MM12 - Gabrielle Panaccio: Cocktail Fanatic at Bar Le Lab

On episode 12 of the Montreal Marketeers podcast, we talk cocktails with Gabrielle Panaccio.

Gabrielle is a true go-getter. She started in the restaurant business as a cook but developed a passion for cocktails while working in Australia. That experience changed her life and she set out to create one of the best cocktail bars in Canada.

Le Lab was founded by mixologist Fabien Maillard in 2008. He wanted to create a bar where his passion, vision, and creativity would become a reality.  Gabrielle joined Le Lab 2 years into its inception and is now a part-owner. She begged Fabien to let her work for him with the promise that she would be the best employee he would ever have. He accepted and she has been fulfilling that promise ever since. 

If you love cocktails, Le Lab is definitely a place that you need to visit frequently! When you go there, make sure you try out one of their most popular signature cocktails: the Jerky Lab Jack.

Duration: 44 minutes

Topics:

- Creating a business to follow your passion
- Launching affiliate businesses
- Learning your trade by working in the industry versus schooling
- Building the right team to grow
- Expanding to a second location
- Introducing food and cocktail pairings
- Using word-of-mouth as a primary marketing tool
- Finding efficiencies when managing more staff
- Focusing on long-term success
- Going with the flow instead of planning everything out