From a friendly bond: Good Behaviour

When COVID threw a wrench into Michael Lam and Eric Chow’s plans at Ascari, they were left with a choice.They could go their separate ways, or they could figure out how to keep working together. What they shared was a mindset, a standard for hospitality, and a deep trust built from long days inside a 140-seat restaurant where nothing worked unless everyone moved in sync. Choosing each other became the starting point.Good Behaviour was the result — not because either of them dreamed of opening an ice cream shop, but because ice cream felt like a way to still connect with people. It was familiar. Comforting. A reward in a moment when good behaviour meant staying home, seeing friends at a distance, and getting through something hard. And despite neither of them having a sweet tooth, ice cream became the vessel for hospitality.But winter was coming and ice cream alone wouldn’t keep their team. At the eleventh hour, sandwiches entered the picture. Three days after the idea surfaced, subs launched and sold out every day for a month. What began as survival quickly became a pillar of the business and a way to keep people employed, motivated, and excited to show up.Michael and Eric talk about building trust with guests, learning systems in real time, and how discipline — especially learning when to say no — became as important as creativity. They share how menus are designed collaboratively, why every new item has to compete with the best seller, and how consistency doesn’t mean boring.Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTokFollow Sam Jen on Instagram