Reality Check

Last month, I ran into a beverage colleague of mine, one greatly respected in the Atlanta community, and by myself included.

“Hi, where are you working now?” she cheerfully greeted.

“I’m not behind the bar now, just focusing on other things for a bit.”

“Well, when you’re ready to get back behind the bar again, let me know; we’re opening back to in-person, May 3rd, and we just miss having people there, the sound of tins shaking…everything!!”

I politely smiled, nodded, and thank you’d. I know this friend meant well. And yes, of course, I miss some of those things, too. But, I don’t miss what they represent: “going back to the way things used to be.” 

Cause that shit was fucked up. 

So, America is opening the fuck back up, wow. And hey, that’s cool, you want to open a bar. Investors are lined up, silent owners in place—do what you want, right? I’m not saying I’m here to shit on your dreams, but to maybe shit on your dreams a little. Before you proceed, please ask yourself the following:

Progress

-Did you read anything about the industry this past year?

-Did you listen to, participate in, or observe the conversations in the industry?

-Have you read something a little bit “radical”?

-Do you still think the customer is always right?

-Do you insist on the tired cliché that everyone in your business is family?

Culture

-Have you educated yourself about the history of the spirits, ingredients, and drinks you want to take inspiration from? If not, how do you plan to do so? 

-Are you open to feedback from BIPOC bartenders and beverage professionals? Have you educated yourself on the history of Black bartenders, drink makers, and hospitality professionals in America?

-How do you learn from other hospitality and beverage professionals that don’t look like you? 

-Do you just want to make drinks that fuse cultures and taste good? 

-Are you continuing to fetishize and romanticize colonialism, I mean, “Tiki”?

-Are you just going to reconfigure old drinks from Harry Craddock and The Savoy Cocktail Book? Did you know that a woman, Ada “Coley” Coleman, was actually running the American Bar there, before Harry forced her out because he couldn’t compete with her? She’s responsible for the Hanky Panky and the Tailspin, by the way…two drinks that need no updated specs.

Humanity

-How will you get to know employees and ensure that you develop a truly healthy relationship with each of them?

-What’s your plan to ensure your employees have a living wage? How often will they be working for $2.13/hour, ahem, sorry, nothing, when tips are off the clock? Do you believe in compensating staff for meetings, cleanings, just like any other industry would?

-Do you set personal and professional boundaries? How will you provide an environment that facilitates work-life balance and boundaries?

-Will you have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment, regardless of gender and sexual identity? [If no, please stop here.] How do you plan to create a safe work environment for non-male identifying, LGBTQIA+, non-binary, and Black and BIPOC persons?

-Do you have an HR department? Might there be some conflicts of interest, like I don’t know…say…HR is the same person cutting the checks? 

-How will you give back to, and invest in your employees? Are you familiar with workforce development opportunities and employee compensation that isn’t just scheduling someone for the “best shifts?”

-If you’re not providing traditional benefits like health insurance, retirement, or paid time off, how will you help fill the gap for your staff? 

-Have you educated yourself about triple bottom line businesses, open book management, or other soft benefits like educational, promotional, and networking opportunities? 

-Do you know of resources in your city or local community that could support your staff with their needs and growth? And not that same one that everyone already knows about? If not, how do you plan on finding that out? 

-How will you keep your workers a priority when business isn’t so good?

Graphic by Meredith Elder
Image of Tom Bullock from The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock

Sustainability

-How will you foster a sustainable work space for not just ingredients, beverages, and food but for, I don’t know, maybe, um... humans, yeah those things? 

-How might you support other local food producers, makers, and businesses?

-Do you insist on running your bar your way, that you have all the right answers, without feedback or input from your staff? 

-If you were trying to figure out how to run your bar in a pandemic, would you consult your staff and make decisions with them, especially if one of them happened to have worked for the CDC?

-Will you just brush off issues like hazardous slip areas that employees continuously warn you about by insisting they simply don’t have proper, slip resistant footwear?

-Will you insist that your staff bust their ass, “give it their all”, while not earning a living wage, when what you’re really asking them is “how fast would you like to burnout with the unattainable perfectionism of our steps of service?”

Community

-What is your plan to be a part of the community your bar is in? How are you going to give back to and foster community?

-How will you be welcoming, accessible, and affordable to your local community, people, and neighbors? 

-Does your bar team and staff look like the community your bar is a part of? If not, why do you think that is? 

Privilege

-Will you just be hiring your friends and everyone else you know to work there? 

-Especially if you’re a white man, are you hiring all your male buddies to work there? 

-Will all your bartenders be white men with sleeve tattoos? Are all people in leadership positions white, or cis men?

-How can you create opportunities to include and welcome young people to work there and grow with the business?

But wait a minute… that’s right, you guessed it, there’s more! How might your bar be contributing to gentrification in the neighborhood? Are you okay with uncomfortable conversations about race, harm, inequity, and justice? Have you committed yourself to growth and development experiences for which you compensate educators, consultants,  or colleagues for their time, for harassment, bystander, or anti-racism trainings? Have you taken time to reflect on harmful moments, actions, or spaces you were part of—whether willingly or not—and made efforts to be accountable for yourself?

If these questions have you feeling hesitant, uncomfortable, or annoyed…good! You should feel all these things with your desire to open a new bar, or any business. If not, you may want to get that checked out.

You might be thinking, ok great, Cole, cool, sorry, the dollars just aren’t there, the time ain’t there for my bar, my business. I’m thinking, okay, great, maybe you shouldn’t be open at all.