At the Bar & Restaurant Expo in March 2023, David Kaplan, founder & co-owner of Death & Co and Gin & Luck, will be participating in the session, "Ready for Launch: Bar Strategies for Profitability and Scaling Up Operations." Alongside David will be three co-panelists:
- Andy Driscoll, host of BarTalk
- Christine Wiseman, beverage director of Bar Lab
- Travis Tober, co-owner, Nickel City
In this session, attendees will learn from industry veterans about what it takes to scale up your business—and your profits.
We caught up with David to discuss what attendees can expect at this session, company culture, and his advice for owners/operators. Read the full Q&A below!
1. Why should people attend your session, "Ready for Launch: Bar Strategies for Profitability and Scaling Up Operations"? What are you hoping they learn at the session?
The co-panelists of this seminar are incredible, truly some of the best in the business. I'm eager to learn from each of them and hear more about their successes and hurdles that got them to where they're at in their career and to share my own. Scaling up your business comes with near infinite complexities, and each of us have learned how to navigate while maintaining our brand value and product consistency.
2. You’ve opened a variety of bars/restaurants over your nearly two-decade career. What does it take for a bar to survive in today’s climate?
It feels like it takes more than it ever has. We strive to be better leaders to our teams, to create better places to work, to create more pathways to success (both in and out of our company), to find margin in an ever-tightening market. At its core, I think it takes the same thing that it always has though—a relentless passion for what we do. The business doesn't seem to be getting easier, so you have to love doing this to find love in the challenge.
3. Company culture is a big part of Death & Company. How do you foster a positive and supportive culture at your bars for employees?
Almost everything we do within our company is meant to have some cultural implication and hopefully make our company a little bit more enjoyable to be a part of. We do hundreds of small, tens of medium, and a few big things. We offer benefits to everyone—now even seasonal or event workers; we're open book and transparent with just about everything; we have quarterly state of the company meetings where we share where we've been, where we are, and where we're going; we're all interconnected on Slack; we hire, fire, review, and reward based on our core values; most everyone in the company has some level of weekly meeting where they solve issues; it goes on. Potentially one of the larger things we do is when we share our vision—which we do often. We try to get everyone rowing the same direction.
4. Any advice for other bar owners/operators?
Attend as many educational events as you can, read as much as you can, and reach out to people in the industry that you feel may have knowledge to share. Everyone is here to build each other up and we all love to share!
5. What will be the biggest trend in hospitality in 2023?
I'm crossing my fingers that it will be a return to paper menus :)
6. Can you share your favorite cocktail recipe?
The Joy Division
An early D&C Cocktail by Phil Ward
Ingredients:
2 ounces Beefeater London dry gin
1 ounce Dolin dry vermouth
1/2 ounce Cointreau
3 dashes Vieux Pontarlier absinthe
Directions:
Stir, strain, serve up and garnish with a lemon twist.
Interested in learning more from David? Register for an Education + Expo pass to attend his session today!
Plan to Attend or Participate in Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello (for companies A to G) e: [email protected] p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz (for companies H to Q) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh (for companies R to Z) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-5174
Also, be sure to follow Bar & Restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest industry news and trends.