Bar Hacks

On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt welcomes Brian Evans, Director of Bars for Sunday Hospitality Group, the team behind Sunday in Brooklyn, Rule of Thirds, The Dynamo Room, and several concepts inside New York City's iconic Hotel Chelsea. Brian shares his journey from working in coffee shops in Arkansas to developing cocktail programs across New York and Los Angeles. Along the way...

What happens when an app built to make spirits pricing more transparent joins forces with a marketplace for buying, selling, and collecting rare bottles? On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt welcomes Scott Manning, Head of Product at Baxus and co-founder of BoozApp, to discuss the evolution of both platforms. Scott shares the story behind BoozApp, the decision to join Baxus, and what th...

What does it take to open one of New York City's most in-demand restaurants and then make it better after the doors open? On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt sits down with Bar Hacks: ReFire co-host Bradley Knebel, general manager of Ambassador's Clubhouse NYC, to talk about the work behind opening and leading a restaurant with enormous expectations from day one. Bradley traces...

What happens when 10 nearly forgotten rye seeds become the foundation for a distinctly New York whiskey? On this episode of Bar Hacks , host David Klemt sits down with New York Distilling Company founder Allen Katz and creative director Jamie Gordon to explore the intersection of distilling, cocktail culture, creativity, and hospitality in Brooklyn. Allen shares the remarkable story behind Horton...

On this episode, David sits down with strategy and design expert Anita Modha to look beyond logos, colors, and Instagrammable moments to what actually makes a hospitality brand memorable. Anita explains why great design starts with vision, culture, research, and a deep understanding of the people a brand intends to serve—and why the visual identity should be the final expression of that work, not...

When Kyle Jones decided to open a craft cocktail bar in the Bahamas, he faced several challenges: the logistics of equipment procurement and maintenance; getting his hands on premium spirits and other drink ingredients; explaining craft cocktails to local hospitality professionals and bargoers; and a three-month training program. Overcoming those challenges has paid off, however. Bon Vivants enjoy...

ALB Vodka has been experiencing significant growth and forming key partnerships through a few powerful tactics: they listen to operators, chefs, bartenders and partners, and they innovate while remaining authentic and true to themselves. That is, in part, what got Bar Hacks host David Klemt interested in speaking with Brian Grimsley of ALB Vodka. However, there's more to the brand's story,...

Every successful beverage brand has an origin story. For Owl's Brew, it began with tea, craft cocktails, and a commitment to doing things differently. On this episode of Bar Hacks , we're joined by the founders of Owl's Brew, Maria Littlefield and Jennie Ripps. Our conversation includes the story of a visit to a New York City hotel bar that unexpectedly validated their product, why dis...

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...