It's a loud holiday evening at Hinterlands and Sharlene sits down with bartender/employee Jeannine to discuss how Jeannine botched her job interview, and what a great boss Shar is. Plus: some stripping adventures and Sharlene's biggest on the job screw up!
Sharlene pops in to Blinky's in East Williamsburg to talk to Jose and Rhoades about opening a bar in the middle of a pandemic, yelp reviews, and nasty monkey behavior. Plus, is it rude to pour your drink out onto the bar?
Sharlene sits down with Ed Raven of Greenpoint Beer to discuss getting scammed out of wholesaler payments, paychecks, and your entire Instagram account. Plus we hear Ed's role in Stuart's grim backstory and Sharlene and Ed discuss what happened to beer drinkers' attention span.
Shar's in Michigan so she stopped by The Painted Lady in Hamtramck for a conversation with owner Andrew Dow. They talk Covid (of course), real estate, how to get into the bar business, and life in Hamtramck. Plus, is it cool to bring your own burger into Burger King?
Sharlene sits down with Mike Vanderbilt of Rock Island Public House and the Halloweenies podcast at the Loews Hotel lobby in Chicago, where they discuss which nearby area is the 'Brooklyn of Chicago', the benefits of starting out behind the bar at a Chili's, and how much a customer can ask to change the recipe of a cocktail. Plus, is it cool to read a book in a bar? Yes.
Sharlene joins Bobby Gagnon at The Gate, Park Slope's original craft beer bar, to discuss faking it till you make it, getting fired by Prince, strollergate, keeping your bar running during Covid, and hiring away other bars' staff. Plus a grown man throws a sandwich.
Sharlene invites Clare Huntington of historic Fanelli's Cafe over to Minnie's for a conversation about coked-up patrons, bartending during a blackout, how to shut down the bar while drunk, and what to call your regulars when you don't remember their names. Also more bad tipping stories!
Sharlene joins Matt Hogan at Irish Haven in Sunset Park to talk about buying your neighborhood bar, morning business hours, and weathering the pandemic with to-go drinks and hot dogs. Plus: hiring and firing your friends!
Sharlene joins bar manager Jen Maslanka at Spring Lounge to talk injuring yourself on the job, working in Manhattan, weathering Covid as a business, and what to with all the sidewalk sukkahs when the pandemic is over. Plus bartender bathroom etiquette!
Sharlene joins Brad Perrine at American Cheez for some garlic knots and a great conversation about outdoor Covid seating, getting a mohawk in Key West, and why you should install cameras in your bar. Plus, should people pay for the food they order in a restaurant?
Sharlene heads over to Sidecar to talk to soon-to-be former owner Bart DeCoursy about the old days of Manhattan snobbery, after hour party etiquette, why he's closing Sidecar, and what you should expect from your patrons. Plus a letter from an asshole who orders delivery to a restaurant!
We're back! Sharlene joins David Harris at The Long Pour to talk moving to NYC on 9/11, becoming a bartender, kicking people out of the bar, and celebrity regulars. Plus we hear about some asshole's bad tipping behavior!!
Here's a brief pre-karaoke update from Minnie's Bar on how things are going in vaccine-mandated NYC with Sharlene and Stuart and why there hasn't been a show in a little while. Plus some inspirational job advice from Shar!
Actor/media personality/lighting designer/karaoke addict Allegra Riggio joins Sharlene at Minnie's Bar to discuss running lights for David Guetta, the joy of live punk-rock karaoke, and managing the business of Team Harris. Plus a surprise dutch-and-dash!!
Kieran Blake of Bowery Ballroom sits down with Sharlene at Hinterlands to discuss how he got started managing a venue, being nice to drunk and high patrons, weathering the pandemic, and whether you should pay for hot sauce. Plus Sharlene tells the story of the only time she got kicked out of a bar!
Sharlene sits down with her 3rd oldest friend Alfred at Hinterlands Bar to discuss playing bar truth-or-dare, 86ing negligent regulars, and fighting the law and winning. Plus someone writes in with a kitchen mishap and Stuart handles a bar maintenance issue live on the episode!!
New friend Eric Pinckney sits down with Sharlene in the lobby of the Empress Hotel in Asbury Park to talk about bartending in drag, how hard it can be to get into the industry, customers saying they'll 'take care of you', and being asked to do weird stuff. Plus some asshole takes their date on a 'dutch' vacation!
Sharlene and co-owner Stuart Wellington sit down with Mark Nayden and Richard Kennedy of Park Slope's long-lived, now-closed gay bar Excelsior at Ice Palace on Fire Island to discuss knowing when to call it quits, straight people coming to gay bars, and the disappearance of lesbian bars all across the country. Plus: more gross plumbing stories!!
Diana King & Mike Sheehan of Fulton Ale House join Sharlene on a loud night at Hinterlands Bar to discuss being harassed at work, the post-Covid staffing shortage, and the vaccine honor system. Plus, another Am I The Asshole from an asshole!
Matthew Kimmett of Freddy's joins Sharlene on the busiest night at Hinterland's Bar in a year to discuss honesty at job interviews, bartending British nightclubs, and how he came to own Freddy's Bar. Plus a letter from some asshole about tipping!
Edward Perry
Cute show with a great engaging host.