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Serves You Right
Serves You Right episodes
- #76 David Suro: Tequila, Monoculture, and the Remption of Agave
The agave category is booming. Sales are up. Shelves are full. Celebrity brands multiply. Excel says everything is fine…
Modern tequila production relies on cloned agave, chemical intervention, compressed maturation, and supply chains that strip value from the very farmers who sustain the plant. Meanwhile bars brag about sustainable tomatoes and grass fed beef while pouring industrial spirits with catastrophic environmental and cultural consequences.
Welcome to David Suro’s fight.
David Suro explains why one agave mother plant can produce up to 10,000 viable seeds yet the industry prioritizes five offshoot clones. Why genetic collapse forces pesticide dependence. Why jimadores with generational wisdom are migrating because the economics no longer reward stewardship. And why the United States, as the largest consumer of agave spirits in the world, has more power than it realizes.
If you care about sustainability, terroir, craft, or culture, this conversation is for you.
Expect to Learn:
- Why cloning agave is accelerating ecological vulnerability
- The hidden cost of harvesting agave before full maturity
- How bat friendly reproduction restores genetic strength
- The cultural sustainability crisis few are discussing
- A simple purchasing framework that protects families and land
Links:
- Siembra Spirits
- Instagram: @DavidSurop
- Agave Spirits by Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
54 min - #75 Tiffanie Barriere: Why the Best Bartenders Tell Stories
The modern bar industry is not only about drinks.
It is also about identity, storytelling, cultural leverage, and the power of hospitality in a divided world. If you think the low-alcohol trend means drinking is dying, if you think cocktails are about specs and ratios, or if you believe brand ambassadorship is the only way up, you may be operating with outdated assumptions. In this episode, Tiffanie Barriere, known as The Drinking Coach, explains why bartenders are cultural vessels, why storytelling beats technique alone, and why the future of drinking belongs to those who understand ritual, representation, and creative ownership.
Expect to learn:
- Why bartenders became more powerful after COVID, not less
- The real reason she rejected brand ambassadorship
- How to build a cocktail from five adjectives instead of specs
- What most competitors get wrong when presenting drinks
- Why the “low and no” trend may just be a temporary cycle
- What it's like running the best airport bar in the world
Links:
- Tiffanie Barriere on Instagram
- Tiffanie's Website
- Berriere Collective
- Tales of the Cocktail Award Winners 2023
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
50 min - #74 Andrew Roy: Guest on the Pizzeria & Enzo Table
I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with THom Harrison on his show. We talk wine, our lives, our jobs, and more.
Enjoy!
Expect to Learn:
- How I met my wife
- How to find your place in the world of Restaurants
- How terribly I describe a runza
Links:
- The Pizzeria & Enzo Show
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
50 min - #73 Rajat Parr: Why Winemaker Is the Wrong Word
If you believe wine is about tasting notes, alcohol levels, and prestigious appellations, you need this episode. The industry has spent decades obsessing over extraction, oak, and scores while ignoring soil health, plant genetics, and farming philosophy. Rajat Parr explains why most modern wine misses the point, why terroir is incomplete without plant material and human intention, and why regenerative farming is the future of serious wine
Expect to learn:
- Why blind tasting only works when it becomes muscle memory
- The three real components of terroir most people ignore
- How converting from conventional to organic farming can take 3 to 10 years to show results
- Why late ripening grapes like Savagnin and Trousseau matter in a warming climate
- The mistake young sommeliers make when they skip classic regions
Useful Links:
- Rajat Parr on Instagram
- Parr Collective Wines
- The Secrets of the Sommeliers
- The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
1 hr 4 min - #72 Ivy Mix: Why Pisco is Gonna Be Big in 2026
Most people are confused when it comes to tequila, rum, and pisco. What are they exactly? Who are the people that make them? What do I really need to know to master these liquors? Even worse, the spirits industry thrives on confusion, fake consistency, celebrity branding, and half truths about origin and production.
On this episode, Ivy Mix breaks down how agave ripeness, diffuser technology, additives, colonial trade routes, sugar economics, and fermentation practices actually shape what ends up in your glass. If you have ever complained about price, chased smoothness, or ignored pisco entirely, this is the master class you have been waiting for.
Expect to Learn:
- Why “100 percent blue agave” can still legally include additives
- The three rum families and how colonization shaped their flavor
- What a Jamaican dunder pit really is and why it matters
- Why pisco may be the most underrated spirit in the world
- How to taste maturity, integrity, and quality in agave spirits
Useful Link:
- Ivy’s Website where you can find links to her bars and her book!
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
1 hr 4 min - #71 Andrew on No Reservations: How Restaurants Get Wine Wrong Every Night
In this special episode of the No Reservations Podcast, Kasey Anton sits down and interviews me.
We talk wine the way it actually works in restaurants. What makes a wine program profitable instead of performative. Where operators get pricing wrong. And why most wine sales fail before the bottle ever hits the table.
Expect to Learn:
- How to build a wine program from scratch
- Pricing mistakes that quietly kill margins
- How vendors will try to ruin your list
- Why staff education matters more than upselling
- How to elevate the experience without adding complexity
Links:
- Kasey's Podcast No Reservations
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
41 min - #70 Chip Klose: Why Restaurant Marketing Fails Almost Everyone & How to Fix It
Most restaurants fail quietly. Not because the food is bad, but because the strategy is missing. Owners chase marketing tactics, social posts, and promotions without ever defining who they serve, what problem they solve, or why guests should return. This episode exposes why “quality” is a meaningless differentiator, why busy does not equal profitable, and how a lack of intentional positioning creates a leaky bucket no amount of hustle can fix. Chip Klose breaks down restaurant marketing and profitability into clear, usable frameworks that replace guesswork with leverage and help operators stop reacting and start choosing.
Expect to learn
- Why revenue, labor, and food cost are moving targets in restaurants and how that destroys profit
- How to define your audience by first identifying who your restaurant is not for
- The ABCDE framework that clarifies positioning before you spend a dollar on marketing
- Why retention beats acquisition and how most restaurants sabotage it unknowingly
- How to give guests the words they will use to sell your restaurant for you
Links
- Restaurant Strategy
- Chip Klose on Instagram and YouTube
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
1 hr 2 min - #69 Marlon & Danny of The Modern Waiter: 5 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your Restaurant Job
Most servers think their income is capped by luck. Bad sections. Bad nights. Bad guests. That belief is wrong. The real ceiling is perspective. In this episode, we break down why restaurant work feels chaotic, isolating, and unstable even when the money is good, and how experienced professionals quietly engineer control inside the chaos. You will hear why weeds are not just operational failures but personal ones, how lifestyle fit matters more than hourly earnings, and why some people keep hopping jobs.
Expect to learn
- How to know when it is actually time to jump ship
- Why making money somewhere else with less stress is the real upgrade
- What getting in the weeds reveals about your mindset
- The hidden relationship cost of restaurant schedules
- How great servers read guests before the first question
Links
- The Modern Waiter Podcast
- The Modern Waiter Podcast on Instagram and TikTok
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
58 min - #68: Andrew Roy, Guest Spot on The Bar Business Podcast
This is a rare treat for you all. I am in the hot seat this week, as I go onto Chris Schneider's The Bar Business Podcast.
Hear my thoughts on Management, Wine service, and more!
Expect to Learn:
- Why I was a terrible manager back in the day
- How to keep your wine program working for you
- Whether a Coravin is worth it for Restaurant Service
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
38 min - #67 Emmanuel Laroche: Madagascar, a master class
Every bottle of vanilla, every spoon of honey, every square of chocolate is the final move in a long chain of decisions made by farmers who live with risk most of us never experience. This episode investigates a world most of us will never get to visit: Madagascar. Emmanuel Laroche reveals what the global food system hides in plain sight and why knowing where ingredients come from is no longer optional if you care about craft, ethics, or flavor.
Expect to Learn
- Why vanilla is hand pollinated and why that makes it one of the riskiest crops on earth
- How a single storm or missed harvest window can erase a farmer’s entire income
- Why most commercial honey cannot be traced and what real single source honey looks like
- How Madagascar cacao produces flavors mass chocolate never can
- The counterintuitive way specialty crops can fight deforestation instead of fueling it
Links:
- A Taste of Madagascar book website
- Flavors Unknown website
- Beyond Good Chocolate
Service starts now.
Follow the show: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I talk mostly to people in and around the service industry space. I'm looking to hear from the people I wish I could have talked to when I was coming up in restaurants. Said another way: I am trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life, and help others that are feeling similarly confused and/or lost. Check out the Podcast Website Here and get in touch with me!
Classic Episodes You May Like:
- #22:Doug Frost MW MS
- #23:Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- #31:ET: Entrepreneur (and creator of Surfer on Acid)
- #38:Aaron Goldfarb Hunting for Ancient Booze
- #39:Edward Slingerland's Masterful work on Intoxication
- #46:Andrew Hurley of Vegas.Wine
- #64:Chris Tunstall of A Bar Above
As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.
Cheers
47 min
About Serves You Right
From the publisher's feed
Most bartenders are great at their jobs and have no idea what to do with that...
Nobody tells you that the skills behind the bar: reading people, building experiences, thinking fast under pressure, are actually worth something. They just hand you a shaker and hope you figure it out.
Serves You Right is for bartenders who are done drifting and ready to do something. Every episode, host Andrew Roy talks with the people who are currently doing something inspiring, and pulls out exactly how they did it.
Your career behind the bar is the starting point. Not the ceiling. Let's make some drinks!