Cocoon Family Group

Business context

Executive management of a diversified Koh Samui group with six business directions and approximately 60 employees, combining restaurant operations, expansion and organisational transformation.

My scope

This case separates my personal scope from the wider work of the team, owners, contractors and partners.

Cocoon Viewpoint — flagship turnaround

The restaurant originally had roughly 60 seats. Denis reworked the architectural and operating plan: opened the western / sunset side to guests, expanded the view terrace into several levels, added seating and photo zones, refreshed the interior, enlarged kitchen and storage capacity, relocated the bar and strengthened service standards and training.

• Reported guest traffic increased about 3× during the management period
• Reported average spend increased 56%
• Historical project materials describe monthly revenue moving from about ฿3M to ฿9M at different operating points
• Profitability reached 42% at the flagship restaurant during Denis’s management period

Cultivation farm — cost and production optimisation

The group operated its own cannabis cultivation facility, supplying its retail stores and selected external buyers. Denis managed the business direction, introduced cost optimisation, added solar generation, reviewed CO₂ purchasing and brought in a stronger grower to improve the operating model.

• Earlier project records described production at approximately 22–25 kg per six-month cycle
• Solar generation was introduced to reduce a major utility cost
• Procurement and production inputs were reviewed as part of the cost programme

Smoky — retail, personalisation and neuromarketing

Two Smoky stores combined distinctive retail design with a more data-driven guest journey. A neuro-headband was used as part of the experience to record a guest’s responses while trying different products; those observations were stored in a personal diary and used to improve future product recommendations.

• Guest preferences and history were connected to personalised recommendations
• Telegram-bot scenarios were used for targeted offers, including favourite-product discounts and gift mechanics
• The retail concept was connected to the group’s own cultivation supply

Street Food University (now Between Buns) — first scalable street-food concept

The team developed and launched a burger-focused street-food concept in a central location, built around a broad flavour range and a format intended for further replication. Work then continued on additional concepts, including poke and pizza.

• The burger concept was launched during Denis’s tenure and continues today as Between Buns
• The second Poke and Poke location: Denis developed the full concept and ran procurement; it opened about two weeks after his Cocoon mandate ended

Catch Gastro Theatre — concept to launch

Denis participated in finding the venue, renovation and full concept development for a gastro-theatre built around a set-menu dinner, wine pairing and a guided guest journey. The experience used a bilingual host and course cards to frame what guests were about to taste and feel.

• The original Catch concept combined fine dining, storytelling and theatrical presentation
• According to Denis’s project history, the concept later expanded into a larger venue and now continues as Luna Gastro Theatre
• The current Luna format publicly retains a multi-course tasting journey and pairing model

Managed six business units and approximately 60 employees

Flagship restaurant revenue reported as increasing approximately 250% during the management period

Operational efficiency reported as improving approximately 30%

At another reporting point, monthly restaurant revenue was described as moving from about ฿3M to ฿9M; these figures refer to reported operating periods rather than a single arithmetic growth calculation

Profitability of 42% at the flagship restaurant during Denis’s management period; the system kept working and growing after he left

New concepts launched: Catch (now Luna Gastro Theatre), Street Food University (now Between Buns) and the second Poke and Poke location (concept, fit-out and procurement fully prepared by Denis; it opened about two weeks after his Cocoon mandate ended)

Reported average spend increased 56%

Unified management and reporting across six business directions and strengthened financial/operational control