It’s impossible to overstate the importance of diversity within our industry, and any industry. Studies have shown that diversity can literally boost your revenue, and make yours a stronger, more profitable business.
But it’s not all about business. Often conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) center around the benefit for the business or the operator. You shouldn’t have to incentivize someone to recognize the incredible talent that exists across all the sectors.
That’s where Josh Davis comes in. Davis is the founder of Brown & Balanced, an organization that celebrates Black bar and hospitality professionals, no capitalism required. Previously, they’ve hosted benefit cookouts, featuring drinks by Black bartenders and food by female chefs and chefs of color and all-Black bartender pop-ups. COVID-19 changed that, as it changed so many things, forcing Brown & Balanced to go virtual.
And as you’ll see in this interview, that pivot opened up opportunities to connect with more Black and Brown bartenders than Davis was ever able to before. It led to Davis to launch the very popular ‘Brown & Balanced LIVE’ on the Portland Cocktail Week Facebook page, a nod to Davis’ work as ‘The Muscle’ at the annual Camp Runamok bartender education camp. His virtual series was recognized with a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award nomination.
This year Davis is continuing the evolution with a project that highlights one incredible bartender per day for the month of February, Black History Month. Bar & Restaurant will be republishing that content throughout the month in an effort to support and amplify the incredible Black and Brown community.
Read on to find out more about Davis and his evolution from bouncer to bartender, to industry champion, and the question he’s tired of being asked.
How did you become a bartender?
I became a bartender completely by accident. I was working security at a club, and they put me behind the bar just to have a warm body there. I love the stories of bartending as a family business, where generations have owned a bar. But for me, I was going back down a path that probably wasn’t the most positive, and I needed something. Bartending saved my life. And it helped me to provide for my son. At the time he was four, now he’s a sophomore in college. Taking this industry seriously was one of the best decisions I’ve made in the last 20 years.
What inspired you to start Brown & Balanced?
I first had the idea back in 2016 or 2017, I wanted to find a way to showcase more Black and Brown talent. When I went to national events, I never saw enough people who looked like me. But when I'm in my city (Southside Chicago, stand up!), most of the bartenders I know are Black and Brown. So, why the disparity? Being the type of person I am, I took it upon myself to identify up-and-coming talent who were dope, and needed the opportunities that I, along with others, didn’t have, while also being allowed to be themselves. Brown and Balanced is an opportunity to bring the industry into our spaces, our music, our vibes. Unapologetically, and completely authentically. Four and a half years later, every Brown and Balanced bartender has grown tremendously in the industry. They’re opening bars, working for brands, and creating their own movements. Would they have done all these things anyway? Absolutely! But I feel like we have had a hand in helping along the way.
As a leader in the industry, what are you working towards? What will your legacy be?
My ultimate goal is to show others that you can be your authentic self and be successful in this industry. You don't have to “Play the Game” or adjust your principles to meet someone else's standards. I definitely reflect back on when I was growing up. My dad, my uncles, and a few big homies from my neighborhood poured so many things into me that I apply to my adult life, and I instill into my sons. I just want all of them to know I made it. I did it my way, my rules, I didn't bend or break. I never conformed to being the “Safe Black Dude”. I walk in my truth and at the end of the day, I can look at myself in the mirror each and every day, and go back to my old hood, and still respect myself and have the respect of others.
How can we support Black people in the industry more?
To be honest, I get asked this question a lot. And I'm tired of it. Black people don't ever get asked if we can support whites better in the industry. This is not a question for me to answer. This is a question for others to really look at hiring practices, training, and their staff and ask themselves are they supporting minority bartenders/servers/barbacks/chefs, etc… And if they do not, how could they improve? Black culture is the most imitated and the most copied. I walk into bars and clubs that I know for sure would never hire a 6’2 240lb Black man, but all I hear is hip hop, and see corny drink names that imitate Black phrases or songs. Don't use us for exploitation, but then want us to tell you how to help us.
Brown & Balanced is doing ’28 Black Bartenders You Need to Know’ on Instagram in February. How did you choose your 28 people to highlight?
So, in the last couple years with the industry going virtual due to the pandemic, I started doing Happy Hours on the Brown and Balanced Instagram page. I met a ton of new faces and friends who were making moves in their cities and we all shared the same stories. Humble beginnings, always scraping for a piece of the pie, and backend conversations started to happen. Fast forward to Black History Month 2021. I was looking to amplify more Black faces and started the ‘28 Black Bartenders you Need to Know Series’ (#28BlackBartenders). Last year I mixed some familiar faces who've been on the scene for some time, and some new ones. This year, it’s all new faces. Well new to y’all, but some people we’ve known for quite some time. Picking the 28 is hard, because there is so much great talent across the country, but I think I do a good job of balancing out the bartenders.
What has been your moment of greatest joy since you started Brown & Balanced? What about your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement has been showing people who look like me that we don't have to beg for a “seat at the table”. We can do our own thing and do it at a high level. A good friend of mine told me a few years ago that I had a purpose and that I was meant for something bigger than I've been doing in just working for someone else. My greatest joy in starting Black & Balanced is seeing how happy the Black and Brown bartenders are in having an event that’s for us, by us! It feels so good when someone comes up to me during and after the event and conveys how happy they are, how proud they are, and how much they enjoyed themselves, either being a part of the event, or just attending. I'm a person who really doesn't take praise for doing what I'm supposed to do, but I'm becoming more gracious, and it truly is a blessing for me to be able to have a positive effect on the next generation of Black Bartenders.
Follow Brown & Balanced on Instagram to learn more about Black and Brown hospitality professionals, including the #28BlackBartenders series. Bar & Restaurant will be republishing ’28 Black Bartenders You Need to Know’, but you’ll see it first on Brown & Balanced! Josh Davis is the founder of Brown & Balanced. Follow him on Instagram here.
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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.