專訪｜雪糕店執笠轉開薄餅店 Jacomax老闆做鬼佬YouTuber變逆市奇葩：Be playful｜Yahoo
【Yahoo 新聞報道】愛看《低俗喜劇》、懂唱《死性不改》，來港15年的意大利人Jacopo Contiero一口「半鹹淡」廣東話，渾身散發香港地道的氣息。他連首次創業都選這片土地，經歷生意失敗轉開薄餅店Jacomax。正當本港食肆生意陷低谷，Jacomax今年逆市擴張，進駐尖沙咀開設第4間分店。Jacopo接受《Yahoo新聞》專訪時指，歷過選址錯誤、通關後生意暴跌種種低潮，最終憑經營YouTube頻道和人情味力挽狂瀾，希望薄餅店為港人提供享受美食和玩樂的空間，「要脫穎而出，就必須be more playful、more creative」。
年少居意大利鄉郊：以為周星馳係日本人！
Jacopo Contiero年約40歲，性格盞鬼，為融入香港苦練廣東話。這位「來佬」在港闖出一片天，始於一段浪漫愛情。他自小在意大利鄉郊成長，笑言以前對香港毫無概念，「我有睇過《少林足球》，但以為周星馳係日本人！唔知邊度係香港！」直至他20多歲到匈牙利旅行，遇上來自香港的Celine，異地戀就此萌芽。兩人本來只靠電郵、短訊維繫感情，最終Celine決定跑到意大利找Jacopo，兩人於2008年結婚，翌年回港。
Gelato店曾日僅40蚊生意：終於執笠！好開心！
Jacopo飛越9000公里來到香港，卻沒有想過打工，反而與太太創業做小本生意，「我都唔知點解嗰陣會做生意咁傻！」兩人選址西貢開意大利雪糕店，「因為我媽媽個男朋友識整雪糕，所以我先學到。就算你喺雪糕店度做，意大利師傅都唔會教你，會一邊整一邊遮住，驚你steal the jobs（搶了工作）！」不過，製作意大利雪糕成本高昂，最貴的是機器，由40萬元到過百萬元都有，「嗰陣無錢呀！用啲機唔好，搞到啲雪糕好快溶晒！」加上港人只喜歡在夏天吃雪糕，他當時不懂任何營銷策略，曾在冬天試過一天只有40元生意，最終開業6年決定結業，Jacopo笑言：「嗰陣覺得，嘩，終於執笠！好開心！好大壓力呀！」
同鄉熟客Max變金主 打本百萬元創「Jacomax」
經營雪糕店期間，Jacopo最大的得著是認識了顧客Max，後來成為同鄉摯友。Max因受店中的音樂吸引而與Jacopo打開話匣子，「我鍾意啲weird music（奇怪音樂），又會播Pink Floyd，佢咁啱又鍾意，所以我哋係因為音樂而識，都唔係好關雪糕事！」2011年，Max提議他開設薄餅店，更向他打本100萬元，「Jacomax」從此誕生，首間分店落戶上環。
請薄餅師傅甩碌 自學親身上陣： 我本身讀Chemisty
資金、地點俱備，獨欠製作薄餅的秘訣，「做Pizza師傅係最緊要！」Jacopo與Celine是餐飲業初哥，為炮製最正宗薄餅，特地從意大利聘請兩名師傅，怎料錯漏百出，「佢哋真係好奇怪！有一個試過焗緊個Pizza，跟住走開咗，去咗食煙，唔記得咗個Pizza，就burnt out（燒焦）咗囉！」Jacopo索性親身上陣，邊做邊學，「我本身係讀Chemisty（化學系），可以諗到啲formula（配方）」，又找來原本退休居住意大利的父親一同幫忙。
鎮店皇牌蘋果藍芝士薄餅 源自意式甜品
Jacomax的薄餅堅持即叫即烤，主打薄脆餅底。愛玩的Jacopo除了專攻意大利人「死穴」菠蘿薄餅，「蘋果藍芝士薄餅」也是皇牌：薄餅加上一塊塊蘋果後，中間加入古崗佐拉芝士，鹹甜交融。Jacopo指，靈感源自意大利由蘋果和芝士製成的傳統甜品，「我就諗，咦其實香港人都好鍾意食甜嘢，試吓擺落個Pizza度囉！」
業主不再企硬終減租：因為而家economy食屎！
口碑成為Jacomax的最強宣傳策略，先後於上環、銅鑼灣、將軍澳開分店，近日更逆市擴張到尖沙嘴美麗華商場。風光背後曾經歷重重危機，Jacomax約2017年一度進駐灣仔軒尼詩道，「嗰陣諗住咁近巴士站，一定ok啦！」卻慘遭滑鐵盧，雖然人流多，但店面太小，翻桌率有限，同時因貴租長期虧本，「在香港創業要非常小心」。
Jacopo續指，於香港創業並不需要擔心人流，租金才是最大的敵人，「existing landlord will not give you cheaper（現舖業主不會願意減租），所以比較容易的是結業然後change the place（重新選址）」這正是不少餐廳會選擇在原址結業，然後在同區找尋另一舖位重新開業的原因。不過，近年香港經濟轉差，Jacopo認為業主態度不再「企硬」，「而家就肯減啦！因為而家economy（經濟）『食屎』！」
生意慘跌六成：人人都去travel 客人又全部relocate
疫情期間Jacomax仍然出現人龍，卻差點捱不過通關，「2023嗰陣係好慘呀大佬！」生意額暴跌至少六成，「人人都去travel（旅遊）喇！啲客人又全部relocate（移民），同埋同landlord講叫佢平啲，landlord don't care啦！唔會幫你！」然而，Jacopo卻從未想過止蝕離場，「要放棄太容易了，如果你要放棄隨時都可以。假如你不是KOL、你不出名、又不帥，就像我一樣，你永遠不知道何時會有機會，當你有機會時就必須盡全力」。
鬼佬學講廣東話創50萬點擊：呢個language好搞笑
有危反而有機，Jacopo將創意發揮到宣傳上。一年前他創立YouTube頻道「Jacopo Only Friends」，主打「鬼佬學講廣東話」為主題製作影片。其中一條紀錄Jacopo到本地牛腩店挑戰以廣東話落單的影片，至今已突破50萬點擊，「我好鍾意講廣東話，因為呢個language（語言）好搞笑」。
開餐廳又開media：重點不是Pizza
Jacopo以往曾接受不同媒體訪問，包括杜汶澤的《喱騷》，「這讓我發現媒體是很有影響力，可以散佈一些訊息，你可以（透過媒體）接觸到幾萬人，如果你只是一間薄餅店，你何時才會接觸到這麼多人？媒體可以讓我接觸到本身不認識的客人，讓他們認識我」。他形容這是現今在香港創業的秘訣，「重點不是Pizza、食物，現在你必須要開餐廳的同時亦要設立media（媒體）」。設立頻道後亦令其生意額回升至疫情前的水平。
人情味「箍客」：你服務的是客人 不是食物
頻道宣傳吸引新顧客，Jacopo的「箍客」秘訣則是店裡的人情味，「你開餐廳，標榜食物比其他人好，這其實是應份的，你開餐廳食物當然要好；反而是human connection（與人連結），同時亦要be fun（好玩）、more creative（創意）」因此Jacopo非常重視員工的態度。有員工曾在客人用餐期間，用手指拍一拍手錶暗示夠鐘埋單，令Jacopo大怒，心想：「What the fxxk are you doing!」，那個客人也反映不會再光顧，「當然！如果是我都不會再光顧！......你服務的是客人，你不是在服務食物，human touch is the most important（人情味最重要）」。
盼做餐飲凝聚社群：connect the dots
Jacopo最近成為亞洲品牌及營銷論壇（MarketingPulse）和亞洲電子商貿論壇（eTailingPulse）的講者之一。論壇由香港貿易發展局舉辦，邀Jacopo與同業分享營銷之道。在演講那天，J他身穿鮮黃色襯衫，在一眾講者當中格外耀眼，也貫徹創業15年的心得。「在香港，各式各樣的餐廳都有。要脫穎而出，就必須be more playful、more creative（好玩、創新）。做餐飲是Hospitality（接待業）之一，就是要與人接觸，我希望最終可以connect the dots and create a community（創立社群），當喜歡我和Jacomax的image（形象），我們就可以形成社群」。
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