How F&B honcho Andrew Ing views nightlife and dining as crucial to a vibrant and socially competent society

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those steering the ships of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we ask Andrew Ing about the work he does as the COO of OUE restaurants, the dining and entertainment arm of OUE group, which runs restaurants such as Chatterbox, Takayama, and VUE. He shares about his initial start in the nightlife industry, his views on his experience with nightlife and dining, and how his work is vital to create a vibrant and socially competent Singapore. Click here for more interviews with business leaders.

People's lives revolve around experiences, and the nightlife and dining industry is designed to shape those moments. The combination of food, drink, music, design, and atmosphere leaves an indelible mark on anyone who steps into that space. While hard to put into words, these elements collectively influence the identity of every visitor. By carefully crafting and curating these environments, we create venues where people not only feel a sense of belonging but also forge connections simply by sharing the same space.

That’s why I describe what I do at OUE as running a bunch of restaurants and clubs. That’s the most factual description and I try to downplay it because I know that nightlife and dining is not for everyone. However, for those that identify with it, it’s a natural fit. These people understand the importance of the work that I do. 

I think that people go to a space because they identify with the venue and the others who are there, and that like-mindedness is important to encourage social connections. When people have a great time, the team and myself have done a great job. 

That’s what got me started in this industry: having fun doing something that was fun.

Coincidental beginnings

I was born and raised in Sydney, and when I was 17, there was a Chinese community event, a fashion show of young Asian Australian designers. I got roped in to help put it together. It was fun, and it got me into organising events.

After I graduated from university, I moved to Hong Kong and ran a club together with Andrew Bull, the city’s top nightclub impresario (the Scene, Canton Disco). It had the biggest opening party in Hong Kong history — and we closed six weeks later. Even though it closed, it got me the attention of Lincoln Chen (the then-owner of Zouk) in Singapore, who eventually offered me a job as the Head of Marketing in Zouk. I loved the job.

Lincoln gave me complete creative freedom, which allowed me to push boundaries and showcase countless artists and DJs. All of this led up to the launch of ZoukOut, and Zouk's tenth anniversary shortly after, where I threw a massive three-day party that completely blew the budget.

And on that very day, I resigned.

Dropping anchor in Singapore

My job at Zouk was one of those jobs that you could do for life, but was very all consuming. Even though I moved to a marketing agency afterwards, I couldn’t shake the nightlife bug and returned to the industry with St James Power Station.

It was a very different experience. St James Power Station was very mass market, with a lot of live music; we had nine bars and clubs under one roof that each played different styles of music. It was one of a kind. Now it’s the Dyson headquarters.

After St James, I signed on with the Lo and Behold group, and the offer to work with OUE came around three years ago. Now here I am.

The impact of the pandemic 

The importance of curating experiences has always been central to the work I do, and such experiences are vital for creating a socially adept community. The pandemic resulted in a lost generation of young people who got used to not going out, instead opting to stay indoors and look at their phones and laptops. 

Their social skills deteriorated, and they don’t like to go out, which exacerbates the issue. I don’t think this is innate to them, but now, people are more socially dysfunctional. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m one of them now too; you can’t get me out on a Saturday night. I’ll be at my little bar at home, drinking and watching Netflix. But I still make exceptions; I go out for international DJs, and of course I come out for my project, High House.

People just need to go out again and connect with others. Right now, it seems that people aren’t as interested in nightlife anymore. I believe I can change that. 

Having a higher purpose

Having a vibrant nightlife scene is crucial. Although many people complain about the nightlife in Singapore, I think the offerings are pretty good, especially compared to when I was working at Zouk. Back then, it was just Zouk. 

But to really make the scene vigorous, having variety is necessary. Now you have techno at Headquarters; house playing at Behind the Green Door; and melodic and trance style at High House. 

These smaller clubs — not the Marquees or the Zouks — have a certain style or identity, and they want to stick to that. People go to spaces that they relate to, and from there, find others that they relate to and socialise.

The draw of dining

And again, I want to say: I understand that nightlife is not for everyone. This industry can be very all consuming. That’s why I left it for dining. Back when I was working at St James, I would work from 10:30am to 3am, Monday to Friday, and from 4:30pm to 3am on Saturday. Sundays were my off days. 

At the time, I had a young family, but I was never at home. One day, my wife took my boys out to buy food. My oldest son was very young at the time, and called another man ‘daddy.’ He saw me so seldomly that he thought another man was his father.

That hit me really hard. At that point, I didn’t know how I was going to, but I knew I needed to leave. 

The opportunity to join Lo and Behold was great, because it was a restaurant group and I would be running operations. As the COO, I sit in the office, I go to the restaurants, and more importantly, I go home for dinner every night.

Bring your kids to work

I also joined Lo and Behold at a good time, because my boys were at the age where they love to eat and were intrigued by what a restaurant was. I got to take them to many places.

One place I brought them was Tanjong Beach Club. While I was drinking spritzes and champagne, talking to the DJ and making sure that everything was going well, they would hang out on the beach and play with the sand or go into the water. 

It was great that they could be part of restaurant life with me, because they couldn’t be part of a large part of my life when I worked with nightclubs. But for restaurants, we could go together.

Two roads converge

In a way, the High House project that I’m working on now has brought my experience with restaurants and nightlife together. 

We call High House a nightlife culinary destination — we are trying to do food and beverage and nightlife in the same space. In the past, I thought it would be impossible, but times have evolved. Now, the two industries intertwine more: you can go to great restaurants that have a proper sound system and music policy, and you can have a space that turns into a nightclub at night, and works as a dining area in the daytime and evening.

Since it’s a new product, people have to get used to what High House is: a restaurant, nightclub, bar, and lounge all in one. We try to encourage guests to move around and not just stick to the table the way they normally do at a restaurant. After they finish their food, they can move upstairs, move downstairs, go to the hideout, or the bar. It’s really about a constant flow of people. 

In that way, High House is like a community centre. An atas one. 

Back to the present

Although it’s been more than two decades since I’ve worked at Zouk, people still recognise me as ‘That Zouk Guy.’ Sometimes, that can be frustrating. I’ve had other jobs since then, but it makes it seem like my role at Zouk was my crowning glory.

However, that does speak to the huge impact of what I did in the past. Maybe something happened at Zouk that was so important that the club became a cherished space for them. It seems that I have created a legacy through the work that I’ve done that makes people remember it and me. 

Although I might not be sure how to articulate or exactly identify how I’ve managed to touch them, people still have great memories in that place, and they’ll always remember it for the rest of their lives.