Stefano Catino: Creating a World's 50 Best Bar and the Art of Hospitality

Stefano Catino has helped put Australian bar culture on the world stage. As co-founder of The Maybe Group, the hospitality entrepreneur behind celebrated Sydney venues including Maybe Sammy, Maybe Frank and El Primo Sanchez, Stefano has built a global reputation not just for exceptional cocktails, but for creating experiences people remember.

In this episode of Straight To The Source, Stefano joins Lucy Allon to unpack the thinking behind that success. From being recently recognised as one of the most influential people shaping the global bar industry, and Maybe Sammy’s bottled Australian Jasmine Negroni earning recognition from Qantas, to building strong teams, leading from the floor and balancing creativity with commercial reality, Stefano shares an insightful and refreshingly candid perspective on what makes hospitality businesses work.

He also explores how increasingly knowledgeable, health-conscious consumers are changing the way we drink and dine, why Sydney may have too many venues competing for the same customers, and why the future of hospitality may lie not in bigger budgets or more complicated concepts, but in authentic stories, great people, and experiences created with genuine heart.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

Global recognition and redefining success: What being named No. 23 in the Drinks International Bar World 100 means to Stefano, and why success today goes well beyond awards.

Why hospitality must make commercial sense: The importance of balancing creativity and accolades with profitability, happy customers and a sustainable business.

The “gift of people”: How growing up in Vernazza shaped Stefano’s instinct for bringing people together and his belief that genuine hospitality starts with loving people.

Service versus hospitality: Why guests may forget what they ate or drank, but they remember how you made them feel, and why the fundamentals still need to come first.

Taking Maybe Sammy beyond the bar: How the group translates its hospitality philosophy into its bottled cocktail range, including the award winning Australian Jasmine Negroni served by Qantas.

Building culture as you grow: Why Stefano believes leaders need to stay present, lead by example and remain connected to the people delivering the experience every day.

Hiring and leading great teams: Why personality, work ethic and being a team player can matter more than an impressive CV, and why good leaders give people the tools to perform while continuing to learn from them.

Why Australian venues struggle with longevity: Stefano’s candid take on changing customer expectations, the constant demand for something new and why he’d like to see more venues become true institutions.