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!
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This week, we have a titan in the cocktail world: Philip Greene. This man didn't just write most of the books on cocktails, he deconstructed his own family tree to discover he is distantly related to Antoine Peychaud, the man folklore claims invented the cocktail in the 1790s. Then, in a moment of pure academic ruthlessness, he used historical records to disprove his own ancestor's legend. Philip Greene is a powerhouse in the cocktail world in a way few people can equal. As a co-founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail and a prolific author of definitive works like The Manhattan and The Sours, he provides the "bedrock" knowledge that modern bartenders use to innovate. You will learn the high-leverage "Three-Part Formula" that turns a basic Daiquiri into a world-class Margarita or a Mojito with just one pivot. Greene also reveals the surprising "Dark Age" survivors…drinks that stayed famous despite being made with bottom-shelf garbage for decades (and some that started off less than spectacularly and got face lifts). Grab a cocktail shaker and join me in learning from one of the cocktail world’s masters.Expect to Learn:What criteria was used to include drinks in his new bookHow Philip felt about including the Midori SourHow a 19th-century viral prank involving a fake man named Tom Collins birthed an iconic beverageThe names in the cocktail world worth learning fromHow the world’s most famous cocktails survived the "Bad Old Days" of powdered mixes and worseLinks: Sours: A History of the World’s Most Storied Cocktail Style - A Cocktail BookA Drinkable Feast The Manhattan To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Bartender’s GuideCheers! EUVS Website (Vintage Cocktail Manuals)Philip Greene’s WebsiteLockworks Tavern Event (RSVP: info@lockworkstavern.com)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
Our guest today, Brian Grossman, the Chief Brewer and second-generation brewery owner at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., reveals why even one of the biggest brands in beer still relies on the "last line of defense" to survive. If you don't listen to the end, you’ll keep dropping the ball in the final inch of service, leaving thousands in tips and repeat business on the table while your competitors master the details you're currently ignoring.It’s common to treat the product as a commodity rather than a sequence of high-stakes interactions. You are likely failing the "ands versus buts" test, where one neglected detail like a leaf-blown walkway or a detergent-stained glass negates years of brand-building and precision. This episode provides the corrective framework to move from a "good enough" mentality to an elite standard of execution that forces customers to reorder, return, and recommend.Sierra Nevada is a legend in the brewery world. Not only did they kickstart the craft brewing movement, but even to this day they remain a 100% family owned and operated business. If you care about beer, this episode is for you.Expect to Learn:The "Ands vs. Buts" framework that determines if a guest becomes a lifelong fan or a one-time visitor.Why the specific size of a can is the secret weapon for maintaining the "target temperature" of a premium pilsner.A thing or two about non-alcoholic beer brewingWhy your dishwasher’s blue cheese detergent is the hidden enemy of a perfect head of foam.The "Triangle of Brewing" that balances art and science with one unconventional third pillar to ensure staying power.Links:Sierra Nevada Official WebsiteRoomSierra Nevada Taprooms and Tastings (Chico, CA & Mills River, NC)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
It seems like success in the bar should come from better drinks, faster service, or stronger pours. Bobby “G” has all those things (except maybe the stronger pours), but thinks there’s more to that idea. This episode explores the real driver of success behind the bar: hospitality first, precision second, ego last. Bobby “G” Gleason, a USBG Master Mixologist and former Beam Suntory ambassador, shares the exact mindset, systems, and habits that took him from barback to global authority. If you want to know what true mastery sounds like, consistent cocktails, loyal guests, and long term leverage in the hospitality industry, this conversation delivers the roadmap most people never get.Expect to learn:Why chasing tips is the fastest way to limit your incomeThe barback skill that predicts who becomes eliteHow to build drinks that guarantee repeat ordersThe 2-1-2-1 formula that fixes unbalanced cocktails instantlyWhy most bartenders lose guests without realizing itLinks:USBG (United States Bartenders Guild)Mixology Made EasyBeam Suntory PortfolioGet in touch with Andrew for rare whiskeyService 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 bar owners believe great cocktails, expensive interiors, and beautiful design create successful bars. The thing is, you see a lot of expensive, empty bars out there though…The real performance engine of a bar is workflow. When bartenders are forced to walk, reach, bend, or share equipment unnecessarily, service slows down, guest experience collapses, and operators quietly lose massive amounts of revenue. In this episode, world renowned bar designer Tobin Ellis explains why most bars are built without understanding how bartenders actually work, how poor layouts damage bartender health and performance, and how small design decisions can cost a venue hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. If you care about hospitality, bar profitability, bartender longevity, or building a serious beverage program, this episode reveals the surprisingly simple truth of bar design: maybe we should design bars for the people working in them.Expect to Learn:Why most bars are accidentally designed to slow bartenders downThe “Zero Step” principle that makes bartenders dramatically fasterHow poor bar layouts quietly destroy profits during peak hoursWhy mirrored bar stations confuse bartender muscle memoryThe simple design mistakes that force bartenders to run laps all nightLinks:Bar Design Essentials by Tobin EllisStudio BarmagicFollow Tobin Ellis 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.Wine#64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar AboveAs always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.Cheers
Some of the most influential people in the cocktail world started the exact opposite way. Making drinks by color. Recreating drinks that already existed...and hoping nobody noticed.Before the awards. Before running one of the most famous cocktail bars in the world. Before menus with dozens of original drinks, we have a story of trying one’s luck in Arizona. Testing the waters in New York…let's say slightly over her head. Sleeping on an air mattress, commuting across the city, and learning everything the hard way.In this conversation, Jillian Vose explains how relentless work ethic, curiosity, and brutal honesty about failure pushed her from chaotic college bar shifts to helping lead one of the most respected cocktail programs on earth.Along the way she shares things only a world class BAMF can. If you care about hospitality, leadership, drink creation, or building something meaningful in this industry, missing this conversation would be a mistake.Because the difference between good and great bartenders is not talent.It is how they learn, show up, and keep fighting, day after day.Expect to learn:Why most bartenders misunderstand what actually makes a great drinkHow elite bartenders develop intuition for flavor and balanceThe hidden complexity behind designing world-class cocktail menusWhy guest experience matters more than technical perfectionLinks:Jillian Vose InstagramCocktail Omakase (Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality)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
The people who actually built the modern cocktail renaissance understood something most bartenders still miss:Great drinks do not build great bars, hospitality does.In this episode Tony Abou-Ganim shares the real story behind the cocktail revival. From learning behind the bar of a family tavern in Michigan to designing the cocktail program for the Bellagio. Along the way he explains why classic cocktails matter, why many modern bars lost the guest experience, and how the next generation of bartenders can rebuild something better.If you think great cocktails are about creativity, ingredients, or trends, this episode will challenge that assumption and replace it with a deeper understanding of what actually makes a bar unforgettable. Expect to Learn:The drink that made Tony decide to become a bartenderWhy the Bellagio became one of the most important stages in cocktail historyThe hospitality mistake modern cocktail bars keep makingWhy vodka became misunderstood in craft cocktail cultureThe philosophy great bartenders use to turn first time guests into regularsLinks:Tony Abou-Ganim on InstagramModern MixologistVodka DistilledThe Brass Rail BarHelen David Relief FundService 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
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
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