Walk In Social Club

On this episode of the Walk.In Club, we sit down with Todd McKean, diving into decades of hospitality, from a spring break road trip to Florida that turned into years behind the bar, to serving tourists, wine geeks, and everyone in between in Napa Valley.

We talk about starting work at 12 to afford CDs and concerts, culinary school, bartending competitions, and the many different roles he’s held throughout the Bay Area. Plus, why he’d rather be behind the bar than serving tables any day.

If you’ve ever worked in hospitality long enough to collect a lifetime of stories, this one’s for you.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk.In Club is back with "TopShelf" Donna, from The Ivy Room, joined by the return of one of our original co-host Ashley, for a special reunion episode, for many many reasons!

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk.In Club is back with Den Stephens originally from Portland, Oregon and the force behind Tallboy in Oakland, California — just named a U.S. West Regional Honoree for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar AND Best U.S. Bar Team by Tales of the Cocktail. As a kid he dipped his toes in telemarketing while basketball and poetry kept him busy. His real foot in the door came as a dishwasher, where he eventually fell in love with the team energy of the service industry and never looked back. 

He worked his way through the industry and found his calling behind the bar — and it was at Higgins where something clicked and he realized this could actually be a career. From there, Den got into consulting, sharpened his craft, and this past year hit a milestone most bartenders only dream about: 30k martinis. We get into how he built that number, what the journeys taught him thus far, and what it really takes to build a bar program earning national recognition this early in its journey.

Check out custom made jewelry by Den's partner and muse, the insanely talented Emilie Jehng at Soft Good Studio. For one of a kind, intimate pieces. 

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

We recorded this one at the Treehouse Hotel, what is giving “San Jose’s Narnia,” the kind of place that transforms you into a different space.

Nick’s story starts by getting thrown straight onto a pizza station at the Jungle, what was an iconic kids play space around the Bay Area. From there, it’s a path that isn’t linear — moving from sandwiches to candy shops and back again — but each step adds a new layer of growth and understanding, especially on the business side.

We talk about what it means to go from making something to managing it, and how stepping away can sometimes be the thing that helps you see it clearly. There’s a real honesty here around doubt, fear of failure, and knowing when it’s time to move on.

Eventually, that path leads him behind the bar, landing roles through personality and work ethic, and continuing to build toward where he is now at Valley Goat.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk-In Club is back, and this episode we're sitting down with Chef Nelson German — the mind behind Alamar, Sobre Mesa, and Meski — to talk about a journey that started at five years old bagging groceries for a Super Nintendo, sparked by watching his mom and grandmother cook, and grew into one of the most recognized culinary careers in the Bay Area.

We get into how he thinks about responsibility to his team, why he always comes with a plan A, B, C, and D, his path through culinary school, and the road that eventually led him to Top Chef. Oh, and we've got exciting news — his new book is coming out, and you can PRE-ORDER it now!

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk-In Club is back, and this episode marks a milestone — our first interview with a new friend we didn’t know before hitting record. We’re sitting down with Sequoia del Hoyo, owner of Tarocco, to talk about her journey starting as a host at the Black Angus after dropping off résumés door-to-door for school credit, to finding herself in the kitchen playing the stabby game with Chef, to that lightbulb moment working on the floor, realizing that she could one day could too, own a restaurant herself.

We get into the grind of learning every role in the building, outside the building, and what it takes to bet on yourself. (Fun fact: she also worked a hot dog stand outside Home Depot.)

If you’ve ever wanted to own your own place and build it from the ground up, this one’s for you.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk.In Club is back, and this episode we’re sitting down with Rachelle Merlot, co-founder of Dealers Choice Hospitality, talking her path from trying to break into hospitality to building the experience that shaped her career. We get into what it really looks like to start with little experience, the tough calls around where and who you work for when growth is the goal, and why speaking up for yourself is part of leveling up. We talk foundational bar skills — free pouring, counting, speed rack, building systems — and why opening teams can fast-track your development. If you’ve ever been hungry to learn, move up, and turn bar work into a real career, this one’s for you.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

Walk.In Club is back, and we’re kicking off the new season with Oakland native William Tsui, owner of Viridian in downtown Oakland, talking his path from bartending school to bar owner. We get into mentors who actually push you forward, why spreadsheets matter even if you don’t like them, and the real meaning of the 5-10 Rule (hint: it’s not just the area code). If you’ve ever wondered what’s next after bartending—or what a good pour cost should be—this one’s for you.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend.

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

Want to support? Merch and Donations available on our website!

This project is independently run and made with love for the industry, and your support helps cover production costs and keep the conversations going.

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp

Music written by Ethan Luck

In this episode, we start with life updates—Alex shares his climb up Mt. Shasta and what it taught him about persistence, while Hannah admits the elliptical goal didn’t happen this week (and reflects on what got in the way).

Our main conversation focuses on the connection between physical health and mental health—especially how challenging that first phase can be before the benefits really kick in. We talk about the uphill battle of starting, why the payoff isn’t always immediate, and how consistency slowly transforms both your body and your mindset.

From giving habits just a little more time to finding the right moments in your day, we share strategies that have helped us stick with movement until it becomes part of life’s rhythm. We reflect on the patience it takes to get there, the compounding benefits once you do, and the grace to keep going even when you miss a week.

We close with an invitation: try building one small, consistent habit for yourself this week—and see what shifts.

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp 

Music written by Ethan Luck

In this episode, we start with life updates from the crew—Hannah’s committing to 15 minutes a day on the elliptical to rebuild routine, Ashley’s balancing new creative interests while staying playful, Alex shares how he’s adapting movement around recovery and setting sights on Hyrox training, and Nick’s staying consistent with his coach and building out a longer-term fitness plan.

Our main conversation centers on procrastination: what it is, how it shows up, and what might be hiding underneath it. We talk about the difference between avoidance and bandwidth, how anxiety fuels delay, and the mental mountain tasks can become before we even begin. From habit stacking to reducing friction, we share tools that have helped us move forward—gently.

We reflect on the role of distraction, instant gratification, and the overwhelming demands of modern life. We explore what it means to live with more intention, to simplify your systems, and to give yourself grace when your to-do list feels bigger than your capacity. We ask: what does workable success look like for you?

👉 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and share it with a friend. 

➕ Follow us on Instagram @WALK.IN.CLUB and join the conversation!

📨 Questions? DM us on Instagram!

The Walk.In Club is hosted by Nick White and Hannah Claire Le

All Walk.In Media and terrible jokes produced by Sean Stepp 

Music written by Ethan Luck