The Guest Bar Shift Industry

I tend to gravitate towards popular topics the media glosses over, or doesn’t sufficiently present from the trade’s perspective in my increasingly limited opportunities as a journalist these days; so I was caught off guard when Hamish Smith published a brilliant op-ed in CLASS Magazine at the end of July on guest bartending, just as I was about to publish a piece for Freepour on this very subject. In ‘Why We Need to De-industrialize the Guest Shift’, Smith surveys the modern history of guest bartending and makes a persuasive argument for winding down the gaggle of guest shifts that have become common amongst the world’s most celebrated bars and bartenders. Like many journalists and cocktail lovers, Hamish had just travelled to New Orleans- presumably, to experience the cities rich bar culture- and in his words,

“just when the world is at its door, its bars hand over the keys to other bartenders.”

We actually agree on most of the key points in his feature; but I disagree with his conclusion, that the industry should begin winding down frequent guest shifts and focus on business as usual. I empathize with his consternation, as bar shows are when I also get to visit other countries and experience their nightlife; but a cogent argument could be made that the rise of guest bar shifts and pop ups has led to an international leveling of the playing field in awards, opportunities and awareness beyond the world’s “cultural capitals” that justifies their preservation alone. The key omissions in Hamish’s calculation of the value of guest bar shifts: a

“triangular accord between host bar, brand and guest bartender” that “works – to degrees – for all parties”

are the resident attendees of the events and the staff that travels with the ‘startenders’. I appreciate Smith casting himself as a consumer speaking up for the interests of the general public at a bar show, but trade journalists and cocktail influencers that rely on the same resources used to produce the events as the guest bars themselves are part of the show, not the audience. The actual accord is more multifaceted, as its benefactors are more numerous.

Albuquerque based bar operator Kate Gerwin told me that when she and her colleagues pop up or pull guest shifts in other cities,

“we are representing not only ourselves, but New Mexico (the state)… putting our small community on the map, which benefits us all.”

When I asked Melbourne, Australia based bar owner, Tash Conte about the cost/benefit of key members of her staff hosting guest shifts or popping up instead of working shifts at home, she told me,

“our guests enjoy seeing us out on the road. It’s exciting for them on our return, sharing our experiences and for them to be a part of that experience via socials. It’s another engaging topic behind the bar.”

For most operators, there’s a limit to extracurricular promotions. Conte told me she limits our overseas travels to 2 to 3 times a year,

“as we have such a small team, it’s difficult to travel any more than that without impacting them.”

Gerwin told me

“we have to prioritize the bar first and foremost. We consider the time of year, the day of the event and how it will affect the staff at home and determine how many people can we spare, if any. Pop ups are great for marketing and PR, but it doesn’t do you any good if the service at home is lacking and the paying guests in your establishment aren’t getting the best service you can offer them.”

There are more maximalist views on guest bar shifts and pop ups out there too, but it’s important to recognize that these operators aren’t leaving their colleagues in the lurch either.  Nico de Soto, who’s featured prominently in Smith’s story, told me

“I have 3 bars in 3 different countries, so I move a lot, allowing me much more freedom to do guest shifts. Generally, I think if you open a bar and you’re the operator, you have to be there as much as you can the first year. Build the place and your customer relationships. Guest shifts should be limited to once a month.”

One key difference in preference between operators like de Soto, who works dozens of guest shifts a year in which he and his colleagues

"do with what the bar has and adapt”

and Conte, is her preference for immersive pop ups, which require much more time, effort and resources to pull off.

“Yes it is more intense and laborious, but for me the point of hosting these experiences is exactly that, it is to showcase the experience beyond the drink. It is about having a small taste of the host bar and what makes them unique and, in most cases, a lot of people may never have the chance to experience the actual physical bar itself, as travel is so expensive.”

All three operators I spoke with elevated their staff as the most important exponent in the opportunistic guest bar shift value equation. Gerwin told me she

“always tries to rotate the team that gets to attend pop up events on our behalf. Not only is it a learning experience, but it is team building and exposure for each person.”

de Soto echoed this sentiment, adding that he also rotates through his staff to provide his colleagues with

“a free trip to a cool city, (where they’re) taken care of, and meet many great people.”

Conte reaffirmed the preeminence of the guest bartender’s experience, telling me that,

“the point of us hosting is not only to host the bar itself, but to be great hosts, and take the guests around to places that inspire us, show them our local venues, and what our surrounding nature has to provide that could be of use to them. We need to remember that this experience is also something that they may only have a once in a lifetime chance of doing. That’s why it is up to us to make sure that every single element of the pop-up is a success as well as the trip itself.”

It’s easy to get distracted and annoyed- as journalists and cocktail enthusiasts legitimately do- when famous bartenders and their bars take over local bars during bar shows, and you aren’t able to experience a city and its hospitality in earnest during this time. I think it’s important to remember that bar shows and the famous bartenders, influencers and journalists that populate them don’t keep their bars and the industry afloat; their staff and regular clientele do. Every once in a while- not too often certainly- it’s a nice treat for them to either travel to a new place to expand their network and knowledge; or stay right at home, and experience or share the magic of another bar’s best bartenders and drinks.