Redefining Cocktail Culture: Death & Co.'s Alex Day

Show Notes

It was thought that to drink alcohol was to live a life shadowed by death. The Death & Co. team has been offering a warm embrace to those who shine after dusk for over a decade now. Its foundational elements are a love of great people and great drinks. Today, we chat with Alex Day, proprietor of the world-famous Death & Co., a bar that redefined cocktail culture for an entire generation. 

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LINKS

https://www.deathandcompany.com/

SHOW NOTES

• Dave Kaplan & Ravi DeRossi started Death & Co in 2006
• Alex was captivated by the youthful, innovative approach to drinks
• They opened 3 branches of Death & Co, NYC, LA & Denver
• Early mistakes
• Not knowing what to do as new entrepreneurs
• Bars ran themselves
• “Failing forward”
• 2 years of growth by luck
• Difficult neighbour for years
• Legal implications
• Biggest lessons
• It is the owners’ job to find and cultivate good people
• Provide strong guidance
• Build a strong culture
• There is no such thing as smooth sailing
• Foundation issues in the industry
• Hospitality workers are not employed or compensated well
• Astronomical rents
• High operating costs
• Poor margins
• At this time of not operating, they are rethinking every aspect of the business
• Realigning focus on what the customer wants
• Avoiding getting hung up on vanity items like perfect cocktail recipe
• Bringing focus back to the consumer
• What will they want post-lockdown?
• Reevaluating how to relate to vendors and improve vendor relationships
• Improving the bars from an environment perspective
• Reviewing relationships with landlords
• How things could be different post-Covid
• Local cultures in each city
• Social norms
• Improving as employers
• Benefits they already offer
• Health insurance to full-time staff
• Wellness credits
• Potential ideas for future
• Offering health insurance to part-time staff
• Creating clearer avenues for staff to grow in the company
• What set Death & Co apart as a brand
• Meticulous focus on ingredients
• Passion about the craft
• Human, genuine, authenticity in their delivery
• Being serious about the craft but also having fun
• Harnessing individuality throughout the business
• Allowing bartenders to be creative
• Each bar is not a copy of the other
• Individual menus
• Different appearance
• Using social media as a marketing engine
• Industry typically focusses on bragging or nice photos of food/drink
• Creating a more community based social media presence

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