Bar Hacks

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...

On the second episode of Bar Hacks: ReFire, host David Klemt (KRG Hospitality) and co-host Bradley Knebel (Empowered Hospitality) chat about three real-world restaurant and bar situations. The duo discuss guest perception, F&B influencer culture and marketing, "firing" problematic customers (a distinction is made between guest and customer), and more through the analysis of three stories pulle...

Welcome to the first episode of Bar Hacks: ReFire ! We've changed the standard Bar Hacks format to address real-life hospitality industry issues. We're also introducing a co-host to help provide different insights and perspectives: Bradley Knebel, client services director at Empowered Hospitality. Bradley has 20 years of experience in hospitality, including ten years with Danny Meyer's Union Squar...

Social media can seem daunting to some people. Where do you start? How often should you post? What kind of posts should you put out there? And what channels do you need to use? To answer these questions (and more), we asked Zachary Helsel if he'd come on the podcast. Zack will be the first to tell you that he's made all the mistakes one can make when building their social media presence. However,...

Just weeks after speaking with design legend Roger Thomas we were given the opportunity to speak with Alex Woogmaster. Alex is one of Roger's protégés, and the former creative director for Wynn Resorts. Toward the end of 2019, Alex founded Woogmaster Studio, the design agency for which he is also creative director. Interestingly, Las Vegas wasn't on his radar. In fact, neither was interior design;...

Psychotherapist, soon-to-be organizational psychologist, and former bartender Laura Louise Green drops by the Bar Hacks podcast to talk about a very important topic: burnout. The hospitality industry has been taking strides to address many of the challenges that affect hospitality professionals' physical, mental, and emotional health. Burnout is one of the many dangerous issues we all face, yet we...

Real Las Vegas royalty stopped by the Bar Hacks podcast! That's not hyperbole: Roger Thomas truly changed the face of Las Vegas and how people approaching gaming around the world over his 40-year career. While Roger has made "cameo" appearances on projects for clients here and there, he really worked for a single client, building the Mirage, the Bellagio, and Wynn and Encore resorts...

Let's tech and point-of-sale systems! Adam Howe, solutions engineer at GoTab, popped in to talk to host David Klemt about what the platform can do for operators. GoTab is a feature-rich, operator- and guest-focused POS that, interestingly, can run on basically any operating system. That means that it's very likely an operator looking to switch POS platforms already has hardware that can ru...

Marybeth Shaw is the chief creative officer at Wolf-Gordon, an American design company that provides wallcoverings, wall protection, upholstery, paint, and more. Shaw has achieved an MBA from NYU Stern, an M. Arch. from the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville, an MCP from MIT, and, most recently, an MBA. Further, she earned the HiP Award for Creative Direction from Interior Design in 2017, an...

When we were given the opportunity to speak with a guest about sake, we jumped at it. Ryan Johnson is the head sommelier at Umu, a Michelin Starred Japanese restaurant in London. He looks after an inventory of more than 140 sakes while also remembering the preferences of guests who expect high-level service. During this conversation Ryan shares how he went from commis sommelier to head sommelier;...

We're excited to welcome Matthias Ingelmann, bars manager at KOL Mezcaleria in London, back to the Bar Hacks podcast! We first spoke to Matthias on episode 106, mostly about KOL, one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, and his role as the bars manager. This time, however, we're learning about mezcal. Matthias breaks down styles of mezcal, regions (including the fact that mezcal is made...

We're excited to share some huge news with you! There's a brand-new hospitality industry and F&B conference launching later this month in Cincinnati. So, we thought it would be a fantastic idea to sit down with co-founder Sarah Engstrand to learn all about it. The inaugural edition of Flyover Conference takes place from Monday, June 24 to Tuesday, June 25. During the day, attendees wil...

We love a savvy operator here at Bar Hacks and KRG Hospitality. Juan Please Drink Company co-founder Pete Flores certainly falls into that category. For several years, Flores was sure someone would bring a simple-but-delicious drink to the RTD space: lemonade and tea with a tequila base. Yet, that prediction never did come to pass. So, as Flores says, realizing that door was open, he stepped throu...

We had the opportunity to speak with Ana Rosenstein, the CEO of Amante 1530, and leapt at the chance. This new amaro is an interesting entry into the space, hitting more than one sweet spot. For example, Aperol is 11% ABV, while Campari ranges from 24-29% ABV. Amante 1530 is bottled at 15-percent ABV (and there could be a higher-proof version in the cards as the brand grows). Further, Amante 1530...

The New Orleans Spirits Competition returns to Tales of the Cocktail for its third edition! NOSC's competition has an interesting and unique element born from a focus on transparency: public tasting and feedback. To learn more about this competition we sat down with Wayne Curtis, head judge and spirits writer, and Matthew Sharpe, director of operations and hospitality veteran. During this conv...

The fantastic Anne Becerra returns to the Bar Hacks podcast! Anne is also returning to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, this year. That incredible event takes place from June 14 to June 16. In addition to talking about the Food & Wine Classic, Anne and Bar Hacks host David Klemt chat about beer styles to check out and put on your menu now; service and turning non-beer drinkers o...

Sponsored by Perrier, North America's 50 Best Bars is returning to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on April 23. The 2024 ceremony represents the third edition of North America's 50 Best Bars. And who better to share details about the upcoming ranking than Emma Sleight, Head of Content: Bars & Hotels for World's 50 Best? Emma dropped by the Bar Hacks podcast to talk about the 2024 ce...

We know, we know—it's April 1 and we usually only release episodes on Tuesdays. However, this isn't a joke episode. Tales of the Cocktail Foundation really does want your help on an important research project. The TOTCF began studying the relationship between bartenders and brands last year. Now, they're partnering with IWSR, Drinks Market Research to dive even further into this topic....