Bar Manager at Allegory

Stay a student. Recognize that you can’t carry everything alone. Everything will come when it’s supposed to. And most importantly, never miss the milestones of the people who matter most… no job is worth missing a monumental family moment.

When hiring, I look for proactive, nice, kind and friendly people. They also have to have the willingness to learn. We can (try to) teach all the other stuff.

I think personality traits are most important part of being successful in this job. Being hospitable, nice/kind, caring and helpful. A lot of skills are easy to learn, but it's hard to fake a personality. However, if I have to choose a few skills, it’s definitely the ability to multi-task, stay cool under pressure, and ability to learn.

I find inspiration through my friends and industry friends. Everybody is constantly doing dope things and growing. It’s really inspiring to see. Also, going to bar conferences like Tales of The Cocktail, where bars from all over the world show up and show out.

To prevent burnout, I try to make sure to always have at least 2 hours before work to do something that I want to do. Usually, that’s the gym. On my days off, I love to go get a massage or facial, cook dinner, and find a feel good show.

Very random, but for fun I listen to The Joe Budden Podcast and Murder, Mystery and Makeup by Bailey Sarian. For bartender news, I listen to Bartender at Large by Erick Castro and read Bartender Magazine.

Our team is truly a self-motivated group of people. We take pride in what we do. It’s actually amazing. Not sure how we all got so lucky to all be working towards the same goal.

I’d tell my younger self not to listen to people saying the occupation you dream of doesn’t pay enough. Also, go to that out-of-state university.

If you're struggling, find a community. There’s so many people who are willing to help build you up.

Urbana had a huge impact on my career because that’s where I learned about craft cocktails. I didn’t even know how to make a proper whiskey sour (to use egg white). Allegory is where I really grew into who I am today, where I learned about another world in the bartending industry.

To continuously improve in this career, I'm not afraid to ask questions from people who have the answers. I also make sure to make it to bartender conferences (TOTC, BCB, Tiki by the Sea, and experiences.) Buying and reading my cocktail books also keeps me learning.

We won US Best Bar Team and recently, Worlds Best Cocktail Menu. We’ve been recognized for many things, including on North America’s 50 Best Bars. We did that as a collective team, not as individuals.

Having a diverse team with different backgrounds is the best. We’re always learning from each other, whether it's sharing ingredients from where we are from, flavor ideas, or even new languages. But more than that, a lot of us know what it’s like to feel like the underdog just because of the color of our skin. That shared experience gives us a real sense of empathy and unity. It brings us together, keeps us looking out for each other, and makes it that much easier to rally around the same goal. We aren’t pulling each other down.