Growing up next to a beer brewery in Belgium, Oli Stassen was primed to devote his profession to hospitality. Early on, he worked for his family’s business, visiting clients to sell beer for the company.
Equipped with a friendly, charismatic and hard-working character, success came to this down-to-earth Belgian effortlessly. He had made friends and closed deals for his family business easily. When it came to fulfilling his dream to open up his own restaurant business, being stuck in Boracay during the pandemic did it for him.
With his plan to open up a French-Mediterranean bistro in mind, it was only a matter of finding the perfect location. Oli did not even need to search the entire island to look for it; it was delivered to him right at his favorite hangout at the right time.
In November 2022, Oli opened Bistro des Amis, the only restaurant in Boracay offering French-Belgian cuisine with local ingredients, as well as distinct French and Belgian wines and beers, including his own Bier des Amis.
So, one fine day at Bistro des Amis, Oli hosted a couple of us from Discovering Hospitality to share his story and insights about his restaurant and his new homegrown beer over a satisfying meal from his French-Mediterranean menu and a sample of Bier des Amis.
Why a restaurant? Did you have a background in putting up a restaurant before coming here to Boracay?
I have a background in the hospitality industry, but it's more about brewery. I have my own beer. So, I spent all of my life in restaurants, and bars and traveling around the world. I was on the opposite side of the counter, and now I'm at the back of the counter.
Before that, you were selling your beer?
Yes. I still have a brewery in Belgium. It's a family business. For the moment, we brew the beer in Belgium, and we export to many different countries and also in the Philippines from June 2024.
Bier des Amis, in French, is beer of friends. The idea also with the bistro was to have a restaurant built on friendship and where friends can have good moments, have a drink, and spend time (together).
We are located in a tourist place. We want our customers to spend time, enjoy their holiday, go swimming, come back, have a bottle of beer, or open a bottle of wine. It's spending time with your friend in a friendly place.
Did you conceptualize the food?
