EP Business in Hospitality Issue 49 - April 2014

Inside Ruski’s Vodka
and Caviar Tavern
Diego Bivero-Volpe, co-founder of
Ruski’s Vodka and Caviar Tavern
Now for something slightly different.
September 2013 saw the first Russianinspired
bar, restaurant and nightclub
to open in London. Conceptualised on
the original 16th century Ruski’s Tavern
of St Petersburg, it encapsulates all that
is Russian, from its rich history to its
vibrant food.
Diego Bivero-Volpe is a well-known
name in the London nightclub scene,
with clubs such as Brompton Club,
Bodos and Tini under his belt. So why
the Russian theme? The City banker
turned nightclub entrepreneur proudly
says: “I like to draw up business plans
for different concepts and one of the
concepts was Russian. I spent three
months researching Russia, and the
more I learnt the more I was intrigued
and wanted to incorporate the concept
into a nightclub. I also wanted to create a
brand, something that was separate from
its owners and can be replicated in other
cities and can be franchised. Vodka is the
national drink of Russia and has a really
interesting history; it came into existence
during the time of the Tsars. Vodka can
be made from anything that can be
fermented and there were a lot of people
brewing their own vodka to different
quality standards. The Tsars wanted to
regulate this and introduced something
called the ‘green mark’, a production
quality standard. In order to purchase
the vodka you had to have a permit,
unless you had access to a tavern.
The taverns became the real centres
of life and some of them became
very aristocratic. That was our
starting point – the idea we wanted
to replicate.”
Russians are very hospitable people
and customer service is of the highest
standard. “In the nightclub industry
good customer service does not exist,
but we wanted to include that as part
of our offering at Ruski’s. Russia has
such a negative image due to brief
periods in its history and with Ruski’s
I wanted to exhibit the amazing culture,
arts, traditions and hospitality. The
Russians that come to Ruski’s really
appreciate that.
“Caviar also has a fascinating history.
During the time of the Tsars it was
believed to have medicinal properties
and women used it for cosmetics
due to its high omega-3 content.
But young people are not attracted
to caviar, it is something you may try
once or twice, so we had to think of
ways to change people’s perception.
We created a menu that repackaged
caviar in a different light. We introduced
items such as a caviar club sandwich
with steak tartare on black Russian
bread; caviar and chips, which are
essentially french fries that you dip
into a caviar sauce; caviar and scrambled
eggs. In Russia caviar is traditionally
consumed with a mother-of-pearl spoon
and washed down with a shot of vodka,
very similar to tequila. We encourage our
customers to try this and it has proved
very successful, so much so that we have
to move to larger premises.”
Individuals are more knowledgeable
and are more willing to try new things
and a place like Ruski’s assists in
educating its consumers in a fun
and exciting atmosphere that is
also a popular choice for the
Russians living in ‘Londongrad’.
44 | April 14 | EP