Bar Hacks

On this episode of Bar Hacks, David Klemt sits down with Kapri Robinson and Princess Johnson of Allegory in Washington, DC, for a conversation that goes far beyond cocktails. Together, they explore what makes DC's bar scene unique, why it deserves recognition alongside cities like New York, Chicago, and Miami, and how strong hospitality begins with strong teams. From designing thoughtful cockt...

Artist, operator, bartender, mixologist, distiller, creator... Ektoras Binikos wears a lot of hats. That said, he wears them under the unifying umbrella of hospitality. Not long after arriving in NYC from Greece, he started making a name for himself. By 2019, Ektoras was ready to open the doors to his own bar, Sugar Monk. He and his team overcame significant challenges, including navigating shutdo...

Mike Bausch, one of the first certified master pizzaiolos in America, was also one of the first guests host David Klemt ever talked with on the Bar Hacks podcast. He dropped by five years ago for episode 18. Now, he returns for episode 151. If you operate a pizzeria or have pizza on your menu, and if you really want to cut through the BS and succeed in this highly competitive area of F&B, Mike...

Episode number 150! Thank you for listening, subscribing, liking, and sharing. Without you, we wouldn't have reached this milestone. To celebrate, we're tackling a topic we haven't talked about on the podcast before: audio, lighting, and video. On this episode, David speaks with a friend of around 20 years, Josh Mierly. Josh is a freelance production manager for live touring acts, mean...

Will Brooks, Global Ambassador for Tequila Herradura, returns to the podcast. This time, he and host David Klemt dig deeper into tequila as a category and Herradura as a producer. The two discuss Lowland vs. Highland agave, what gives Herradura its unique "fingerprint," sustainability efforts, ensuring innovation is a benefit rather than a branding exercise, and another tasting trick (la...

James Beard Award-winning cocktail authors, educators, and bar and drinks aficionados Emma Janzen and Toby Maloney drop by the Bar Hacks podcast to chat about their new book, The Classic Cocktail Sessions . The duo share how they first linked up to begin collaborating with one another, the motivation behind writing and shooting the photos for The Classic Cocktail Sessions, writing a book about cla...

"Respect the ingredients and the cocktail will respect you back." Fresh off of the grand opening of Despacho Margarita in Mexico City, co-owner Oscar Valle drops by the Bar Hacks podcast to chat with host David Klemt. Oscar shares how the core team came together, the vision for Despacho Margarita, how they're focusing on finding people with a real thirst for learning to build out the...

Not every hospitality story is about scaling, venture money, or the newest concept. Some are about staying power. In this episode, David talks with Kathy Quast, co-owner of Roman Spa Hot Springs Resort in Calistoga, a family-owned resort that has welcomed guests for 50 years. Built around the town’s geothermal mineral pools and Napa Valley wine country, the property has spent decades doing somethi...

Finian Sedgwick returns to the podcast with something he’s dreamed about for years: his own Irish whiskey brand. After years in hospitality and the spirits business, he has officially launched Black Emerald Irish Whiskey with partners Ernest Cantillon and Simon Zebo. Following its debut late last year in Ireland and Australia, Black Emerald is now arriving in the United States just ahead of St. Pa...

The 2026 edition of the Bar & Restaurant Expo is right around the corner (March 23–25 in Las Vegas), and this year’s show couldn’t be more timely. Before heading to Vegas, David sat down with Brandy Rand, Vice President of Questex (the producer behind the Bar & Restaurant Expo, The Hospitality Show, and the VIBE Conference) to unpack what operators should really be focused on in 2026. If y...

On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt welcomes Mike Perry, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Tavern Agency, to discuss the intricacies of branding in the hospitality and beverage industries. With Tavern Agency's focus on food, beverage, and hospitality clients, Mike shares insights from his extensive experience, including working with renowned brands like Old Grand-Dad and Sizzle...

We're back, and so is Chef Brian Duffy! Host David Klemt, partner and senior consultant at KRG Hospitality, and Chef Duffy haven't been in the same room since hanging out at Bar & Restaurant Expo 2025 back in March. So, they're overdue for a catch-up chat. The two discuss what they're seeing out in the real hospitality world, talk about the pitfalls of discounting your menu, sh...

On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt sits down with Rob Minucci, CEO and co-founder of Talkhouse Encore, a premium RTD brand inspired by the legendary dive bar Stephen Talkhouse in the Hamptons. Together, they delve into the story behind the brand's inception during the pandemic, discussing how Rob's business partner Ruby Honerkamp (whose family owns the iconic bar), sought to b...

Long-time listeners know we love it when previous guests return! On this episode, Finian Sedgwick, chief growth officer at BAXUS, comes back onto the podcast. Finian and David chat about the growth of BAXUS and the BoozApp, including new features for the peer-to-peer marketplace, popular bottles and spirits categories, and the rabbit hole members can go down when searching for items to purchase an...

We sit down with real-life bartender, actor, and social media creator Matthew Rangel (@therealmattyrangel) an hour before he needed to open one of the three bars at which he works in Wisconsin to talk neighborhood bars, dive bars, mental health, social media, and the Midwest. For those who haven't yet come across Matty's bartending videos, they're quick, funny, and relatable to anyone...

We managed to squeeze three real-world hospitality situations into episode five of ReFire ! On the last episode, David and Bradley talked about guest perception, and how the "little" things can have a big impact. This time, they discuss brand perception, and how quickly a misstep can turn into a catastrophe. Then, they talk about "skunking," and how it impacts your team. Finall...

Guest experience drives perception, and perception shapes value. As you may have already learned, perception can be impacted on what may feel trivial to operators and their teams but is incredibly important from guest to guest. On this episode of Bar Hacks: Refire , David Klemt, partner at KRG Hospitality, and co-host Bradley Knebel of Empowered Hospitality break down a real-world story of two res...

Hayden Lambert, co-founder of the unique and award-winning Above Board bar in Melbourne, Australia, pops by for an incredible chat. When Lambert would explain the reductionist philosophy behind the concept for Above Board to others in the industry, he was told it wouldn't work. Well, nearly ten years of operation, a few appearances on the World's 50 Best Bars list, and other accolades later, Above...

Jackie Williams, event vice president of Bar Convent Brooklyn, pops in to chat about this year's BCB! If you're listening to this podcast, you're likely well aware of BCB. But, just in case, this annual show, which takes place in New York City, of course, is a chance for hospitality professionals to network with peers and learn about new trends, techniques and products in the domestic and internat...

On this episode, host David Klemt sits down with William Brooks, the Global Brand Ambassador for Tequila Herradura. With a background from Johnson & Wales University and extensive experience in the spirits industry, William shares his fascinating journey from whiskey to agave. Discover the unique qualities of tequila, as William dispels common myths and misconceptions. He dives into the import...

Suomi Design Works is an award-winning hotel design studio dedicated to approaching every hospitality project with an exceptional level of creativity. In fact, Michael Suomi, president of the studio, actively seeks out unique, challenging projects. On this episode of the Bar Hacks podcast, host David Klemt chats with Michael about a number of these extraordinary projects. Further, Michael shares h...

We're back! Hosts David Klemt and Bradley Knebel tackle two real-life restaurant and bar situations in the first ReFire of 2025. The two tackle the topic of an operator who's hesitant to believe it when multiple employees claim a culinary team member is rude, hostile, and abusive...but believes that team member when they make the same accusation against a quiet but hard-working back-of-hou...

In 2008, Barbara Harmon volunteered at an outreach program for individuals with mental illness. Half of the patients attending the program wanted to work but were told by their clinical staff that the stress of working would cause more symptoms and more hospitalization. Barbara began researching organizations that helped individuals with mental illness find employment. She read an article about Fo...

Giuseppe Gallo has accomplished a lot in his two decades-plus in the hospitality and beverage spaces: he's a respected vermouth and amaro expert, the winner of the 2014 Spirited Award for Best International Brand Ambassador, an educator and drinks historian, and a bartender's bartender. Among other topics, this episode explores the creation of SAVOIA Americano (and ITALICUS). Giuseppe introduces S...

Nancy Kuemper is the founding principal interior designer and creative director at Mabel Design Co. based in Halton Hills, which is located within the Greater Toronto Area. Similarly to the approach KRG Hospitality takes to projects, Nancy's approach to interior design is transparent, structured, bold, and client-driven. As you'll learn during this episode of the Bar Hacks podcast, she's enamored...