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A microphone, a full dining room, and a leader who learned the craft the hard way. Adriana Rincon joins us to share how an 18-year-old host from Corona grew into the AGM at Dell anima, navigating wine lineups, door drama, and the pressure of managing with her brother without letting family blur the work. This isn’t a highlight reel it’s real talk about courage, culture, and the moments that teach you to stand tall at the front.

We trace her path through Tabla’s formative hallways, the elevated expectations at Untitled where captains and weekly wine tests pushed her growth, and the deep community at Union Square Café that felt like coming home. Adriana opens up about jumping to the family bakery during the pandemic, then returning to Gotham West Market with a mission: bring white-tablecloth care to a casual counter, make guests forget the chaos, and keep the service honest. Along the way, we unpack leadership lessons why empathy beats bravado, how to protect your team’s confidence, and when a clear no is the kindest answer.

Between stories of entitlement at the door and heartfelt mentorship, you’ll hear how running sharpened her focus, how baking shows up on our brunch menu, and how reading 100 books in a year mirrors the steady work it takes to lead a room. If you care about hospitality culture, restaurant management, NYC dining, or building a team that teaches one another, this conversation will stick. Subscribe, share with a friend who works service, and leave a review with your most unforgettable guest moment we might read it on the next show.

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We rewind to the 2000s through Latino New York: bodegas, block parties, long white tees, and the nights reggaeton turned small rooms into sweat-soaked dance floors. From AOL and MySpace coding to beepers, Nextel chirps, and flyer hustles, we map how a decade shaped our taste, work, and tribe.