Welcome to our new From the Editor column! Each month, I'll pop in to share our top stories, talk about trends, and let you know what I'm drinking.
The saying is March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but here at Bar & Restaurant, where it's show month, it's more like in and out like a lion!
The energy at last week's Bar & Restaurant Expo was unmatched, and it was great to catch up with old friends, make new contacts, and learn a thing or two!
Below, I share some of the top insights I learned from this year's Expo, the latest on what we’re publishing, and the drinks I’m recommending this month.
Top Takeaways from the 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo
We're only days past the show, and there will be plenty of articles and recaps to come, but here are some of my favorite takeaways from this year's show.
Will Guidara on Teams
The legendary Will Guidara gave the opening keynote, and it was chock-full of insights, but one thing he said has stayed with me all week: "In most organizations, the people at the top have all the authority and none of the information, while the people on the front line have all the information and none of the authority."
The point? You need to bring your entire team to the table before you have a full picture and all of the information on your bar or restaurant.
Jim Taylor on Employee Retention
Jim Taylor, managing partner/founder, Le Crocodile by Rob Feenie/Benchmark Sixty Restaurant Services, discussed people-first leadership. And he introduced the idea of giving "feed forward" instead of "feedback" to employees. What that means is to focus on being proactive with your employees and giving them guidance, advice, and praise in the moment versus retroactively.
Jason Brooks' 10-10-10 Plan
Jason Brooks, founder/CEO, HospiVation, also talked about building and leading teams. He discussed the importance of one-on-one meetings and the common misconception that group communication is enough. Instead of having one employee review annually, or group meetings only, consider holding more frequent 1:1s so the employee better knows where they stand, and you do too! Brooks recommends a 10-10-10 format for one-on-ones: 10 minutes for the team member to talk about anything, 10 minutes for them to discuss wins and challenges, and 10 minutes for the manager to answer questions or provide feedback.
Did You Miss These Articles?
Here are three can't-miss articles we published in March.
Bar & Restaurant Management 101: What is Food Cost? It's time to go back to basics with our all-new series, Bar & Restaurant Management 101. This new content series is your course on the fundamentals of running a bar or restaurant. This month, we cover food cost.
Winners Announced in Three Bar & Restaurant Expo Award Categories: Find out who took home the top prizes in the Industry Excellence Awards, Industry Impact Award, and Supplier Awards.
What I’m Drinking
I could have focused this entire column on what I drank and sampled this month thanks to the Vibe Conference and Bar & Restaurant Expo, so it was hard to find one thing to focus on. But I think this Dole Whip cocktail deserves it.
In the Sahara Resort in Las Vegas, I ended one of my nights at the bar of Uno Más Street Tacos + Spirits with a Dole Whip cocktail. The restaurant offers four spirits to add to the cocktail—Casamigos Reposado Tequila, Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, RumHaven Coconut, and Bosscal Joven Mezcal (the one I opted for).
They used an ice cream machine to dispense the Dole Whip (you can buy the premix for an easy addition to your menu) on top of the spirit of choice. The result was a fun, edible cocktail that netted the bar $17 per cocktail.
With summer around the corner, it may be an interesting frozen cocktail option to add to your seasonal menu. Speaking of frozen cocktails, be sure to keep an eye out this summer for our third annual Best Frozen Cocktail Contest! Here's last year's winner.
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Plan to Attend or Participate in Our Events:
- 2025 Bar & Restaurant Expo Colorado, October 26-28, 2025, Denver, Colorado
- 2026 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 23-25, 2026, Las Vegas, Nevada.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at our events, fill out our form.
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