Bar Stars Happy Hour

Communication is one of the most important things in business, especially the hospitality and service industries. However, many people don't pay too much attention to it, and figure it just comes natural. We believe communication is a skill. Talking to strangers is not always easy, and everyone is different. In this episode, we discuss the art of communication, and give our Top 5 tips on how...

In part two with Brad Kaplan, we discuss the name of his new podcast, 3 stars, and why he specifically chose the number 3. You might be surprised by the answer. We also talk about customer service as a whole, the overall power of yelp reviews, and the importance of handling bad service. We get deep on comic book characters, their origin, and what they really have meant to people throughout the cou...

In this episode we talk with 3-time TGIFridays World Championship finalist, Corporate Trainer, and Podcast Host, Brad Kaplan. We discuss how Brad went from wanting to be a high school teacher, to working his way up tending bar in a bowling alley, learning to flair, competing at the highest level, running competitions and seminars, and now blasting bad Yelp reviews as co-host of the successful, 3 S...

In this episode, we talk with bartender, and new start-up owner, Brian Brubaker from Detroit, Michigan. He has worked in many varieties of bars and nightclubs, and is now branching out on his own and started Infusion Bartending, a bartending service for all your special events and covering all your needs with professionalism,  a little bit of flair. We discuss how Covid has affected the nightclub...

In this insightful episode, we break down some of the do's and don't's of happy hour etiquette, suggest some tips to make the most of your next happy hour, and share some first hand experience of how to properly set up your bar for success. We discuss happy hour from both sides of the bar, including what not to do. We share our tips and tricks of quality bar service, and give some s...

In this episode we talk with long time friend, Jason Wood. We discuss how he went from traveling all over the world with the metal core band, It Dies Today, to becoming one of the biggest bartenders in the cocktail scene in Buffalo, NY. We talk about his new love for woodworking, his current bar Misuta Chows, and how he got into making custom pins for liquor brands and individual special occasions...

In this very insightful Happy Hour, we sit down with one of the opening day flair bartenders at the brand new Circa Resort in Las Vegas, and our close friend of many years, Behnam Gerami. We discuss everything from the beginning of Area 51 Flair, the Mamba Mentality of Kobe Bryant, who his heroes were growing up, and the difficulties coming to America as a young boy from Iran. We also talk about s...

In this Happy Hour we talk with one of our closest friends, Kevin Casteel. Kevin is from Memphis, Tennessee, but has been a long time bartender in Las Vegas at such places as Fitzgeralds, Rio, and is currently at the Linq Hotel and Casino. In celebration of the Greatest Of All Time, We discuss what the number 23, Sambuca, Michael Jordan, and not buying him a cocktail all have in common! Its a damn...

In this Happy Hour, we are privileged to sit down with the Mad Mixologist, life-long bartender, magician, ringmaster, and inventor, Dean Serneels. Dean is the inventor of the Flairco flair bottle, the portable flair bar, and the dazzling floating tin bar trick. We discuss the origins, and early days, of the flair bottle, and what bottle, or bottles, it was really designed after. We talk about the...

In this episode, we do a taste test of some lesser know hard seltzers and get hilariously off track at times! We discuss whether or not Die hard is really a Christmas movie, talk about our favorite holiday movies, and a bunch of other random topics, ridiculousness, and banter! We also play a game of would you rather, find out who of us likes egg nog, and the nickname Frank has for it. And, a cheer...

In Part 2 of this incredibly honest, and vulnerable, interview with Chris Cardone, we discuss some sensitive topics in the industry including sobriety, hitting rock bottom, personal perception, and all the pitfalls that lurk in the bar and restaurant industry. He candidly shares 4 incredible stories of hallucinations while drinking that finally made him realize he needed a life change, and how he...

In part one, of our first two-part episode, we talk with Chris Cardone, bartender extrordinaire at I Sodi in New York City. He is also the winner of the 2017 Diageo World Class Cocktail Competition in the U.S., and represented the United States in the World Finals. We discuss the global pandemic in a city as populous as New York,  what bars and restaurants are creatively doing to keep their busine...

In our first in-person, and on premise Happy Hour, We talk with Cody Tomboli! He is the Co-Owner/Managing Partner of the multiple award winning Bar Code Burger Bar, and the brand new, Gambit Henderson. He’s doing some really great things locally in Las Vegas. We discuss the difficulties of trying to open a new bar during a pandemic, we candidly address a ridiculous “city shutdown” Instagram post b...

In this Happy Hour, we get to talk with a staple in the Bar and Cocktail scene, Travis Tober. He is the owner of the multiple award winning bar, Nickel City in Austin, TX and he has a brand new location in Fort Worth, TX. He is also the Global Brand Ambassador, and Consultant, for Aviation Gin. We discuss how to create an amazing cocktail program while realizing that it may not necessarily be all...

In this Happy Hour, we have the absolute pleasure of talking with a rockstar, award-winning, bartender from West Palm Beach, Florida! He is the CEO of Flairbar.com, Barwars LLC, and www.cocktails4hire.com , Mr. Rob Husted. We discuss how he created a wildly successful pop-up bar program called Tiki-Ono, his drive to educate bartenders to ensure they know all aspects of the industry to make them th...

In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite bars, one of a kind experiences, and new hot spots we’ve been to throughout our travels in this episode, “Destinations & Libations, Vol.1”. We share reviews of some of the absolute best places we’ve visited, the stories that happened while we were there, and the most amazing hospitality experiences one could ever have. We’ll also discuss a bu...

This week we talk with one of the newest members of the brand new Circa Hotel and Resort Flair Bartending team, Hector Arias. We discuss his path from a small town in Argentina, to the bright lights of Las Vegas. He talks about his inspiration to be a great flair bartender, his dream to work in Las Vegas, and how working on cruise ships gave him all the experience he needed to fulfill his dreams....

In this Happy Hour, we are joined by World Renowned Flair Bartender Tim "Flippy" Morris. We talk everything from flipping bottles to flipping trucks! We get an exclusive, rarely told story, just for our Bar Stars Happy Hour listeners! We discuss when flair changed for him, his love for Taco Bell and Mountain Dew, and his philosophy on how to never have a bad day. He also tells a story of...

Do you want a free massage? Of course you do! Listen now to find out how to enter to win one! In this episode, we officially introduce our first sponsor! We are so excited to partner with this great company and chat with Erica Krupp of Rx+ Massage! We talk about being a new business owner, all the services her team provide, and really get into the 5 forms of self-care. We talk about what those loo...

In this Happy Hour, we're getting relational as we talk with our good friends, and Industry Professionals, Bri and Danny Walters. Do you want to know how to make a relationship work in the service and hospitality industry? It's not as easy as it seems! What are the pros and cons to dating someone you work with, or in the same industry as you? Would you like to hear about the most importa...

In this episode, we get the pleasure of talking to the man with the velvety smooth voice named Carnell Johnson. He's known to Vegas Golden Knights hockey fans as "Vegas Golden Pipes", but he is much more than that. We discuss how that opportunity came to be, which country star he was preferred over, and what it's really like to walk out on the ice and perform. We talk about a c...

In this episode we talk with entrepreneurs Dane and Marissa Pretkus, owners of Horse Trailer Hideout. We discuss the birth of an idea on the cliffs of Hawaii, to seeing their vision come to life in the city of Las Vegas. From homemade syrups, to straws made of hay, they are as eco-friendly as it comes! We also find out how they went from the local bar grind to being rising entrepreneurs, how makin...

In this weeks episode of Bar Stars Happy Hour, we talk with local Las Vegas graveyard bartender, and meme master, Frank Colunga. We discuss what it takes to get put in Facebook jail, we "fill the seats" with his favorite super hero, and discuss the impact of the tragic death of Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman. Frank and Tom also square off in a riveting game of "who would rather&quo...

We take this episode of Bar Stars Happy Hour for ourselves. We tell our listeners a little more about us, our backgrounds, where we're from, and how we got to where we are now. We relate to everything going on in our industries right now and open up with a game of "This or That." We also candidly address the bar closures in Las Vegas, the hypocrisy of the government's rules and...

In this episode of Bar Stars Happy Hour, we talk with Aaron "Dom" Domanik. We discuss his journey from Detroit, Michigan to Las Vegas, his desire to always be a bartender in Las Vegas, and his back-and-forth battle with Covid-19. We'll also hear how he got the nickname "Snuggle", his favorite way to spend $100, and play along with the ultimate game of This or That. Do not...