The Black Sheep Group is not afraid of a challenge!In 2012, Christopher Mark (a highly experienced Canadian chef) and Syed Asim Hussain (a financial prowith Pakistani culinary roots) teamed up to launch the Black Sheep Group in Hong Kong. Their mission:an authentic experience for guests. Fast forward to 2021 and the group now numbers thirty restaurants– 29 in Hong Kong plus 1 in Shanghai, two of which have been crowned with coveted Michelin stars.In fact, BSG is growing so fast there may well be 31 to 32 by now. Each restaurant has its own concept,giving guests an experience of a specific time, place, ambiance, culture and cuisine.Restaurants in the group offer a whole range of different flavours and feels, such as Asian, French, Italian,South American, North American and Middle Eastern. But always intense, always top quality, and always unique.Ho Lee Fooka funky chinese kitchen.Hong Kong. World metropolis.Paradise for adventurous foodies.Countless restaurants for everyoccasion to choose from. As anorganisation looking for a placewhere your business partnerswill truly be treated like guests,where do you go? For specialevents, Aartsen Asia goes to theBlack Sheep Group.That's because this group ofthirty local (save one) restaurantsshares something crucial incommon with Aartsen: guts!We caught up with co-founderChristopher Mark.Taking care of each otherRestaurants in the Black Sheep Group (BSG)pamper their guests and are devoted tocreating an authentic experience.It's hospitality to the max, where guests getextra-special treatment and personal attention.The team is perfectly trained and providetip-top service. The secret ingredient?The philosophy driving BSG, which startswith taking excellent care of its workforce.This is not always a given in the sector, butit's a guiding principle for BSG. Because ifstaff are happy, they'll take good care ofguests.Inspired by the worldBSG restaurants are inspired by countriesand cities all over the world. Besides eateriesspotlighting authentic Hong Kong cooking,they range from old-style New York, Italianand neo-Parisian cuisine to Lebanese andVietnamese restaurants. At first sight, thedifferences are massive, but the restaurantsactually have a lot in common. According toChristopher Mark, they have about 70% incommon and are 30% distinctive. In termsof quality, hospitality level, hygiene and thestandards guests can expect, the restaurantsare identical. Where they differ is in their cuisine,atmosphere and the look and feel of eachmember of the group.Ho Lee FookBSG is distinctive and gutsy in everythingthey do. Take the restaurant Ho Lee Fook.Contrary to what the name suggests (take aminute to say it out loud), it actually meanssomething really beautiful, translating as‘Good fortune for your mouth’. Sure, that maysound a little cheesy, but it lives up to thatpromise. Mark assures us the name hasnever put off any customers, certainly notonce they've eaten at Ho Lee Fook and seenall their expectations exceeded.Arrogance-averseMaintaining a consistently high level ofhospitality, service and quality seems likeno easy feat, but the two partners havesurrounded themselves with better andstronger teams than they had starting out.Which is important if you’re as ambitious asBSG, because it opens up more scope fornew ideas, restaurants and other developments.This sounds like a concept with massiveinternational potential, yet, while Mark and hisco-founder Hussain are certainly interested ingoing global, they don't want to be arrogant.For now, they're exploring the options, buthave no firm plans yet.Got to be gutsyCo-owners Christopher Mark and Syed AsimHussain are ambitious to continue growing inspite of the hard times the hospitality industrycurrently finds itself in. Never before haverestaurants had it this tough. Which is why,Mark says, it's more important than ever tooffer the best quality and take even bigger risks.Good fortunefor your mouth.You've really got to be gutsy. Mark explainedthat the group owes its success to the boldchoices it's made. Whenever they opted togo the safe route, it backfired. They've alsolearnt not to be swayed by others, becauseeveryone's always got an opinion about aconcept, an interior and what dishes you'reserving up. Opinions, however, won't get youanywhere. Clearly, choosing to be gutsy andpave their own way has paid off for the BlackSheep Group.nonstopfresh/ 19

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