Mario Kappes will leave Le Lion • Bar de Paris and starts to work as a Brand Ambassador for BORCO MARKENIMPORT

Wow. It’s a little bit hard for me to write this news today. Don’t get me wrong, I am suffering from a short night and a medium size hangover. (Did we really had caramel flavored vodka shots at the end?). After Mario told me yesterday that he will leave Le Lion end of march 2016 to start working as a Brand Ambassador at BORCO MARKENIMPORT I needed a little moment to get thinks sorted. Very very sad news - for sure. 

But than I decided: it is time to celebrate ! 

So Mario, Hendrik and me started a little night out. To say Thank you to Mario on one side and also, far more important, to celebrate what he has archived in the past which now brings him a very interesting career opportunity for him and his family. To celebrate Marios future, because I am also a little bit proud what Mario, as the longest Member of Team Le Lion has archived in the last couple of years.

I knew that Mario was negotiating with BORCO about a future career „outside“ the bar for a couple of months. We often had talks about our career and our future. Will wel work in bars forever? And over the last past 8 years Mario has often become job offers, especially from the industry. We often made jokes about it…

But we become older and at one point, the job of a bartender is quite hard especially with a loved family. I had experienced the same - The moment your kids come to school you stop seeing them during the day, only see them at the weekends, where you have to sleep most of the daytime, cause you work long hours at night. 

Night work itself is just very hard in general as a lifelong lifestyle, and also, I totally understand the feeling after +1700 nights at Le Lion and I guess up to 20.0000 hours behind one bar, the idea of doing something totally new like traveling, presenting, training people, creating strategic etc. is a very attractive idea. 

And so, at one point this year, I kind of forced Mario to take the BORCO offer at least serious and try to negotiate hard to see whats possible. And Mario did. 

What I really like about this is that BORCO was not looking for someone to do a job. They just wanted Mario not some Brand Ambassador. Like so often, Mario set a new Milestone in our industry - And I am very happy to see that he will now work for BORCO. One of the most integer family run businesses in our whole industry. Old skoll Hamburg style - outstanding company - best possible choice Mario, if you ask me!

I guess Mario will keep setting milestones. Mario has so much potential and parts of it, he never could play out behind our little bar. 

Dear Mario,

it is time to conquer the World - you deserve it!

Thank you very much for the last 8 years at Le Lion. Without your work, our little bar would not be what it is for us today. I have never meet someone in my whole time tending bar like you. No one more passioned, more loyal, more human. I am really curious to see, what will happen in the future. I know you will kill it. And, as I told you yesterday, a nice side effect of all this: We will have more time to go out for drinks again - and I promise we will do!

Standing Ovations for you my friend! And thanks for all the good time Mario. 

Cheers!

Joerg

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P.S. Falls Sie Mario  Live und in Farbe erleben wollen gehts hier zum MARIO KAPPES EVENT - Drinks und Geschichten aus 20 Jahren hinter der Bar !