Leading Nation co-founder Gerald Li on creating a Japanese hotspot favoured by David Beckham and looking up to Richard Ekkebus and Vicky Cheng
When people come to visit Hong Kong, eating—and eating well—is usually high on their list of priorities. There’s no shortage of places to choose from: after all, it is a diner’s paradise. Leading Nation, the Hong Kong-based hospitality group, is known for crafting top-notch, unique, consistent guest experiences with establishments like Forty-Five, which sits atop The Landmark and boasts five concepts that blend art and gastronomy; American deli Morty’s; Spanish restaurant La Rambla; and Japanese hotspot Wagyumafia—the last of which also has a Tokyo output, and is a favourite of football legend David Beckham.
“David’s always been a great ambassador for us at Wagyumafia. He always makes it a point to visit us, whether it’s in Tokyo or Hong Kong,” says Gerald Li, the co-founder of Leading Nation. “Bruno Mars and his crew came to Mashi No Mashi [a ramen eatery] in Singapore recently too. These are some of my most memorable moments [as a business owner].”
Li, who spent his early years in Toronto, moved back to Hong Kong in 2001 at the age of 21 and graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a law degree. Rather than qualify as a lawyer, though, he instead opted for a more creative career. “[After law school,] I took over a nightclub called Club Edge [on Wyndham Street, where Space Club now stands]. I started as a promoter, throwing one-off parties—and eventually, I bought out the club.” Club Edge was among the first venues in Hong Kong to bring hip-hop and RnB acts like Los Angeles-based group Far East Movement and rappers MC Jin and Fatman Scoop to the city.
Gerald Li has a law degree but opted for a more creative career (Photo: Zed Leets/ Tatler Hong Kong)
Li flies mostly under the radar, while Leading Nation’s other co-founder, Kevin Poon, is no stranger to the social scene in Hong Kong and also known as a creative force in the city. “Kevin and I met at Club Edge in 2002. There are no clear-cut lines between what I do in F&B and what Kevin does with art, fashion and music—it’s all one lifestyle,” Li says.
In 2013, Li and Poon opened Elephant Grounds. The first iteration of the establishment was a small coffee counter at the back of Poon’s contemporary art gallery, Woaw, on Gough Street. “I was motivated to open something coffee-related, because at that time, there were only Starbucks and Pacific Coffee. Kevin mentioned he had a coffee counter at the back of his shop—and that’s how the concept came about. We sold coffee and ice-cream sandwiches.” Today, it has multiple locations across the city and legions of dog owners as fans; it has a brunch menu alongside an extensive list of coffees and teas.
More than a decade on, Leading Nation operates in 30 locations across Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia. The concepts stand the test of time thanks to authenticity, says Li—and learning what the guest wants is another important factor. “We target people’s lifestyles and have the humility to learn what works and what doesn’t.” He also has an army of intelligent and successful people around him that he can lean on for advice, including some of the best-known chefs in the city. “I speak to Kevin and [third co-founder] Sam Chee on a daily basis. I speak to my team and my peers like chefs Vicky Cheng [chef and founder of Vea and Wing], Vicky Lau [chef and founder of Tate Dining Room and Bar and Mora], Hisato Hamada [Wagyumafia’s founder and chef ] and Richard Ekkebus [of Amber] too, to see what guests are looking for. These are the people I respect and look up to,” he says.
At its core, the business is about more than money—it’s about people. “Only get into this business if you understand that you will work long hours every day and put out fires constantly—sometimes literally. We now have close to 250 full-time staff and it’s a big responsibility. Their livelihood depends on if our company is successful. We have to take care of people. It’s not always about the bottom line.”
For the father of two, the concepts that have opened in the last decade have each been “a reflection of the point I am at in my life”. “I moved from nightlife to food because nightlife culture wasn’t good for my relationship [with Li’s then-girlfriend, now wife]. When I had kids, I moved into the coffee business. Who knows—once my kids get older, maybe I’ll go back into the nightclub business.”
NOW READ
11 Hong Kong restaurants loved by Anthony Bourdain