What if the difference between $100 in tips and $1,000 wasn’t your wine list—but your mindset?

This week’s guest, Julio of Waiter, There’s More,

joins us from Sweden to share his mission: training the next generation of hospitality pros not just to serve, but to elevate. From starting as a coffee boy to building a service training empire online, Julio has seen it all—and filmed a lot of it, too.

Expect to learn the art of invisible service, the myth of perfection, and why most waiters never make it past “good enough.” We dig into his online course (40+ hours of waiter self-development, filmed live on the job), the dirty truths behind viral hospitality videos, and the real difference between knowing your stuff and connecting with a guest.

Oh, and the course name? My inner marketer is super jealous, no doubt about it…

🧠 Expect to Hear:

• Why 95% of restaurant staff stay stuck—and how to break out

• The power of anticipatory service (and the pear juice test)

• Going viral for the wrong reasons

• Why hospitality is part psychology, part magic trick

• How to get paid while getting better

Whether you’re new to the floor or leading the team, this episode will sharpen your edge.

Service starts now.

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, and people that I wish I could have heard from when I was coming up in restaurants. Altogether 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. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠⁠⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠⁠⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

Picture this: thirty‑year agave plants hauled by burro through Oaxacan dust, corn fields reborn as gold in your glass, and a mango eau‑de‑vie so juicy it will drive you mad. That wild collision of flavor and story is exactly what today’s guest, Nat Harry, lives for. Nat’s a former bartender turned spirits buyer, San Francisco World Spirits Competition judge, and newly minted author helps guide us towards what is truly important in the world of fine spirits.

Expect to learn just how big of a geek I can be over spirits. Expect to hear us geek out on mezcal sustainability (“distilling coral‑reef liquor,” as one master sommelier quipped) , debunk “older is better” whiskey myths, and learn why the word “smooth” drives pros crazy....unless you ask the right follow‑up question.

If you pour for a living or just pour over bottle labels for fun, stick around: this conversation is fun, fiery, and guaranteed to leave your tasting glass (and your notebook) overflowing.

Service starts now.

Links:

-Nat's Instagram

-Nat's Website

-Cask

-Omnivore Books

-New York Kitchen and Letters

-Leopold Bros

-Kilchoman scotch

-Rey Campero Mezcal

-Mezcal Vago

-Real Minero

-Rhine Hall (Mango Eau de Vie)

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:⁠My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander⁠

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers

What if everything you knew about wine and food pairing was wrong?

This week’s guest, Tim Hanni, Master of Wine, drops bomb after bomb on the wine world’s biggest myths: from the nonsense of “red wine with red meat” to why sweet wine drinkers may actually have more taste buds.

We also get deeply personal. Tim shares his journey from drinking three bottles a day to getting sober, while still working in the wine industry. We talk perceptual science, umami, ADHD, and why true hospitality means adapting to each individual guest, not showing off your wine vocabulary. And that's just for starters (he may even include his actual cell number in the convo).

🔍 Expect to Learn:

• Why wine language is broken

• The science of perception and taste

• Umami, steak, and red wine pairing myths

• The real reason sweet wine gets a bad rap

• Tim’s story of addiction, recovery, and reinvention

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Jeremiah Tower
• Tim's Website
• Tim's Book
• Contact Tim

I talk to people in and around the service industry space, trying to make sense of this wild, beautiful mess of a life. You can find more of my work at ⁠⁠⁠my blog⁠⁠⁠, and all my social links are at the bottom of that page.

Classic Episodes You May Like:

-#3:My 1st and Most Powerful Conversation with Shane Alexander

As always, I’m just here taking notes, trying to figure out what it all means.

Cheers