Montreal Entrepreneurs Eric Petraglia and Angelo Cappuccilli – Parma Café, Somwhr and Business Outlooks
One of the many reasons I love doing this serie of interviews is to give people some real insight behind the scene of the nightlife industry, beyond the glitz and the glam. Image plays a big part in this business, which leads to a lot of suppositions and preconceived ideas. After getting the opportunity to sit down with an international DJ and a well-established promoter, I got to chat with another massive player on the scene.
Showing interest in entrepreneurship from a young age, Eric Petraglia is a club and restaurant owner with an impressive mindset. Humble, passionate and kindhearted, he has a natural instinct when it comes to business and doesn’t shy away from challenges.
Somwhr Liquor Lounge and Parma Café are projects keeping him and his partner Angelo Cappuccilli pretty busy at the moment, tied with a little consulting, but they’re already thinking about the next big thing to push the hospitality envelope even further. Here’s the road so far, what they do and what they want you to remember.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Eric and Angelo started as promoters when they were around 18 years old. Diving head first into the industry, they worked for one of the biggest name in the game at the time and learned the ropes. Exuding determination, passion and great work ethic from the start, they made a name for themselves, branched out, and started doing events on their own. They consequently dabbled in rebranding very early on using marketing tools other promoters weren’t, crossing promotional marketing with client loyalty.
Due to their remarkable creative outlook and love for the craft, the duo expanded their network rapidly and built strong relationships, which eventually led to the start of their own promotion company. While working contracts revolving around marketing and entertainment for specific gigs in the city as well as corporate events, the dream was always to open their own establishment. Not everyone gets to live that dream of passing from promoters to owners, especially that quickly; but Eric and Angelo did.
MACARONI BAR & SOMWHR LIQUOR LOUNGE
Around the 26 year old mark, they decided to embark in their very own quest to make their dream come true, and it materialized into the notable Macaroni Bar. Taking everything they had learned by working restlessly and mixing it with their vision, they created a well-rounded daring concept. Encompassing a restaurant, a club, a catering program as well as a reception program for weddings and baptisms, this successful adventure lasted for around 6 years and the establishment became a true destination.
Continuing to gain more and more credibility and experience, they went on and opened the renowned Somwhr Liquor Lounge alongside 3 other industry moguls. The establishment is considered one of Montreal’s hot spots when it comes to the clubbing scene. They pride themselves on the experience they offer patrons, but also on the values they both incorporate into the work environment.
Pick quality people. It’s about finding the right people, not just finding a person to fill a spot.
They try to teach the young staff life lessons and give them advice regarding business but also interpersonal relationships. One of the management policies is to have a staff meeting every single day; the employees can share ideas and suggestions while creating a healthy climate for the team, therefore building strong bonds. Eric underlines how important this step is for many reasons, one of them being establishing a connexion between managers and employees that’s built on trust and communication.
PARMA CAFÉ & CONSULTING
As soon as Somwhr opened, Eric immediately started to look for a space that would welcome Parma Café since the concept had always been in the back of his mind waiting to come to life. They only opened in November 2016 and have already charmed the whole city with their comfort food and welcoming atmosphere.
The restaurant is casual, true and authentic but high-quality and versatile: they cater a lot of corporate events and also do takeout if you want to enjoy real Italian flavours on-the-go. The hype surrounding the place has been proven to be justified, especially when several people are already qualified as regulars and the spot has only been open for 2 months. They are looking into expanding the concept and multiplying it, which we’re very excited about.
The duo has also been working in consulting within the nightlife industry, offering advice to other owners regarding hospitality management. One of Eric and Angelo’s strong suits is the operational aspect of managing businesses, which is why their valuable expertise is wanted and landed them contracts with trendy spots such as Kampai Garden.
VALUES & INSIGHTS
Having experienced humble beginnings, they do take part in charity work and help out the best they can. One of their famous charity events is the toy drive held at Somwhr every year which used to be done over at Mac Bar as well. People drop off all kinds of toys for kids which are later distributed to hundreds of children at hospitals. Eric started the Gazette Christmas Fund when he was 19 and you can tell they truly enjoy giving back whenever it’s possible, whether it being food or objects that will put a smile on someone’s face.
We also covered the industry image and how working in that scene can easily be misinterpreted from the outside. Some people choose to take part for the wrong reasons, some rest on their laurels the minute they see results, while others work hard every single day to build their vision. Here’s what Eric had to say about reaching your goals while gracefully navigating through adversity in life.
- Never forget what it took to get where you’re at and how difficult it would be to get back if you slip.
- Always keep learning.
- When you’re physically working at it, it keeps you attached to the love of labour. It keeps it real to meet clients, to be there for real and work on the actual floor alongside your crew.
- You’re never made. Never. Constantly be in developing mode.
I really believe that you create your own destiny: if something goes wrong, it’s not someone else’s fault.
- Understand that some people do what they do for their own reasons, while some people do what they do because they just don’t know better. We don’t walk in their shoes.
- It’s all about assuming responsibility for everything that you’re doing. At the end of the day, you make a decision: do I do something about it or do I let it go.
We know we will only continue to hear about the guys’ successful ventures and next big step. It’s all under wraps for now but they did say that they have a couple of tricks up their sleeves, and we’ll be sure to let you know when the time comes. Keep your eyes peeled for their next move!
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