“When receiving feedback, any feedback, this is how it should transpire (at least, this is how I do it). First of all, say thank you. Nothing is more gracious than showing someone that you’re grateful for their comments, good or bad.”
Tag: Naren Young
I encourage constant training and revision of whatever the most popular 50-100 cocktails are in your particular city and at all my bars over the years, this has been the very foundation for all other drinks. Without a grounding in the classics, you can’t, or shouldn’t, be attempting avant garde drinks that are poorly executed.
As a case study, how does a bar like The Dead Rabbit, that was once the world’s best on that list, not even make the Top 100 list?
I’ve never been one to follow any trends or do what other bars are doing. Rather, how can we attract more guests to our bar at a time when we might otherwise be quiet? And how can we do this by implementing some drinks programming that might actually help shape the identity of the bar into the future?
No matter where you ply your trade, there’s many lessons to be learnt from the pandemic as we all get accustomed to a new world order. Some things may never return to the way they were and that’s not always a bad thing.
In this day and age, as more and more bars, bartenders and bar owners are so desperate to get on the World’s 50 Best Bars list (or the newer Top 500 List, whatever that is), I know that many such people believe that international pop ups are a good way to get noticed.
“Working with brands on these strategic partnerships has become more important than ever, especially during Covid when this has become even more critical to a bar’s survival.”
“And while it may seem passé to serve tequila with lime and salt, that is actually how it is served in many Mexican cantinas so who am I to argue with that?”
‘What’s not romantic is waiting twenty minutes for a drink while the bartender has to fumble around for six different bottles. My goal is to get drinks into people’s hands as quickly as possible without sacrificing any quality, which is a win win for everyone.’
“Each of them would then get a small taste of what we would internally call ‘love’. A small welcome drink that was thoughtful, delicious and unique to us. Our go-to was a little elegant shot glass of white port and elderflower tonic with a frozen grape…”
The team at Spanton Media are eagerly awaiting the end of 2020! A year that will go down in history, that’s for damn sure. So while we sign off on the final hours, we thought we would recap some of the biggest stories of the year and tip our hats to some of the clever folks who have contributed articles in 2020. Now let’s move on to 2021!
“But only recently, I felt like I’ve needed to engage others to help me in my professional and personal life. People to mentor me. Life coaches, if you will. For anything troubling on a deeper personal level, there’s always therapy. But I, like many others, are navigating an uncertain future in our industry…”