Blu Nyle is a musician, bartender, healer and all around Renaissance person hailing from Boston. She worked in the club and bar scenes of New York and LA while pursuing a vibrant career in music. We talk pre-pandemic about the grind of multiple side hustles, leading a spiritually rich life, and being grateful for the flexibility of service work in pursuit of bigger dreams. Enjoy!
Originally from Kansas, Ari Johnson started working in restaurants after college in Austin, TX. She made it out to LA a few years later, where finding a serving gig proved just as challenging as finding acting gigs. Eventually she landed in coffee shops M Street in Sherman Oaks and Coffee Commissary in Burbank, becoming an early riser. We discuss the problem with delivery apps, how cutthroat finding a server gig can be in LA, and her new web series Friend Request, premiering on YouTube next week. Enjoy!
Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, Brandon "Bubba" Ogborn began his restaurant journey as a dishwasher at the age of fifteen. He eventually became part of the Trader Joe's family for years before landing at Restauration in Long Beach, where he once chased a crazed customer down the street. We discuss the dark side of restaurants, how waiting tables is like putting on a production, and his podcast Telephone Stories, available now on Luminary. Enjoy!
LA native and illustrator Conor FitzGerald started his restaurant career in college, doing the coffee shop grind at Peet's in Harvard Square. Eventually he moved back to LA, continuing his coffee expertise at M Street Coffee in Sherman Oaks, a local enclave for artists...and customers with "service animals." We discuss the perils of cafe tips, his life in the freelance illustrator world, and how grateful we are to be free of the service industry (for now). Enjoy!
Jeneta St. Clair started in the restaurant biz back in Indianapolis at the age of 16, closing the now defunct downtown hot spot Jillian's past midnight on school nights. She moved to LA at the age of 19 to pursue acting, eventually finding a bartending gig at the Dirty Bull Tavern in Woodland Hills. We discuss what it means to be a woman working behind a bar, the freedom that comes from leaving the service industry, and the importance of comedy in connecting us. Enjoy!
Texan Keleigh Kremers came to LA to pursue acting, landing a serving gig at none other than the infamous Saddle Ranch on Sunset. She eventually landed at pizza restaurant Stella Barra next to the Arclight movie theater, where a friendly run in with Gary Oldman left her speechless. We discuss the hustle of the entertainment business, teaching customers the art of good etiquette, and her script about women in World War 2. Enjoy!
Molly Silver starting working in restaurants in Knoxville, TN where she worked at the Mellow Mushroom pizza joint as a teenager. She then moved up to being a host at a local bistro, managing unruly out-of-town football fans. After moving to LA for acting, she landed at Gusto, a different kind of unruly crowd - the privileged elite of Beverly Hills. We discuss the importance of reading a menu, her current restaurant family and east side neighborhood gem Little Dom's, and her upcoming web series. Enjoy!
Amy Heidt started working in restaurants during college back in North Carolina, where she learned the importance of a cigarette break. She eventually moved to New York City and worked all over town, including at Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke and a small tasting room in the Chelsea Market. We discuss the harsh reality of the actor grind in New York, why we always want to wait on Mark Ruffalo, and how to zen it out before walking into a shift. Enjoy!
Originally from western Nebraska, Costa Lapaseotes began his career in food service at a Whole Foods in Chicago where he got his start in the butchery world. From there he worked around Chicago's finest meat establishments, including Standard Market and Chop Shop. We discuss whether or not to tip your butcher (yes!), the hard choice of a comedy career, and making the move from Chicago to LA. Enjoy!
Tarik Woodbine briefly worked at a Wendy's when he was a teenager, where he learned what they do with leftover meat (it's in the chili). Eventually he made it out to LA after college and worked at Mo's in Burbank, which turned out to be a wild time for the predominantly early twenties staff. We discuss why you should always tip for to-go orders, juggling both a restaurant job and working on The Santa Clarita Diet, and his new collaborative project The Collective. Enjoy!
San Diego native Victoria Truscott started working in restaurants at the age of 15, eventually making her way to LA to pursue acting after high school. Her resume includes a stint at Starbucks and Chin Chin in Beverly Hills, neighboring establishments with vastly different customer behavior. We discuss the importance of meal breaks, what happens when you deconstruct a menu item, and how waiting on Quentin Tarantino led to a featured part in his upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Enjoy!
Fellow Colorado alum Amanda Olmstead began her restaurant career as a runner at the fancy Boulder restaurant Flagstaff House, where she donned a tuxedo uniform and tried to avoid classmates. After a stint working for the famed Four Seasons, she found herself immersed in the vegan restaurant world of LA, bartending for the vegan raw staple Cafe Gratitude in Venice. We discuss the struggle with creative identity, the strange world of LA lifestyle dieting, and her new podcast She Said, She Said. enjoy!
Dave Rispoli got his start in entertainment and working with the public at Universal Studios in his hometown of Orlando, FL as the skipper on the Jaws ride. He moved on to the original Melting Pot where he discovered some of his coworkers partaking in their own Melting Pot fight club. We discuss run ins with Jordan Knight at TGI Fridays, what casting directors are actually thinking about you, and what happens when you drop it like Todd. Enjoy!
Bryan Baysore started his restaurant career as a pizza delivery boy in his home town of Malibu, working the perfect teenage summer gig. He then moved on to the World Famous Malibu Inn, a popular spot for locals and tourists that closed soon after Bryan's departure. We discuss what it's like growing up in an evolving beach town, the debaucherous behavior of customers at a bar venue, and Bryan's experience as an illustrator. Enjoy!
Fellow Wexler's worker Jackie Gonzalez-Durruthy came into restaurants just a few years ago, working at some of the trendiest establishments on LA's east side. Those restaurants shall remain nameless as we delve deep into questionable management practices and Jackie's hilarious take on wrongful terminations. We discuss the lack of HR in restaurants, what happens when the valet gets shot at your work (!), and Jackie's podcast The Most Wonderful Pod of the Year. Enjoy!
NYC native Max Bunzel worked in a variety of service jobs before landing at the lauded vegan bistro Crossroads Kitchen in West Hollywood. One of these gigs was opening Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel as a bellman, getting handsomely tipped from high profile guests at all hours of the day and night. We discuss the strange, evolving world of LA nightclubs, the food allergy dilemma, and Max's work at Vista Entertainment Solutions. Enjoy!
Clay and I went to high school together up in Menlo Park, CA, where we shared the stage in a particularly memorable rendition of Twelfth Night. He bussed tables (among other annoying sidework) at Masa of Echo Park before moving on to the famous Morton's Steakhouse. We discuss the ins and outs of the Morton dining experience, including working on all major holidays and the problem of homeless customers, as well as the writing/performing hustle in LA. Enjoy!
LA native Max Swanson bounced around some of LA's trendiest concepts, including Asian fusion Take a Bow and Umami Burger, finally landing at the popular Kismet in Los Feliz. He also briefly worked at a Starbucks in Santa Monica, where customers would line up out the door at 5am. We discuss why you can't bullshit a coffee drink, the restaurant lesson of humility, and his pursuits in filmmaking. Enjoy!
Hailing from Canada, comedian John Hastings got his start in the restaurant world after college in Montreal, where he found his best restaurant gig to date thanks to relaxed management. He also bartended across the pond in the UK, where he noticed many differences between the UK and American customer. We discuss wily former coworkers, how dating apps have changed bar culture, and his theories on the ebb and flow of stand-up comedy. Enjoy!
Robin Steffen got his restaurant career off the ground in the service town of Las Vegas, where he did everything from valet to serving poolside. In pursuit of comedy, he landed in LA, and consequently got a job at the infamous Saddle Ranch during its heyday, then moved on to Umami Burger during the LA burger craze. We discuss the perks of the job as well as his thriving commercial career. Enjoy!
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