Buy Back Podcast

Lisa and John delve deeper into their cups at Joe and Aria's apartment, talking about first drinks, camp!, and fun times.

Join John and Alex as they discuss the real history of Santacon, the dos and don'ts of Santacon, and brainstorm ways to enjoy the event without causing too much chaos.

This week, John and returning guest Lisa are invited to the home of beer rep Joe, and Lisa's co-worker at Mosaic and Bar Dalia, Aria. Over a bottle (or two) of whiskey, they track Aria's journey through the bars and restaurants of New York City from summer pizza jobs to being the go-to girl in Astoria. The discussion then takes a turn to the importance of bar communities and how going to b...

Join John and Alex as they talk about traditions, Blackout Wednesday, and upcoming surprises!

Join John as he talks with Jasmine about her wild experiences in the Atlanta hospitality and bar scene. And for you movie soundtrack fans, do we have a treat for you!

Sam and his sister, returning guest Elena (episode 51) sit down with John at a live and undisclosed location and chat about Sam's meteoric rise through the service industry. They also discuss quite possibly the worst day anyone could have bartending and the importance of snacks for a bartender's mental health.

From faces frozen in glass to encouraging spirits, this episode contains all the horrible, heartwarming, and haunting stories from some of your favorite bartenders and servers. John even drops a little of his own lore into the podcast. This is a thrill ride we've been dying to share with you. Welcome to Buy Back Ghost Stories.

Join John and Alex as they kick off spooky season in bars where murders happened, serial killers frequented, and mob bosses stashed dead bodies. This episode is a twist on The Buy Back fan favorite haunted bars episode!

In this special GIANT SIZED Buy Back (call it a double) Season Finale, Andrew from DeNucci's in Highland Park outside Chicago sits down with both John and Alex and causes absolute chaos. The threesome has known each other since middle school and it shows. Tune in as they talk about the origins of their friendship, and how Andrew got the bartending bug. Andrew also offers some solid advice, lies on...

Crystal returns this week to talk about her personal war with raccoons, Funky Cold Medinas, and Covid's effect on local business. She also may have been witness to a failed murder, AND ALSO planned John's murder? It's unclear. Bees? They had so much fun chatting, they actually had to hop on a second call this week!

Crystal has worked in every type of bar possible, including a few you've never heard of. In this Part 1 of 2, Crystal charts her journey from bev cart golf girl getting flirty with those over sixty, to managing one of Queens' top bars, to mom of two, and back behind the pine.

Alec returns for Part 2 at the Starchild Rooftop, where he takes us behind the scenes to a cast party of one of TV's hottest shows. He and John dig deeper into the box of booze, and we get a rundown of his drinking history with ONE unfortunate beer that puts him out.

In this week's Part 1 of 2, Alec Kass—an old acting buddy and now the Corporate Beverage Manager of Carver Road Hospitality Group—sits down with John at one of his bars (Starchild Rooftop at the Civilian Hotel). Listen in as John and Alec weave through their intermingled history together, and John reveals the TRUE story of how he started working in bars. Spoiler: It involves Alec, his mom, and...

Natasha, Carlo, and John all met at the now-defunct sports (read: absolute dive) bar called Duren. Natasha was bartending, Carlo was DJing, and John was drinking after a shift at the Blind Pig. It's been almost 10 years, and now Natasha and Carlo have overseen the opening of the much classier Bateman's in Manhattan, and John is still drinking. Join them this week for a walk down memory lan...

In this week's episode, John's American ego is exposed, while Liz from Piranha Bar in Montreal patiently explains all things Canada. Listen as they talk about French acrobats, some epic music, and maybe even a little Jim Henson.

While IMDB knows him best as Mickey McGinnes on AMC's Hell on Wheels, and his family knows him best as Phillip, John knows him best as his bartending buddy from the trenches of the Blind Pig in the mid-2000s. Join these two old friends as they sit down and chat about the Santa-Con shenanigans and sometimes the overwhelming darkness of working behind the pines.

This week on The Buy Back, Dustin gives up a life as a lion tamer in Zimbabwe (for some reason) and moves to New Jersey (for some reason) to become one of the coolest cocktail kids on the block. He runs the cocktail menu at the newly opened Sunrise Tequila Bar just off the Atlantic City boardwalk in Margate, and is just an all-around cool cat.

Join John and Alex as they get a little nerdy and discuss bars where some of the most famous authors frequented. In this episode we discover just how much we both like Ernest Hemingway and how he always seemed to be at a bar somewhere in the world.

Nick, a founder of Mover and Shaker Co. joins John this week to talk about running a social media empire, guest bartending around the country, and managing sobriety in a tough industry.

The hilarious Amber, a professional K.J., down at the Texas Rose in Beaumont, Texas, joins John this week for a slightly more musical than usual episode. Join them as they become fast friends talking about Jenga, karaoke, and, as always, fecal matter. And as an added bonus this week—all you New Yorkers—there's a mystery we need your help solving!

Alya from Solas in Manhattan tells John and returning-season-1-guest Aly about the 20+ bars she's worked in and the Popeye-like powers she gains from spinach.

Join John as he interviews Bree from Pole Katz and learn what it's like to bartend and serve in a strip club.

Christen and Keiran talk to John about the Astoria bar friendships they made and all John wants to do is make out with everyone.

Join John as he interviews Christen from Blackbirds and Kieran from the Goat.

Join John as he interviews Danny (and Jess) in Sicily!