Serves You Right
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© Andrew Roy
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Do you ever feel like life is happening around you, and you’re just drifting through it? Like you should be doing something—something more, something better—but you’re not sure what?
My name is Andrew, and I’ve been there. Like so many in America, I found myself aimless, uncertain, and stuck in the cycle of service industry jobs. Until one day I found the courage to write post on simple thing online. "I'm still trying to answer the question of whether or not I can be happy working in a restaurant."
Join me on this journey as I explore what it means...how we got here, what we can do about it!
My name is Andrew, and I’ve been there. Like so many in America, I found myself aimless, uncertain, and stuck in the cycle of service industry jobs. Until one day I found the courage to write post on simple thing online. "I'm still trying to answer the question of whether or not I can be happy working in a restaurant."
Join me on this journey as I explore what it means...how we got here, what we can do about it!
78 Episodes
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You are not weak when it comes to food, you are being misled.For millions of years, flavor told the truth. Sweet meant calories. Aroma meant nutrients. Your brain learned to trust taste as survival information.Then we broke the signal.“We are too stupid to understand how smart we are.”If you care about food, performance, energy, or discipline, this episode gives you leverage.Ignore it, and you will keep fighting your own biology.Expect to learn:Why people with obesity crave more but do not enjoy food moreHow flavor manipulation creates reward prediction error and ramps up motivationWhy real strawberries and tomatoes lost flavor over timeThe economic tradeoff between industrial convenience and sensory truthHow to realign pleasure and nourishment without dieting harderLinks: SteakThe Dorito EffectThe End of CravingMark Schatzker on SubstackService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
If you believe great cocktails are about creativity alone, you may be in for a rude surprise. Modern bar leadership demands flavor architecture, operational efficiency, storytelling, hospitality psychology, cost control, and brand strategy. In this episode, Josh Powell, founder of Poor Decisions Consultancy and former owner of The Natural Philosopher Bar in London, reveals his closely held secrets to winning in the cocktail world. Winning drinks are engineered. Menus are narratives. Hospitality is scored even when it is not on the sheet. This conversation delivers the unfair advantage serious operators and bar competitors need.Expect to Learn:Why flavor is less than half of what wins competitionsHow to build a cocktail from a single ingredient outward using flavor architectureThe hidden hospitality behaviors judges score without telling youHow seasonality and foraging can shape high velocity menu cyclesWhat it really takes to transition from bartender to consultant without losing your creative edgeLinks:Pour Decisions ConsultancyPour Decisions InstagramService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
The agave category is booming. Sales are up. Shelves are full. Celebrity brands multiply. Excel says everything is fine…Modern tequila production relies on cloned agave, chemical intervention, compressed maturation, and supply chains that strip value from the very farmers who sustain the plant. Meanwhile bars brag about sustainable tomatoes and grass fed beef while pouring industrial spirits with catastrophic environmental and cultural consequences.Welcome to David Suro’s fight. David Suro explains why one agave mother plant can produce up to 10,000 viable seeds yet the industry prioritizes five offshoot clones. Why genetic collapse forces pesticide dependence. Why jimadores with generational wisdom are migrating because the economics no longer reward stewardship. And why the United States, as the largest consumer of agave spirits in the world, has more power than it realizes.If you care about sustainability, terroir, craft, or culture, this conversation is for you.Expect to Learn:Why cloning agave is accelerating ecological vulnerabilityThe hidden cost of harvesting agave before full maturityHow bat friendly reproduction restores genetic strengthThe cultural sustainability crisis few are discussingA simple purchasing framework that protects families and landLinks:Siembra Spirits Instagram: @DavidSuropAgave Spirits by Gary Paul Nabhan and David SuroService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
The modern bar industry is not only about drinks.It is also about identity, storytelling, cultural leverage, and the power of hospitality in a divided world. If you think the low-alcohol trend means drinking is dying, if you think cocktails are about specs and ratios, or if you believe brand ambassadorship is the only way up, you may be operating with outdated assumptions. In this episode, Tiffanie Barriere, known as The Drinking Coach, explains why bartenders are cultural vessels, why storytelling beats technique alone, and why the future of drinking belongs to those who understand ritual, representation, and creative ownership.Expect to learn:Why bartenders became more powerful after COVID, not lessThe real reason she rejected brand ambassadorshipHow to build a cocktail from five adjectives instead of specsWhat most competitors get wrong when presenting drinksWhy the “low and no” trend may just be a temporary cycleWhat it's like running the best airport bar in the worldLinks:Tiffanie Barriere on InstagramTiffanie's WebsiteBerriere CollectiveTales of the Cocktail Award Winners 2023Service starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with THom Harrison on his show. We talk wine, our lives, our jobs, and more. Enjoy!Expect to Learn:How I met my wifeHow to find your place in the world of RestaurantsHow terribly I describe a runzaLinks:The Pizzeria & Enzo ShowService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
If you believe wine is about tasting notes, alcohol levels, and prestigious appellations, you need this episode. The industry has spent decades obsessing over extraction, oak, and scores while ignoring soil health, plant genetics, and farming philosophy. Rajat Parr explains why most modern wine misses the point, why terroir is incomplete without plant material and human intention, and why regenerative farming is the future of serious wine Expect to learn:Why blind tasting only works when it becomes muscle memoryThe three real components of terroir most people ignoreHow converting from conventional to organic farming can take 3 to 10 years to show results Why late ripening grapes like Savagnin and Trousseau matter in a warming climate The mistake young sommeliers make when they skip classic regionsUseful Links:Rajat Parr on InstagramParr Collective WinesThe Secrets of the SommeliersThe Sommelier’s Atlas of TasteService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most people are confused when it comes to tequila, rum, and pisco. What are they exactly? Who are the people that make them? What do I really need to know to master these liquors? Even worse, the spirits industry thrives on confusion, fake consistency, celebrity branding, and half truths about origin and production. On this episode, Ivy Mix breaks down how agave ripeness, diffuser technology, additives, colonial trade routes, sugar economics, and fermentation practices actually shape what ends up in your glass. If you have ever complained about price, chased smoothness, or ignored pisco entirely, this is the master class you have been waiting for.Expect to Learn:Why “100 percent blue agave” can still legally include additivesThe three rum families and how colonization shaped their flavorWhat a Jamaican dunder pit really is and why it mattersWhy pisco may be the most underrated spirit in the worldHow to taste maturity, integrity, and quality in agave spiritsUseful Link:Ivy’s Website where you can find links to her bars and her book!Service starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
In this special episode of the No Reservations Podcast, Kasey Anton sits down and interviews me.We talk wine the way it actually works in restaurants. What makes a wine program profitable instead of performative. Where operators get pricing wrong. And why most wine sales fail before the bottle ever hits the table.Expect to Learn:How to build a wine program from scratchPricing mistakes that quietly kill marginsHow vendors will try to ruin your listWhy staff education matters more than upsellingHow to elevate the experience without adding complexityLinks: Kasey's Podcast No ReservationsService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most restaurants fail quietly. Not because the food is bad, but because the strategy is missing. Owners chase marketing tactics, social posts, and promotions without ever defining who they serve, what problem they solve, or why guests should return. This episode exposes why “quality” is a meaningless differentiator, why busy does not equal profitable, and how a lack of intentional positioning creates a leaky bucket no amount of hustle can fix. Chip Klose breaks down restaurant marketing and profitability into clear, usable frameworks that replace guesswork with leverage and help operators stop reacting and start choosing.Expect to learnWhy revenue, labor, and food cost are moving targets in restaurants and how that destroys profitHow to define your audience by first identifying who your restaurant is not forThe ABCDE framework that clarifies positioning before you spend a dollar on marketingWhy retention beats acquisition and how most restaurants sabotage it unknowinglyHow to give guests the words they will use to sell your restaurant for youLinks Restaurant StrategyChip Klose on Instagram and YouTubeService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most servers think their income is capped by luck. Bad sections. Bad nights. Bad guests. That belief is wrong. The real ceiling is perspective. In this episode, we break down why restaurant work feels chaotic, isolating, and unstable even when the money is good, and how experienced professionals quietly engineer control inside the chaos. You will hear why weeds are not just operational failures but personal ones, how lifestyle fit matters more than hourly earnings, and why some people keep hopping jobs. Expect to learnHow to know when it is actually time to jump shipWhy making money somewhere else with less stress is the real upgradeWhat getting in the weeds reveals about your mindsetThe hidden relationship cost of restaurant schedulesHow great servers read guests before the first questionLinksThe Modern Waiter Podcast The Modern Waiter Podcast on Instagram and TikTokService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
This is a rare treat for you all. I am in the hot seat this week, as I go onto Chris Schneider's The Bar Business Podcast. Hear my thoughts on Management, Wine service, and more!Expect to Learn:Why I was a terrible manager back in the dayHow to keep your wine program working for youWhether a Coravin is worth it for Restaurant ServiceService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Every bottle of vanilla, every spoon of honey, every square of chocolate is the final move in a long chain of decisions made by farmers who live with risk most of us never experience. This episode investigates a world most of us will never get to visit: Madagascar. Emmanuel Laroche reveals what the global food system hides in plain sight and why knowing where ingredients come from is no longer optional if you care about craft, ethics, or flavor.Expect to LearnWhy vanilla is hand pollinated and why that makes it one of the riskiest crops on earthHow a single storm or missed harvest window can erase a farmer’s entire incomeWhy most commercial honey cannot be traced and what real single source honey looks likeHow Madagascar cacao produces flavors mass chocolate never canThe counterintuitive way specialty crops can fight deforestation instead of fueling itLinks:A Taste of Madagascar book websiteFlavors Unknown websiteBeyond Good ChocolateService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Diageo’s World class competition is BY FAR one of the most difficult and impressive cocktail competitions in the world. Legend has it that the finals had no fewer than 7 skill challenges, and Felice swept through them all. If you make drinks for a living, or enjoy them, this is the man you want to hear from.Expect to learnWhy reading the rules carefully gives you an unfair advantageHow elite competitors reverse engineer judges instead of guessingThe difference between learning information and building understandingWhy bringing yourself to the stage matters more than being impressiveHow failure becomes fuel when you stop protecting your egoLinksFelice Capasso on InstagramThe Spirits Journal on SubstackSesto Senso Spirits AcademyWorld Class Bartender of the Year competitionService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most sales advice is broken because it ignores how trust is actually built. It assumes scripts beat presence and attention. This episode dismantles that thinking. Neil Rogers shows why hospitality is one of the most intense sales training environments in existence, and how the habits learned behind a bar quietly outperform day in and day out. From organization and follow up to appearance, greetings, and intentional presence, this conversation reveals why people who master fundamentals compound advantage while everyone else wonders why effort is not converting.Expect to learnWhy organization creates more sales than talent or hustleHow hospitality trains faster than any sales courseThe real reason ghosting is increasing and how to beat itA simple structure that turns scattered effort into momentumHow appearance, preparation, and presence change outcomes instantlyLinksPositive Activity website and blogBar Tips: Everything I Needed to Know in Sales I Learned Behind the Bar by Neil RogersService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most bartenders are prioritize a few things: speed, charm, and hustle. Almost none learn systems, margins, or leverage. That is why so many talented people burn out, stall, or leave the industry broken. This episode dismantles the idea that bartending is a dead end. Chris Tunstall breaks down how structure beats talent, why most bar programs leak profit through invisible gaps (and visible jiggers), and how the same methods used to build great cocktails can build great careers. If your current approach feels reactive, exhausting, or capped, this conversation contains the corrective insight you did not know you needed.And if you’re an budding mixologist or avid amateur drink builder, check out A Bar Aboves equipment and courses. You will not be sorry.Expect to learnWhy most bartenders underestimate how much their tools distort drink quality and profitHow to think about cocktail ingredients in a more in depth wayHow cocktail structure mirrors decision making under pressureThe hidden leverage inside distributor portfolios and vendor relationshipsWhy non-alcoholic cocktails are becoming a serious profit centerHow to transition from bartender thinking to operator thinking without burning outLinks:A Bar Above courses and barware Instagram @abaraboveService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
You have been told your experience does not transfer. That working service jobs means starting over. That belief keeps talented people stuck because they never learn how to translate what they already know.This episode gently tells a different story. THom Harrison walks through how the food industry quietly builds systems thinking, emotional regulation, and execution under pressure. All in real kitchens, in real dining rooms, in real chaos.From old school training systems to high trust hotel service environments, from food distribution to mergers and acquisitions, this conversation suggests that service professionals can outperform people with cleaner resumes once they learn how to aim their skill set.Expect to learn:Why chaos feels comfortable to restaurant people and how to weaponize itThe hidden systems inside great service teams and why they scale everywhereHow discipline replaces motivation in high pressure environmentsWhy action oriented people outperform talented plannersHow to turn service experience into long term optionalityLinks:Pizzeria and Enzo Show Charleston Place HotelBrinker InternationalService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most bartenders are playing the wrong game. They chase shifts, tips, and titles while ignoring the education pipelines, industry programs, and visibility layers that actually create leverage. This episode exposes why that approach stalls careers and how intentional participation in programs like Tales of the Cocktail and CAP quietly rewires opportunity. If you think growth only comes from grinding harder behind the bar, this conversation will challenge that belief and show you what you did not know you were missing.Expect to Learn:Why education programs outperform talent alone in the beverage worldHow CAP and Tales of the Cocktail actually work behind the scenesWhat separates bartenders who travel and advance from those who plateauThe hidden leadership skills these programs force you to developHow to apply even if you think you are not qualifiedLinksTales of the Cocktail FoundationCocktail Apprenticeship Program (CAP)Bar Five Day ProgramFollow Aliya on Instagram: @yourflavormotherDorothea (Greek restaurant)Service starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most wine buyers assume discounts mean flawed wine, distressed producers, or leftovers no one wanted. Most people think cheap wine is cheap for a reason.They’re wrong. :PThat belief is costing them access to better bottles at better pricesIn this episode, I sit down with Agent Cru, AKA Addison Rex, the man behind the curtain at Wine Spies. For years. One wine a day. Unspeakable quantities moved. And more wine tasted than most people will see in a lifetime.Agent Cru explains how Wine Spies actually works and why selling a wine at huge discounts can often be a sign of strength, not failure. We talk about the one moment when wineries panic, the when inventory becomes a liability, and how the smartest producers turn “discounts” into long-term demand.There’s also a surprisingly vulnerable moment where we admit something most wine professionals never say out loud. The more you know about wine, the more aware you become of how little you truly understand. The most profitable insight comes from how they predict demand. After years of PhDs, algorithms, and AI models, the final call still comes down to human judgment. Not spreadsheets. Not scores. Taste, timing, and instinct.When we turn to the industry at large, we don’t shy from the large topics looming on the horizon. The wine industry is not collapsing because of seltzers, Gen Z, or Dry January. It’s choking on its own overreactions. Those who understand the mechanics will thrive. Those who don’t will keep paying more for less.Expect to LearnThe moment a winery decides a wine must disappear fastWhy “best price in the world today” matters more than scoresHow tasting panels actually reject wine most people would buyThe prediction mistakes that AI makes with wine demandWhy most wine education may make people worse buyers, not betterLinksWine Spies official site Free the Grapes advocacy initiative Deerfield Ranch Winery Vinitaly international wine fair Service starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Most bars don’t fail because the drinks are bad. They fail because the owner breaks first.In this episode, I sit down with Winston Greene, owner of Tonic in Santa Fe, to talk about what really happens when passion turns into ownership. Winston didn’t come up chasing clout or trends. He came up hauling ice, working twenty-hour shifts, and learning the business the hard way, then betting everything he had on one idea and one space.We talk about what makes ownership hard: the point where the grind stops feeling noble and starts quietly destroying your health, your relationships, and your sense of time. Winston shares the wake-up call that forced him to rethink what success actually costs, and why ignoring sustainability almost ended his career before it really began.From designing a bar that repels the wrong customer on purpose, to why most managers misunderstand labor, scheduling, and leadership, we get right into it.If you’ve ever thought about opening a bar, running a restaurant, or turning your craft into a business, listen to this all the way through. It might save you years of damage you didn’t know you were signing up for. And we get to talk about tequila. Oh, so much tequila…If your current approach feels exhausting, reactive, or quietly unsustainable, this episode offers a corrective truth most operators only learn after real damage is done.Expect to LearnThe hidden health cost that takes more bar owners out than bad marginsWhy working harder early almost guarantees long-term burnoutThe leadership mistake that silently destroys staff trust and retentionHow designing your bar for the right customer can save your businessThe mindset shift that turns ownership from survival into sustainabilityLinksTonic Santa Fe official website (Visit Tonic in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the full experience)Tonic on InstagramService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Party culture does not just burn you out slowly…it erodes you quietly until one day you look around and realize you are surviving instead of living.Felix Cordova known for years as Your Boy Reflex was everywhere in New Mexico. The guy who kept the night alive while everyone else fell apart. What most people never saw was the cost. The drinking. The endless nights, not taking care of the body, and on and on. The grief stacking year after year. Friends lost to addiction. Suicide. Accidents. A cycle that felt impossible to exit.In this conversation Felix tells the truth most people in nightlife never say out loud. You have to decide if you’re in charge of the party, or if the party is in charge of you.He opens up about the moment that finally cracked everything. Losing a close friend. Watching himself repeat the same escape patterns. Realizing he could be next. That is the emotional center of this episode. Raw. Unpolished. Honest in a way that hits hard if you have ever used alcohol to survive grief.Then comes the shift. The most profitable insight in this episode is not about quitting drinking forever. It is about identity. Felix explains why trying to change for others always fails and why changing for yourself finally works. The journaling habit. The breathing practice. The rule he made with himself that rewired his behavior without white knuckling discipline.If you have ever told yourself you will slow down later, then this episode is the interruption you did not know you needed.Expect to Learn:The moment party culture stops being fun and starts quietly controlling your lifeWhy changing for others guarantees relapse and changing for yourself actually sticksThe journaling habit that replaced social media and reduced anxiety fastHow grief fuels addiction cycles in hospitality without anyone noticingThe mindset shift that made quitting drinking feel like relief instead of lossLinks:yourboyreflex on TikTok@yourboyreflex on InstagramSki Santa FeService starts now.Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTubeI talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!Classic Episodes You May Like:#22:Doug Frost MW MS#23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler#31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)#38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze#39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication#46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.WineAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
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