in July 2023

It’s a hard argument to dispute. While there have been ebbs and flows as other districts gain buzz, Lan Kwai Fong has persisted in popularity, drawing new customers. But how has a man who doesn’t imbibe alcohol controlled the destiny of an area based around booze for so long?

“You surround yourself with capable people,” Zeman says. “I have very good F&B managers and a great team. We have weekly meetings to go through the numbers in different areas. We ask ourselves what else can we do? What are other people doing? How can we be better? What is the customer saying? We’ll acknowledge the compliments; we analyse the complaints to thoroughly understand what they’re unhappy about. As I say, we’re constantly evolving and I can feel it. It’s a talent.”

He says that last part with a little bit of pride and it begs the question, where did that talent emerge from?

“It’s what I do; it’s in my DNA. From designing clothing to doing property development work with architects, running the hotels in Macau, and sitting on so many boards for mainland China and Hong Kong in all these diverse industries. I’m able to put things together and feel more than most people simply because of everything I am a part of. I can feel it as a change in the wind.”

With that kind of soothsayer-styled talk, there could be a concern that the built-up legend and actual importance of Allan Zeman may have grown too big. Has founderitis, a fatal obsession with a business’s founder, set in such that Lan Kwai Fong will struggle if Zeman ever steps aside?

Zeman believes his working style means that won’t be a problem. “Founderitis is a recipe for disaster, because there’s no one that’s so clever that they know everything,” he says. “My success has always been listening, learning and understanding. I’ll think I’m right, but I’m always willing to listen to other viewpoints and sometimes I’m not right.

“You’ve got to be confident in your abilities before you can do that. The alternative is that you become a dictator and eventually, there are not many people that will stay with you. You must create a very good working atmosphere, no matter what industry you’re in. It’s all the same. It’s about having a vision. Have your staff believe in your vision, so they can be proud of working in the company and help you build a legacy brand.”

The Catalyst Series is a series of roundtables co-organised by J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Gen.T. Each event features a guest speaker, with the aim of providing actionable insights that Gen.T honourees can take back to their business. See more content from the series.

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