Paul Granville, marketing and entertainment director for the Malone’s Group, proves that being in charge is as fun as we imagined.

Home

7am Wake up hearing a strange knocking at the bedroom window. I’m half asleep and the silhouette looks like a huge Pterodactyl. I open the curtain to see the window cleaner grinning at me mercilessly. He leers in to get a peek at my half naked wife. I throw the curtains closed and jump back into bed.

7:02 Can’t sleep now so I go downstairs and watch a Ricky Gervais stand up show.

8:30 Shower, shave, pick something black to fit my mood. My black trousers are all at the dry cleaners, so I opt for my MC Hammer white trousers and black shirt. My wife Sandy makes breakfast–bacon and egg sandwich–while I check emails. I’m waiting for news about the Malone’s Dalian we’re opening this November. It hasn’t arrived, so I check my music downloads instead.

Malone’s > Tongren Lu

9:15 Get to my office opposite Malone’s on Tongren Lu and check emails and Facebook again. Sit down with Ged, my designer, and go through some artwork for Malone’s Suzhou and Dalian and the upcoming flyer for the “Back to School” party we’re planning in a couple of weeks.

Managers Meeting

11:00 We go over current projects, monthly budgets and upcoming events. Check email again: Why do I get so many Viagra emails?

11:30 The email finally arrives. I’m off to Dalian tomorrow to check on the progress of the DJ booth, stage and stage equipment. I’ll also meet with some of the local magazines up there. I ask Lily the office manager to book me an air ticket and a hotel near the beach.

11:45 Note to self: Pack the purple Speedo.

Meetings

Noon Meet with the photographer and Executive Chef Ken Wong about pictures for the new à la carte menu. Ken cooks a batch of dishes, plus some of the new burgers and grill items which will soon be adorning the menu.

Working Lunch

1:30pm Like usual, it’s a Malone’s working lunch and meeting with my boss from the Malone’s Group, Shawn Doyle. We talk about the entertainment / band / DJs that we need for Suzhou and Dalian. I ring the band leader of Art 6, Bong De Guzman and ask him to come in this afternoon for a quick chat.

NFL

2:30 There’s a private NFL party booked for the third floor of Malone’s at Thumb Plaza and the décor hasn’t arrived. Apparently it’s gone to the wrong store. I find it, chuck it in the back of a cab and race it across the river myself (quicker that way).

3:15 Whoever said the tunnel to Pu-Jersey was quicker this time of day?

Pudong

3:35 Emergency over, NFL guys happy, crisis averted. I stick around and chat with Elsie, the daytime manager, about the feedback from brunch over the weekend.

Malone’s > Tongren Lu

4:30 Go over merchandise designs with Ged and finalize Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas marketing campaigns.

6:00 Meet Bong, the band leader and discuss entertainment for the new stores and upcoming events. Art 6 has been with Malone’s for eight years now and were featured in City Weekend six years ago, which propelled their name to fame. (Thanks, CW!)

Date Night

7:30 Sandy picks me up at Malones. She wants a “Date Night” tonight, which means dinner, drinks and home in bed by 11pm (especially since I’m going away for a couple of days). “Date Night” to me, however, means a huge basket of nachos and a jug of margaritas at Brad Turley’s new Mexican cantina, MAYA, then wander over to Bulldog Shanghai, see Carsten, the GM, for a pint of Hoegaarden and finally shouting abuse and throwing peanuts at his pop DJ, Missile Myles.

The Closed Door

8:00 Instead, we head to Closed Door, a lovely, quaint, romantic restaurant. Although the food is excellent, (congrats Kelley and Eduardo), I sulk. Sandy relents saying, “Okay, we can go for a drink at Bulldog, stop being a baby.”

9:30 We are greeted warmly by Carsten and start sucking on beers and shots. I secretly texted friends in the restaurant to join us and they pile in one after the other. I get accused of ruining “Date Night,” but plead ignorance and coincidence in my defense.

The Boss

11:15 Get a text from the NFL party organizer at Thumb Plaza saying what a great night it was and he wants to book another the following month. I then get grabbed by the ear and told, “Let’s go.” The boss has spoken.

Home

11:45 [Singing] “I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.” Sandy frowns while I pack. I insert a DVD into the ever suffering machine, knowing we won’t be watching it for long. It’s “Date Night” after all, right?

What we think...

We love Paul’s “Date Night” concept, especially the secret text messages to the boys and pleading total innocence after the fact. But if anybody has a better idea, let us know at www.cityweekend.com.cn/dayinthelifeSH. We’re also looking forward to the NFL parties at Malone’s Thumb Plaza starting this fall. Check our website for an updated schedule.