If you’re an adult of a certain age, there’s a good chance a band that once called themselves the Young Aborigines, shaped an early part of your life; a band that got part of their start, after moving from punk to rap, eventually opening for Madonna on the Virgin Tour. If you don’t know the band by that intro, then you might know the music by another name: The Beastie Boys.

Like a lot of folks that grew up in the 80s, I remember my middle school years being marked by slam dancing into one another in your friend’s basement while listening to “Fight For Your Right.” I was probably too young to listen to Licensed to Ill when it came out – but it was also a time when the television had to remind our parents to wonder whether or not we were home, because it was ten o’clock. No matter or maybe because of the explicit content, I loved the Beastie Boys from first listen, and each of their albums would go on to define decades of my life – even when owning a wine bar.

The B-Boys have been on the brain lately, with the Smashing Pumpkins headlining Lollapalooza this year. Thirty-two years ago, I saw both bands, as well as Tribe Called Quest – when Lollapalooza was still a traveling festival and the headliner in 1994 was originally Nirvana.

After the world lost Kurt Cobain, the Smashing Pumpkins stepped into the Lolla tour slot. However, in my first ever concert crew none of us were really there to see the Pumpkins, it was all about the Beastie Boys1 . While Paul’s Boutique was classified at its release as a commercial failure, even though now considered (correctly) a masterpiece and one of the best rap albums of all time – Ill Communication was met with a lot of the same energy Licensed to Ill received almost a decade earlier. And on it, was an apology – to women.

“I want to say a little something that’s long overdue

The disrespect to women has got to be through

To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends

I want to offer my love and respect to the end”

The song “Sure Shot” is a maturity track from “Girls” on Licensed and “Hey Ladies” on Paul’s. According to Ad-Rock, his growing activism would later coincide with marrying Kathleen Hanna — band member of Bikini Kill and founder of Riot Grrrl. While it’s typical to give a lot of performative “accountability” in today’s world of social media comment sections, the Beastie Boys backed up their lyrical apology at a time, when it was, and unfortunately still is, quite popular to disparage women in every industry.

After apologizing to women in 1994, they went on to change their live shows with updated lyrics, and encouraged their peers and community to do the same when on tour together. They put out definitive statements apologizing to the LGBTQ+ communities and spoke up at the 1999 VMAs, where Ad-Rock addressed the assault women experienced at Woodstock the same year. Those tours back in the day also championed the first all female act on their independent label Grand Royal – Lucious Jackson, which included the original Beasties drummer when they were still on the hard-core punk scene — Kate Shellenbach.

Lessons Learned

This is how it’s done. Taking both responsibility and accountability; setting an example of how a true apology requires change and action. We all make mistakes, especially when we’re young, dumb and living in a cloud of ignorance. The Beastie Boys are the example of what happens, when B-boys and B-girls do better, because they finally know better. When we see our past behavior created harm, and consider the impact on other humans – we then have a choice on what we do with that data. One choice is change, and repairing our ecosystems the best way we know how, with whatever capacity we currently hold. The other is stay the same, and let harm continue. It’s a life lesson in everyday relationships and also one for whatever industry we each respectively work in.

Now, fourteen years after MCA’s passing – Mike D, has a new solo album titled Thank You. “True Colors” is already a standout, especially with a nod to Cyndi Lauper on the lyrics. The whole album feels very of the times rage, calling for accountability in early Beasties punk days fashion — while also pairing vulnerability on tracks like “I Don’t Care” - another nod to the ladies2. And I can’t help but giggle at him poking fun of tech bros on “Crypto.”

These days, it’s also pretty well known in the Venn diagram of hospitality and entertainment circles that Mike D is a big wine head. And while we do our best to stay away from celebrity worship in these parts, in my bar owning days — I wore that as a badge of honor. Knowing a decades defining lyrical genius, was also out there championing similar philosophies of taking snobbery out of wine, felt truly righteous. Unfortunately, his wine takes don’t feel like they’ve made much of a dent, in a still struggling industry — from both a generational sales perspective, as well as how women are treated.

While writing this, Dolly Parton passed away. Damn. At first thought I questioned whether the magnitude of her work really fit in with an essay on boys apologizing. But everything, is always connected. The incredible portfolio Dolly brought into this world was and always will be magnificent. The woman walked an incredible line of assertiveness, with grit and grace. Kind, but never a pushover. And lived a truly hospitable life, while making it better with her music and servicing many communities — both of which became a lifeline to too many women that didn’t make it out of poverty.

So, I guess the through line between boys that become men by championing women and a woman that championed being yourself no matter what the world tries to put on you – is about being hospitable to one another and in service to more than ourselves.

I was a fan. During our tenant crossover of a neighborhood that still wasn’t quite saturated with influencers, I found something in this bodega that would be life changing to both my career and personal life. Wine in can.

Sounds dramatic, I know — but consider the time, late 2016-ish. Natural wine was just finding its footing, and both consumers and industry were still only coming around to the quality of wine under screw or crown cap. Setting the stage for an easy fly swat into the sugar filled and low quality camps, when it came to the canned category. So to be all for canned wine, was not the norm in those pre-pandemic times.

The wines the bodega carried in bottle were solid school night glasses or good porch pounders, so I trusted their taste. When I saw cans carrying Oregon bubbles on their cooler shelves, I got curious. Of course at that time, I was also deep into the Sherry, and obsessed with many 375ml of fortified wine — the absolutely perfect roadie. And despite often being opposed to half bottles in restaurants, the 355ml of bubbles was intriguing - the perfect glass and a half.

So, confidence in the quality and curiosity about the packaging are reasons I picked up a couple of cans of Underwood Bubbles back in 2017. Thankfully today, the quality part from Underwood is well known, and Union Wine Co. has become an absolute benchmark in what canned wine can do. But when the category was still emerging, I would wax on about the accessibility wine in can could offer the industry — while drinking it post fine dining shift in the alley with fellow wine folks, instead of Miller High Life.

Sadly, the wine industry is still slow on embracing the can — while ready-to-drink cocktails and hemp beverages have dominated beverage for the last five years. Yes, the contents matter, but what the ebb and flow of beverage sales since the pandemic has proven: drinkers want affordable, accessible and wait for it… fun options.

Underwood understood that back in 2016, when they launched Pinot Noir in can at a musical festival. And now, they’ve taken their next step in the canned evolution of accessibility with their non-alc rosé bubbles.

Same great juice and taste, because at its foundation it’s still wine - just sans alcohol. And it’s such a win, win for wine lovers, when the dupe is as good as the original and it travels well. Besides being delicious with and without alcohol, Union Wine Co also has a company ethos of “gives a damn” — about the wine, land and people who drink it. So that’s pretty cool and another reason it’s my wine of summer1 (and probably fall.)

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Cans Can Save

It’s no shock to Luncheonette readers, that wine consumption has hit a sixty year low. And not to get too deep on the data, but IWSR came out with recent findings that Gen Z is actually drinking alcohol - something a number of industry folks suspected. And now that the next wave of drinkers can be counted, due to being legal drinking age, it’s clear the only generational problem wine has is with the folks in the industry that don’t want to evolve with both packaging, and the contents of a good can.

A little bit of research easily shows benefits of canning wine. Cost, accessibility, and a lighter carbon footprint are all great places to start. The pushback usually comes on quality, and deeming precious juice too righteous for cans. Underwood and Una Lou from Scribe both prove that theory wrong.

On the consumer side, cans appeal to a younger and more casual audience. I did a little jig the first time I could buy wine at a ballpark - whether for a game or concert. But the experience isn’t great, it’s cumbersome and even before Michelob Zero became my drink of choice in those venues, I often found myself moving back to beer or G&Ts. Cans have already shown the wine industry the future of modern drinking, with the crystal ball of hemp and cocktails - those already embracing it in wine, both traditional and non-alc are the saving grace leadership needed to no longer pulling up vines.

New School, Kool Aid

Modern drinking has earned a permanent place on the bar cart and recent client menus. Paid members take a peek at what I’ve been pairing alongside the Underwood Rosé Bubbles that goes beyond the plate, and includes a puff 😎

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“Doctor Rock”, as Glenn Gass has been known to students for decades, made me believe that I could potentially work in the music industry, without needing to get up on stage or go to business or law school - long before we had the music marketing we do today. No doubt he’s had that impact on a lot of people over his tenure of forty years and 40,000 some students. One of the things that I loved about the class was how Gass ran it. His excitement without pretension, and genuine pursuit to teach vital history to as many people as possible could easily translate to lessons in hospitality — with the first one being, to pass you’re going to have to participate.

Two key components of the curriculum were The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock-n-Roll, and listening to cassette tapes that you’d have to identify by ear in the exams. The latter still exists in the university’s archives - which are basically mixtapes or show recordings created by Gass before the industry got digitized. The real show though, was listening to Doc Rock teach. His stories of meeting Bob Dylan are still legendary, and gave a lot of kids inspiration in believing they could do anything, at pivotal times in their lives.

I still have the book. It’s one of those big hefty ones, and I’ve lugged it across too many apartments to count. Along with all my CDs, which aren’t feeling so worthless given what’s happening with publishers, streaming and the music industry continuing to erase things from the internet2. And while there were very little “answers” in the book on any exams – today it’s a glorious study in both written and visual style. Plus, every single photo is worth buying a copy today. Although I doubt readers will pay the $16.88 as I did, back at the off campus, independent bookstore — T.I.S.

Of course the book came out and was reissued at times when we still weren’t telling whole truths about much of our history, including rock-n-roll - especially when it came to Black folks and women. But surprisingly there’s a solid amount of coverage of Black music — Gospel & Rhythm, Motown, Funk, Reggae and while my reprint was in the early 90s, the publishers still made room for Rap as it was emerging.3

And while the book divides most of its time between the states and the UK, it’s another study in the foundations of some of the greatest American bands of our time. I say greatest, not because any of them are necessarily better than new bands today - but because they exemplified a creative salvation of sorts that continues to have lasting impact on our culture and everyday life.

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If the book were published today, they’d have to write an entire new section on jam bands – because the only one that gets any space is The Grateful Dead, when Phish was only in my CD exchanges with other Midwest college kids, and would be a couple decades away from being part of the history of things.

Today, calling yourself a Deadhead doesn’t really raise an eyebrow. In the ‘90s, it still got you filed under “stoner” or “party crowd,” which feels low stakes, with so many legalized states today4. It’s also strange to watch footage from the upcoming Dead documentary and see your own life represented on screen, after it had been mocked for decades — but that’s a story for another time. As you can imagine, there were a lot of Deadheads in those music classes with Doctor Rock. All different types of people, that were part of a counter culture and not in a community buzzword kind of way. And listen, while Deadheads are notorious for talking about the welcoming nature of all kinds of folks with our peace, love, and drugs - the community has almost always been predominately white, and male.

It’s not a big news flash that The Dead changed the merch game, but we don’t talk enough about what a unifying badge of honor it was to get score tickets through their mail order system. Even standing in line, at the mall box office, to buy higher priced tickets due to the fees we didn’t really understand at the time, was an event of camping out for days in advance. Also, we throw the word game changer around too easily when I think about this band’s fight with Ticketmaster5 and their retained power over a lot of their creative ecosystems.

And that fight, although it didn’t last forever is one of many examples we’re going to need from our favorite bands and ourselves as the world starts to reorder itself.

We are in an extraordinary time of transformation throughout the world, the United States no exception. No doubt you may feel it personally, because we’re all going through an enormous, collective change under the crumbling of oppressive systems. And while most of us fall somewhere on the middle of the spectrum, between hyper aware or head in the sand about it,6 — the flurry of crises facing human beings can be absolutely overwhelming.

So I know it can be tough to dream up a new reality of well lived lives for all humans, when so many of us are struggling. But, that’s where I believe the great American band is a creative roadmap to salvation.

Not in the slippery slope of celebrity worship (in any industry) kind of way. Hopefully we’re all learning how to steer clear of that noise more and more. But in the beautiful ways a band brings something new to life, whether through art or a way of living — as a spiritual act. There is something divine and freeing about creating, ask anyone who’s brought their band, or anything creative to life. And in this moment, as we all make difficult decisions about how we show up in the world — maybe the creativity, mutual benefit and safety to explore, and mess up, and keep going is blueprint worth applying to our own ecosystems.

The Grateful Dead weren’t perfect, no band is — because none of us is perfect, especially living under capitalism. But they did give millions of fans and artists alike a compass - something we’re all going to need on journeys into building something new.

Because they modeled a way of organizing people and resources that balanced order with freedom at every level. They modeled their own wall of sound - even though it bankrupted them, and could easily be the one metaphor for having solid rather than rigid structure that allows for flexibility, which sometimes means starting again. Leadership was shared and rotating rather than concentrated in one person - although many of us found guides in Garcia and Weir. There was room for improvisation within the set, because of practice and communication. And economically, they gave their music away for free while still building a hugely profitable enterprise. Proving generosity and prosperity for the ecosystem can coexist. Add it up and a lot of it looks like traits for a more just society. Yes, The Dead also had to face the dance with their once anti-consumerism values and becoming a commercial success. Something almost all of us face now, to some degree. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from their commitment to creating - art, alternative ways of life, and innovative economics.

Maybe that’s what Doctor Rock was really teaching all those years ago, with his groovy stories and sometimes gruesome history lessons - that we as a collective, like a great American band, have the ability to create something new. Daring us to dream, despite differences for a mutually beneficial outcome - in unison. Doing so might feel unrealistic in today’s individualistic climate, but the history of rock-n-roll proves - it’s possible.

Next Newsletter

Diving into a great American wine, proving to be an all-around summer winner — one I believe has legs to stand on as a compass for the beverage industry, from both a packaging and alcohol variance perspectives.

Reinvention & Fortune Telling

The sound, pace, and style between from the 60s to the 90s, is a perfect reminder that we can reinvent ourselves as many times as needed. This recent release got me through 4th of July.

Fire on the Mountain Fortunetelling. And one of a few songs credited to Micky Heart; a gift from the rhythm magician written during the 1973 California wild fires — doesn’t always feel like the times are changing. Don’t miss the saxophone addition on this Oakland show.

An extended note before we get into gardening … this post has been in the drafts folder for weeks. The version hitting inboxes, was originally tied to the Blue Moon - which has clearly come and gone. The second full lunation of May did exactly as intended and shined light on the things that most needed tending. Of course, the same lesson can be found in gardening.

Part of the struggle to write about the garden this year was surely tied to getting a later start in planting one. Maybe it’s also because it feels as though everything has been on fire, all the time, at once for the past six plus months. But as my garden and this newsletter started to take shape - something started to shift and emerge.

Collective effervescence.

An emotional synchronization and transcendent connection across multiple events throughout the United States, that has people feeling joy - which in turn feels as though the air is filled with hope.

From Pride month to Puerto Rican Day, and of course the outcome of the NBA finals alongside different countrymen and women dancing in these World Cup streets - there seems to be a tide turning. A momentum behind not only caring for our neighbors and their safety, but toasting to our differences, having more in common than we tend to think, and love for the things in life that light us up. Hopefully you’re feeling it a bit too; if not, a couple of reads to warm the heart.

Alright, lets get into the garden…

No matter if you grow from seed or transplant, having an outdoor space of any kind that makes city living a little greener - is an urban gift, and too often a myth. Oddly, too many of us claim to want outdoor space where we live, and then promptly don’t use it. Life gets in the way or we put picture perfect expectations on ourselves, and growing a garden gets forgotten.

And that’s exactly what I did for seven years of living in what would be listed on Zillow as a “balcony apartment.” My previous place was in a building with a small outdoor patio sandwiched between building and whirling air conditioners. Not ideal for decompression. And the terrace in my current location has quite the reputation for off days and late nights. But to have an outdoor space within the unit is a whole new level of creating a sanctuary for where we lay our heads. Something I’d never had in my Chicago life, until moving into the West Loop neighborhood - which was at a time when the area was still filled with meatpackers, produce purveyors, and local joints. Oh, have the times changed since 2014 and 2005.

When we moved in, three things were true. First, I had fully broken up with summer - hated hot weather and thought the balcony was fine, even with a pole in the middle of it, because I would likely never use it. Second, and the reason it would mostly go unused - I owned a wine bar with my partner in life and business. Meaning we had no time or money to create a garden in our home. Third, wine was at the center of my career, and made up a large portion of my personal and professional ecosystems. So, anytime outside of work was typically filled with food, wine, bars, restaurants, and travel1. Until I closed my bar, and stopped working the floor - while the physical space for a garden was available - my attention and dedication were pointed elsewhere.

If recent gardeners look at the astro weather of the last five years, they’ll see the disruptive planet of Uranus was in Taurus - an earth sign governing nature, agriculture and food security. For those attuned to the cosmos, it can be a wild ride when we see them align with our actions - written in the stars is just a dreamy catch phrase, right? Either way, while the sky’s roadmap pointed to getting our hands in dirt, not coincidentally while a pandemic raged against the world, I started the first garden of my very own. Around the same time, I read “Why Women Grow” by Alice Vincent - a beautiful book of ‘Stories, Sisterhood and Survival.”2

You don’t need farming lineage in your family to understand the lessons gardening can teach. And I’m grateful, even if it took over forty years, that I’m now learning the lessons of my great grandparents who were farmers, and a couple of grandparents about the practice of patience and the necessity of tending and weeding.

The tending part is particularly interesting in our current cosmic climate. After a New Moon in Gemini - Chiron3, the mini planet that represents the Wounded Healer is experiencing movement between Aries and Taurus. Those of us who’ve recently come through the Chiron return can share - it’s an extraordinary time of addressing wounds, healing and unlearning unhealthy tendencies that have likely been a core part of life for quite some time. Part of it for me was ditching booze.

While it takes Chiron fifty-ish years to journey through those phases, the garden and farm only require a season to teach us that unaddressed weeds will always come with consequences - as the resources of healthy plants become depleted.

I’m in awe of the folks that can let their front and back lawns become havens for wild flowers. Growing up Gen X, a lot of us were taught that a perfectly manicured lawn was a sign of status and “properness” - and any glimpse of a dandelion was met with judgement. I love dandelions. Symbolically their strong roots stand for resiliency, and anyone that’s tried to get rid of them could easily draw conclusions to their tenacity. While the manicurists and Round Up would have us believe the dandelion is a weed, because it’s unwanted or unsightly - it’s actually a flowering plant that is edible, rich in antioxidants, and known for potentially reducing inflammation. Maybe we were onto something with our affinity for them as kids.

Instead of weeding, this year I’m taking a tending approach. Too often we yank out something that appears unaligned before exploring and pruning. Lessons in less pulling, and more peeling back what no longer serves without damaging an entire ecosystem is another type of nourishment - rooted in consideration.

The 2026 season is also a commitment to growing more herbs. It fits in with my modern drinking work, and the practice of consuming with intention. Herbs are a teacher of simultaneously being delicate and resilient - one scorching day and wilted leaves almost always results in bouncing back with an evening of watering and tending.

In a lot of ways, excellent hospitality has a lot in common gardening. Preparing conditions before anyone arrives, not knowing what folks will need - and tending to the space, utensils, food, beverage, lights, ambiance, is all visible and energetic care before anyone asks for it.

A front of house pro reads a room the way a gardener reads soil - what’s depleted, what needs space and what’s ready to grow with a little love. In both hospitality and gardening, you create the conditions and trust the environment to do its work.

Hospitality also holds the same tension of those tenacious herbs. As a beautifully set table can be undone by a single cold exchange. Warmth, offered genuinely, has a way of filling a room like a well watered plant in a thoughtfully picked pot.

Slowing down to speed up is something talked about often in restaurants - it’s mantra for anyone in leadership, doing their best to manage and coach the next hospitable generation. The garden teaches that lesson well, alongside the reminder that slowing down beyond the restaurant floor is just as important as while we’re working. Looking back on those seven years sans garden, if I had the chance to give myself advice - I’d recommend growing a few herbs, similar to starting a practice with house plants, once what we grow starts to flourish we see the benefits of gardening in both practice and proof. Because the act of returning day after day is itself a kind of faith, where we all have the opportunity of cultivating hope.

But you didn’t come here for an astro update. However, all that fire energy flying around tends to stir things up, and because our personal and professional lives are difficult to untangle, very little feels untouched these days by both cosmic and collective movements.

As we’re securing summer partnerships with folks that are value aligned in our work, a data point keeps coming up. Over 80% of our collaborative pipeline at Aldea is filled with women in hospitality. And while a lot of that work is set in events and activations, most of our conversations are filled with recurring messaging - that we’re even seeing beyond our respective industry.

Women are building hyphenate businesses.

On a recent episode, the Vinepair crew talked about slow adaptation in wine marketing - with riveting metrics around experience, reported by Matt Rice of the Quench Report. Made me super grateful for the almost six years I worked in restaurant tech and partnerships.

The staying power, in my opinion, is because no matter where and how you work in wine - you’re also doing multiple other jobs. The classic foundation for a hyphenate, and a testament for being well versed when journeying into new or adjacent industries.

Women are creating entrepreneurial endeavors to fortify and diversify their income streams, beyond their base income. Something men have been doing for years. And while women have been collaborating for pretty much all of time - in order to survive, it’s only recently that many have gotten more vocal about how they’re building sustainable lives, while working to enrich the ecosystems they touch. I’ve never really experienced matriarchy as a collective, but it sort of feels like working to ensure we all have safety and joy in our lives - might be a building block of one.

Hospitality Futures

The hyphenate model is not only the future of sustainability for women in hospitality, it’s already here - something I talk about a lot with fellow hyphenate Kim Lerner of Hospitality from Within on Substack. It’s not by accident that women are speaking up about putting together a life that works for us, rather than the other way around - while still being passionate about an industry that hasn’t been all that kind to us over the years, especially for black and brown women - even if or while sometimes experiencing varying degrees of success.

Again, the hyphenate model or portfolio career isn’t new, but it is being rejuvenated for the creative, working class of folks trying to afford groceries, alongside the safety of their friends and neighbors.

Over the past couple of years I’ve filled up numerous notebooks on both building a portfolio career, as well as what expansive hospitality looks like, through a lens of modern drinking1. I’ve loved ceremonial and celebratory drinking since I was a little kid - long before booze entered the picture. Tea, as noted many times over at The Luncheonette, is a big deal in my family - my maternal grandmother, long held beliefs about slowing down with a cup of tea and it being able to solve a lot of problems. She wasn’t wrong.

It’s taken many cups of tea to understand, that after two decades in and around wine and as much as I love it - somewhere around my mid-forties the alcohol in it stopped loving me back2. For awhile, that meant giving up wine because until recently the quality in dealc has lagged behind its beer counterparts.

If you’ve ever wondered what a tipping point looked like, now is your time to see one - as it’s about to happen for dealcoholized wine. Part of that will of course include everyone being “for this evolution”all along - but right now we’re getting a front row seat as dealcoholized wine starts revolutionizes the industry.

Now, that may be a grandiose statement and I’m not the first one to make it. But don’t we need big, grand, passionate statements and gestures if we want to see something thrive after struggling? I think we do.

As the quality in the category continues to sky rocket, we are going to start seeing more site and vineyard specific dealcoholized wine from some of the top names in the traditional game. But today, one thing is clear - there are enormous opportunities for women in wine, especially when it comes to the non-alc category and its place in modern drinking.

There’s no denying the challenges the hospitality industry faces - which of course includes the vast world of beverages. And it’s important to remember we are all in very different boats - throughout the many storms of life. That said - it doesn’t mean we can’t start doing things differently in this moment.

The Daily Pour recently published an article on women revolutionizing the non-alc drinks business. Love to see friends3 of the newsletter on the list - and can’t help but hypothesize on why so many women are leading in booze free and thc spaces. A conversation for another time.

As the era of modern drinking develops, it’s actually natural wine that’s been an enormous example of changing the industry, while making wine more accessible and equitable. Praise and peace to that development over the past ten plus years

I also know building a career in modern drinking right now absolutely requires being a hyphenate - and entails an enormous amount of work. But very few women in hospitality are afraid of truly rolling up their sleeves, especially when we start to see healthy change in our communities.

And that’s why this newsletter kicked off with a little astro, cosmic dusting - there’s never been a better time to start something new or expansive in our lives. Yeah, I’m talking about wine and hospitality in this example - but the statement is far reaching. Now is the time to double down on things you love deeply, on new creative adventures - no matter our age or circumstance, and living with purpose and joy.

The world and how we work is re-ordering itself, in real time. If you want to turn a hobby into a way of life or play music with your friends at a local bar or raise money with a bunch of other folks for the greater good of our ecosystems or be part of a modern drinking movement, and wherever that might take you - now is the time to do what inspires and makes you happy, some might call that the right stuff4. At our house, we like to say, respectfully - have fun, do cool sh*t.

At the end of the month, I’ll be moderating a panel at Vinexpo Americas on Women in Wine, where I’ll be in conversation with Jacqueline Coleman and Rachel Martin. If you’re already attending - register here for the session.

If you’re in Miami or still on the fence about heading down south for this international trade event, readers of The Luncheonette have access to passes with this code: VAM26ALDEA

Bonus: this year Vinexpo includes Be No, a No/Low exhibit that achieved significant success at Wine Paris earlier this year - a definite statement on the conversation and movement around dealc wine.

While we both didn’t start out using notebooks in our early career gigs, these tools of the trade took on an evolution of being necessary to our success to eventually nerding out status when it comes to type, style, pens. This first collaboration is opening our virtual doors for a look into how we document our work, tap into creative inspiration, and stay on task while building a business.

Back of House: Mark

When I first started working in professional kitchens I don’t think I wrote anything down. I had a spiral notebook I carried around with me that I scribbled ideas on, but little else. Something I regret now. Early in my career it just seemed like I remembered everything I needed to know and that the constant repetition of work helped reinforce that knowledge. People would tell me that I should start writing things down, but I felt I could “just remember”. In all honesty this worked for a long time. Then I noticed that I would start to forget things, little things, an ingredient in a recipe for example. Or I would have an idea for a new menu item, and a week later not be able to recall exactly what I was thinking. As a chef there are so many things I need to keep track of during my day, most of which is usually laid out for me on various checklists that I can just tick boxes. Opening checklists, cleaning checklists, prep lists, order lists, you name it. These lists all exist on clipboards. Its why you see a lot of sous chefs walking around in the kitchen with a clipboard all the time.

At some time I discovered Moleskine notebooks. I thought it might be a good idea to carry one around just because I had a lot of ideas for new dishes that I wanted to make sure I remembered. Often on my days off I would grab a cup of coffee and just write down ideas in my notebook, usually new recipes, and such but also ideas for what eventually became my own restaurant. I also noticed that I liked making lists, something I had been doing forever. As a young cook I made a daily prep list for myself. Usually what I did was take paper from the POS kitchen printer and make a short list of what needed to be done that day and hung it in my station. I hung it up so other cooks could see my list and help if so inclined.

Once I opened my own restaurant my wife had started using the smaller sized moleskine notebooks because they fit in a back pocket. I switched as well, it was just so convenient. I also found that I had a lot more things to keep track of as a small business owner than just prep sheets. I would do my thinking in those notebooks, writing out ideas to make the business better, or just ask myself questions about what was happening in my business. Where was the money going? A common question.( LOL)

Not long after closing our restaurant I got a job at a big place that was very busy. I discovered Field Notes notebooks, not sure how. But I liked them because they were light weight and also had cool covers. Let’s be honest, if something looks cool, you’re going to be predisposed to use it more. One of the things I discovered was that the more I wrote in them the more information I retained. Even if I didn’t go back and look at what I’d wrote, the act of just writing it down helped me retain information better. They are also very handy when you are busy, I can stop sometimes and jot things down in the notebook in my back pocket.

Here’s the top things I use my notebooks for

1. Lists: I’m a list maker, I love lists. Every morning I write a list detailing what I need to accomplish that day, and it provides a huge dopamine hit when I cross something off that list. This habit started as a young line cook that had no idea how to organize his time and another cook having pity on me and explaining the importance of prep lists and how to write one.

2. Recipes: this one is obvious, Im a chef after all. Most of the time I will start will just a list of ingredients and add quantities as I go. Most of the kitchens I worked in, there weren’t any recipes written down for the most part. The chef would just give you a list of ingredients and you were expected to figure it out. I didn’t realize how much this has helped train my palate until much later.

3. Ideas: Another obvious one. Having the notebook in my back pocket at all times means when I have an idea I can write it down there and then. Sometimes when I go back and look at old notebooks I’m surprised at how many good ideas I have and just seem to forget about. There have been many times I write down an idea for a dish and totally forget about it, then find it much later and then an able to use it for a special or new menu item.

4. Mental Checkins: Sometimes I just write down how I’m feeling at the moment or things I am experiencing. If I’m facing some challenges, work related or personal, sometimes writing them down helps me figure out how I’m feeling. Or maybe why I’m feeling a certain way. Usually this is just a few sentences but it can be helpful to look back later and see what was happening with you and maybe see some patterns. Or conversely if I’m crushing it at work or home, I’ll write that down as well, to help me remember, so that down the road if I’m struggling I can refer back to a time I wasn’t and what I was doing then.

5. Drawing/Doodling: Sometimes during the coarse of the day, my mind can wander. I don’t think this is a bad thing, I think it’s good sometimes to let your mind veer off. If I’m on a long call for instance, sometimes I might grab my notebook and start doodling, I’m still paying attention, but it helps to keep my hands busy. There are also times I draw things out just to help me visualize things. A to of times when I start a new job I’ll draw a mock up of the kitchen line setup so I remember where everything is and it also helps familiarize myself.

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Front of House: Liz

Apparently cursive is coming back into some schools, and while there are debates on whether or not it’s important or effective, one of my fondest, early memories is writing on lined paper at school and in practice books. Once I learned to write, it cracked open a whole new world - as now playing office and restaurant included writing things down on notepads. Anytime my grandparents would have a stray notebook from the bank or hardware store, I’d usually get it with branded ballpoint pens that had erasers at the other end and no cap - those were the years when pocket protectors were a thing after all.

So my love of writing things down started early, so too did me working in foodservice - although my teenage years will filled with more guest check pads than moleskines, writing down orders of pizza and grinders - the latter of which was a sandwich that fed a lot of high school and college kids living in towns with a franchise called Mancino’s1. You could feed yourself for days on one of those hot subs - something I’d known a lot about as a kid that dealt with food insecurity at one time or another. But that’s a story for another time.

College years before laptops demanded notebooks, Fivestar was my preferred brand. When it came to working front of house - I like many other Gen Xers that came through the 90s Chicago restaurant industry had a guest check book, which we would all simply refer to as ‘our book’. We needed the books, to actually hold the guest checks that we would run through the old Micros POS, mack daddy dinosaurs that held our orders. Blank guest checks would be used to write down orders, as well as specials and 86 lists for the night. But at that time, notebooks were more for sitting in class than dining room floors.

As point of sale systems changed, so too did the server book for taking orders. And as wine education became more en vogue for those same Gen X & Y generations of the 90s, smaller moleskines started to appear for those considered serious in the craft. What I would go on to learn is that all notebooks are not created equal and our needs of functionality are different from back of house.

First, notebooks on the floor need a pocket - from PPX chits to credit card slips, we need a pocket, especially for the ladies who had to wear dresses on the floor back in the day, which was almost always lacking pockets. Same cold be said for suit jackets, a pro tip is to always be sure and check to see if a sewn pocket can be ripped open for use, often to store those notebooks.

Two notebooks that worked well for me in service: Moleskine Classic Notebook, Soft Pocket 3.5x5.5; ivory 70g/m², ruled or dotted, ribbon bookmark, outer elastic band, 192 pages. In a pinch, or if you weren’t feeling the 192 page version: Cahiers Journals (Set of 3), Pocket 3.5 x 5.5, Ruled or Dotted, same paper weight as the classic (ivory 70g/m²) and a back, inner tab that can act as a pocket. Both styles worked efficiently as an operator and sommelier - since we were a no phones on the floor type of place. It was a different time.

Now, beyond the daily dining room floors I’m a bit more particular on paper bleed-through when it comes to notebooks, especially when I’m in the field - mostly because I still a lot of Sharpies, and also Papermate Flair | Medium - both marker style pens. After Mark introduced me to Field Notes during the pandemic, I don’t use much else when I’m outside the home office. The 3.5 x 5.5 size and paper weight are ideal, and on rare occasion you might get a back tab that can act like a pocket - which I will always prefer. Oh yeah, and their cheeky back covers are a do not miss.

My Top Five Uses for Notebooks

1. Journaling: mental clarity, managing stress, and developing deeper self awareness are key, while I manage midlife and building a third business - journaling can help with breaking patterns and doing better than before, because I know better.

2. Lists: in addition to my digital calendar, I still write out weekly and daily lists. The visuals help keep me organized and on task. The weeklies are in a Five-Star notebook, with a lot of flair - highlighted sections, colorful markers for goal tracking, stickers etc. I use Filed Notes for the dailies, whether working from home or actually out in the field. And just like my Chef counterpart - crossing things off a list is my kind of dopamine.

3. Ideas: notebooks categorized either by single subject or general; use two sizes (field notes size) and then the other brand; similar to lists the larger is for the home office and smaller for being out either onsite or in the field. Ideas either make it into projects, and onto lists or stay put for future reference.

4. Sketching & Doodling: as a long time bullet journaler - squiggles, lines and doodles are grounding for me when I’m in meetings or taking in information. Doodles help me highlight important topics discussed, which is great for both remembering and reference. Also, sketching can be a great tension release and a reminder of a common philosophy that works in restaurants and life: slow down to speed up.

5. Reference & Education: as a hospitality educator I’m constantly reading and researching; working in non-alc requires supplemental education and expertise beyond past beverage experience. So, I’m finding myself taking notes again, similar to my early wine education days - which has been fun, and helpful to our business.

As so many things about how and where we work go through dramatic shifts, physically writing things down in notebooks feels more important than ever. Yes, there are more efficient ways that you can have access to notes at all times in the digital world - and like everyone else our notes app is brimming with things to do and ideas yet to be executed. But, as writing things down has been proven to improve memory and reduce stress - we’ll take all the help we can get. Plus analog is hot right now - so get after it.

Field Notes is located in Chicago, and folks can drop in at their HQ on Thursdays and Fridays for in person browsing and shopping. If you dig notebooks like we do, seeing their space is worth a trip.

Wine education in the traditional sense has never been more accessible. Whether folks go the formal route through certifications or choose self-study and travel. So it’s easy to think when it comes to a topic with such a deep and rich history, steeped in alcohol - that we’re covered in knowing what we know or at least think we know.

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If a guest forgoes the answers in their phone and actually asks about Burgundy, there are centuries of accumulated knowledge to draw on - because the region has been documented and studied obsessively. From producer profiles to vintage scores and quality debated to the point of exhaustion - wine pros can easily build an arsenal of knowledge. Today, we could say the same thing about natural wine. Terroir, technique and bottle variation even within vintage are all things pros know at this point in an arc of the category that has dominated for the last ten years.

Now, because of the wine programs, past and present, fully searchable on the web - because we’re always told to put our menus online, guests have the prompts to understand bits and pieces of a topic at their fingertips that many of us built decades studying and learning. But that’s a conversation for another time.

I’ve long said, show me a wine pro and I’ll show you a writer. Because when you’re obsessively educated about a topic, it demands the student read and read a lot. The expression of the knowledge comes out in the pages of a wine list, which eventually is almost always accompanied by teaching on the bottles that make it up. So it could be said show me a wine pro and I’ll show you an educator.

We love education, whether in the classroom, in the vineyard or on dining rooms floors because learning about something we love is truly rewarding on so many levels. And up until the last few years, those camps have all relatively had the same foundation built in and education centered around alcohol.

Modern drinking has put that foundation in a state of upheaval; from non-alc to THC, or opting out entirely because eating and drinking is expensive or weight loss drugs have deteriorated appetites. Growth in those first two categories has far outpaced the education available to the industry, but because sales in restaurants are restructuring themselves right now - everyone is scrambling to add inclusive options to hopefully ensure revenue isn’t lost.

As a dealc wine drinker, I’m excited to regularly see inclusive options on lists, including THC drinks at my corner bar. But this is new territory for the entire industry, and as we continue to see it grow, retention in any category requires education.

Over the last few years most wine folks have been doing the same thing when it comes to modern drinking - applying decades of traditional experience to the dealc and alternatives category. And listen, your bubbles are still going to be fantastic with fried food whether there’s alcohol or not. Yet, with Oddbird Blanc de Blancs being poured at the Oscars and on most higher end by the glass lists - can you tell your team why the back of the bottles say it’s from Germany? Maybe your guests don’t care - but if it’s important to know the specifics as well as the stories of traditional wine, why would we put anything on our lists that doesn’t align with the same philosophy?

Dealcoholized wine is genuinely different, not just as a product but as a subject of knowledge: the removal of alcohol changes everything downstream - because it’s load-bearing in wine. Simply treating dealc wine, as the same product minus the alcohol isn’t doing your knowledge of the category any favors. It’s not just an ingredient that gets subtracted without impact. And that means the mental models many of us have spent decades crafting around the assessment and impact of alcohol on taste, texture and body need to be adapted - and that requires education.

A sommelier who brilliantly understands Champagne, doesn’t automatically know the ins and outs of a dealcoholized sparkling wine. Grape varieties and terroir could be identical - but the product in the glass acts differently, both solo and with food. Dealc wine is asking different things of programs, and answering requires specific, targeted learning that isn’t yet part of any standard curriculum. I know this intimately, because for the last two years my hospitality agency has specialized in tastings, education and events that no longer center alcohol. And everything I’ve used to educate myself was mostly pieced together from limited online information.1

Growth Ahead of Expertise

The traditional wine industry is contracting at the same time dealcoholized wine is expanding. The contrast is hard to ignore, and most subscribers of The Luncheonette know the stories. Consumption in 2024 fell to its lowest level since 1961, U.S. sales dropped 7.2% in a single year, and distributor consolidation has left three companies controlling over half the U.S. market. Mergers and acquisitions (which often includes private equity and venture capital at each of the respective ends of the business) have reshaped the producer tier too, and the conversations in most wine rooms right now are about survival - at best.2

Against that backdrop, the global non-alcoholic wine market - currently valued at roughly $2.5 billion3 is projected to reach between $3.8 and $7.2 billion within the next five to nine years. Not that we need metrics to make a case, but those numbers are giving us enough data to point to dealc wine as a significant, fast-moving segment arriving precisely when traditional wine could use some new stories to tell, alongside classic and natural ones we know so well.

The wine pros who can meet this moment with real knowledge - who can recommend with dealc expertise and describe differences with accuracy are going to stand out alongside non-alc industry experts that have been trailblazers in the category. And until now none of the information around dealc wine and alternatives has been assembled anywhere in a comprehensive, trustworthy form. It’s existed in fragments across the interwebs - which requires a large amount of self research, without benchmarks or structured education from folks that have been leading and early adopters of the category.

Closing the Education Gap

A topic where Google University barely scratches the surface, understanding dealcoholized wine means getting into the production methods and what each one does to a wine’s character. It means developing a tasting vocabulary specific to these products, to set up service teams for success. It means understanding how the category intersects with health, as well as hospitality, inclusivity and innovation.

We’ve all seen this before - most recently with natural wine. Long before there was education crafted for the now mainstream, dominant wine category - folks started taking risks and conducting tiny experiments that sparked a movement and changed the entire industry. Dealcoholized wine is in that window right now. Trailblazers in the industry have been experimenting, and we’re getting to the point where quality selections are readily available. And now, there’s education to finally go along with it.

Alternative Certifications

Whether you favor of formal education or not, the wine and hemp industries are in desperate need of a common language, one where modern drinking meets professional training. And that’s where AFNA (Alcohol Free Non-Alcoholic) from Meagen Coester (Anderson) and Rachel Martin, comes in.

While both women need little introduction in the non-alc and beverage worlds, it’s key in understanding the proof points behind a community and curriculum they’ve created.

Meagen Coester is the Founder of AFNA, which specializes in education for all types of modern drinking: NA beer, spirits, and wine - as well as THC beverages. Meagen fell into my orbit while I was researching THC beverage education in 2025, and in addition to her AFNA work she is a well respected voice in the beer and start up beverage worlds.

Rachel Martin, in addition to her outstanding work in traditional wine, has been a consistent voice on industry panels, regularly quoted in trade publications for her trailblazing work in no and low alcohol wines - the latter of which I call some of the most faithful (to their alc counterparts) dealc wines on the market.

Together these women founded and built the AFNA Wine Course & Certification - a structured, trustworthy resource that’s been missing from this category and is now a meaningful supplement to any wine education. Taking and auditing the AFNA wine course reminded me of when formal wine education was gaining traction in the early aughts - those that leaned in didn’t simply keep pace with the industry, they helped shape it.

Ongoing education in any craft rewards the expansively curious, and the most important knowledge rarely comes from a single source. Alternative certifications aren’t about adding hardware to a pin collection, although AFNA does follow suit of other formal education curriculum with pins - something I’ll be including in my subscriber only, behind the scenes AFNA audit in the coming weeks. This is about continuing education within a dynamic, living industry; the same way cheesemongers and realtors are required to keep learning to stay current in their fields.

It’s why I recently added AFNA to my curriculum and chose to partner with Meagen and Rachel in my consulting work. Because education will always be a differentiator, especially for women that are looking to lead evolution in the beverage industry.

As modern drinking continues to reshape beverage hospitality, having new educational tools is essential. AFNA belongs in the professional toolkit alongside the certifications we’ve long considered standard, while also supporting those that prefer self-study. The category is moving fast, and that requires a common fluency to catch up with the growth, maintain retention and continue to make wine even more expansive.

And as a 1990s Deadhead (which still feels like ten years ago), I know it’s my duty not to gatekeep the experience of being one. A true Deadhead wants those that have found the art and craft of one of the greatest American bands of all time to be able to wear their love of the music, proudly. But with a band that started as, and was the embodiment of counter culture from the 60s into the 90s, when I was gifted their music - it feels wild to see the Grateful Dead now as part of the big, corporate mainstream. Yet, it shouldn’t surprise me.

Counter culture doesn’t stay so forever, it’s a slow burn until it gets celebrated to the point of commodification (see Target tee shirt section). What starts as uncomfortable becomes something everyone has suddenly always loved - and while that may sound a little snarky, it’s not a criticism. It’s simply how life and culture work, especially within capitalism. And while artists undeniably need to be paid for their craft, what starts as counter culture almost always has to make a decision at some point between values and jumping the fence for dollar signs.

No matter those choices, fringe culture eventually gravitates toward the center and as it does, something new emerges at the edge to take its place - even while we continue to honor special, underground moments of the past.

The same could be said for wine.

For the last ten-ish years, natural wine has been the counter culture of the wine world. Both stylistically and spiritually. Winemakers rejecting the conventions of a deeply traditional industry had a range of impact - from making a lot of sommeliers uncomfortable to straight up, pissing off big wine and alcohol.

Natural wine created its own language and community for years, largely (not solely) around an identity of what it wasn’t versus what it was - which is a huge part of being counter culture.

A recent article about the maturation of natural wine is one of the most encouraging things I’ve read about the industry in a very long time - the article lays the foundation for there being an enormous amount of room at the edges of wine in this moment.

If natural wine is becoming mainstream, and the champions of that movement are returning to a more healthy ethos of what we all loved about wine from the early aughts - amazing. It’s one of the ways we see the pendulum swing back on what we already know, wine and everything around it has the opportunity to be special - even magical.

It’s not the only way. But, with natural wine moving more to the center of our drinking ecosystems - it is making room for something else to take its place from a counter culture perspective, which is an opening door for dealcoholized wine.

The New Wine Counter Culture

For those of us who’ve evolved our work into non-alc spaces, and couldn’t stop hearing about the concept of Dry January being “over” in 2026 - this may be a no brainer, but in the traditional wine world, it’s definitely not and worth declaring.

Not drinking alcohol is counter culture, by definition. Especially in the industry.

And while zero proof cocktails and NA beer are both considered closer to mainstream - even though we all hit bars that don’t have non-alc options, still - which is wild considering the revenue it generates. Dealcoholized wine is not even close to mainstream, because we still center quality, seriousness and worth in wine around alcohol. Makes sense, that’s all we’ve known in the industry, up until recently.

It’s also why natural wine is a literal beacon of light and hope for dealcoholized wine and alternatives. Natural wine changed the literal wine game, and made the category a lot more accessible (for awhile) for a lot of folks.

Dealc wine is only in its early days of figuring out benchmarks of quality, showcasing retained structure and sense of place or typicity. A space natural wine understands because that’s been a big part of its history over the last decade or so.

Dealcoholized wine isn’t alone at the edges. THC-infused drinks are intertwined with dealc wine drinkers, and it’s across generations. Folks are building a relationship with what’s in their glass that isn’t automatically defined by alcohol, and the entire wine industry has an opportunity to maximize this counter culture moment.

Some already are, and the Grateful Dead, as well as both traditional and natural wine, can act as a compass for what lies ahead.

Best of Both Worlds

The traditional wine world and the natural wine movement both have much to offer dealcoholized wine. From the traditional side: structure and standards. The understanding that quality is built through process and people who care enough to define dedication to land and craft.

And from the natural wine movement: curiosity and space to experiment. Because the movement reserved much of its judgement for traditional wine, within community - many developed discernment. The willingness to question establishment beliefs, while welcoming in new thought and elevated dialogue.

Dealcoholized wine needs both. It needs structure to produce something genuinely excellent, and education - which is starting to happen with a few folks dedicated to dealc - a topic The Luncheonette will cover later in the month. Dealc wine also needs space and opportunity to experiment, like so many beloved jam bands. While quality, dealc wine emerges and evolves - folks need time to figure it out.

The expansion into dealc wine helps more people get excited about wine in general - and for those of us that love the stuff, isn’t that the point?

Freedom in Free

The Grateful Dead set out to be free. Free from the music industry’s expectations. Free from the idea that a song had a fixed length or that listeners wouldn’t follow them down a rabbit hole. They encouraged fans to tape and trade. They built their own economy as both a pioneer in merch culture and building an incredible, in-house, mail order ticketing system - not to mention what Deadheads built on Shakedown Street.

A band, without the internet or the many resources we have today, built an ecosystem entirely outside of how the industry said ti was suppose to work. The Grateful Dead wasn’t anti-music, they were for something their industry didn’t have a category for yet. Decades before it would become mainstream.

And much like radio programmers didn’t know what to do with a 23-minute version of Dark Star, or the gatekeepers didn’t want it on their airwaves - a lot of folks in the industry haven’t known what to do with dealcoholized wine1.

And that makes sense, for a long time dealc wine wasn’t great. And I know I might piss off some Deadheads, but every show and recording of the Dead isn’t majestic - because they were always experimenting. The literal ethos of a jam band is to experiment. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t - but they learned, and had a pretty good time along the way. Artists might tell you that’s a recipe for success.

Dealc wine has been experimenting, especially in the last few years. A lot has changed, and we still have a lengthy stretch ahead in bringing this new sector of wine through the counter culture - hopefully in more equitable ways than how most things have gone in wine over the past two decades. But I am looking forward - to looking back on this moment in the history of wine and seeing the impact of dealc on this industry’s long strange trip.

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A Bit of Business

The Perfect Bite Podcast: I had the pleasure of sitting down with the wonderful Sarah Perkins on The Perfect Bite Podcast - we talk grief of walking away from a dream, the growing space for creative hyphenates and a career evolution into dealc wine. Give it a listen and show Sarah some love - her pod just celebrated one year and 50 episodes!

Hospitality Hyphenate: Jim Yale: This month’s community call featured Jim Yale -artist, painter, and someone who knows a thing or two about reinvention. After years of hospitality and wine sales, evolved into real estate, Jim found his way back to his art, and the conversation was as inspiring as you’d expect. If you’re a creative hyphenate and want to join our next conversation - be sure to subscribe to The Luncheonette for announcements.

Up Next: “Alternative” Beverage Certifications - In an upcoming newsletter, I’m diving into the evolving world of beverage certifications beyond alcohol - what’s changing, what it means and what I’ve learned going through the process myself - after walking away from the world of certifications over ten years ago.

Growing up middle and lower-middle class in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s meant you either experienced or saw firsthand what food insecurity looked like across a community. I can remember lots of families talking about and getting rain checks when the grocery store was out of something on sale. It was part of the weekly rhythm for a lot of folks back then - check the sale flyers, clip coupons, and if the store was out of a deal, take a trip to the customer service desk and ask for a rain check.

The concept of grocery store rain checks dates back to the 1960s, when the Federal Trade Commission started requiring stores to honor advertised prices even when items sold out. How hospitable of the FTC. The term itself is borrowed from baseball, where rain checks allowed fans to attend a rescheduled game if weather canceled play. Of course the fun fact is that rain checks became so embedded in American consumer culture that the phrase entered everyday language as a polite way to decline an invitation while keeping the door open for later, something that feels a little lost in today’s never ending calendar tetris between work and life.

It’s more than okay to ask a corporation to adhere to the pricing they offered, even if the product is sold out. It’s okay to hold corporations to social, moral, and financial contracts. But I also know why a lot of folks don’t ask for rain checks anymore because the middle class (what many are now calling the ‘working families party’ in political campaigns) has been getting wallet-shamed our entire lives. Like it’s bad to need a solid deal on food and beverage that keeps you fed, and caffeinated to survive capitalism. Heaven forbid we actually get a break on a buy-one-get-one half-gallon of unsweetened almond milk to help us get through these absolutely wild times - while corporations and billionaires continue to rip us off, and tax us well beyond the paycheck.

And in the world of complicated communication, where folks don’t want to answer or talk on their phones - let alone interact with strangers at the grocery store, there are also likely some that don’t even know about the concept of rain checks. Because by now we do know that large corporations aren’t going to over advertise true, genuine, extended savings to the consumer.

But here’s the thing - I recently asked about a rain check at one of the five major grocery store chains we mostly have to pick from in this country, since small, mid-size markets have been pushed out of my neighborhood. A common occurrence throughout major metropolitan cities.

The clerk at the self checkout didn’t know, but after a bit of back and forth with a few folks, while I scanned and bagged my own groceries (shouldn’t we get a discount for this labor?) I was pleasantly surprised that a rain check for an out of stock, sale item was in fact available.

Saving a few bucks here and there might not seem like a lot - but saving $5 on one grocery run a month, is $60 a year that I can spend at small, independent businesses. And that makes the rain checks feel worth it.

Same But Different

While a lot of the country is still thawing out, not everyone may be aware that pitchers and catchers reported for spring training this week. If baseball is your thing, you know there are few better days than a rain check make-up game. Usually because it’s held in the afternoon, with a half full stadium. It fully embodies the feeling of playing hooky.

The cultural kind of rain check is in theory the same - but different, because it requires effort and follow through, two things not easy to come by when most of us are hanging on by a thread as patriarchy burns. The idea of the rain check is ‘I decline today, with the full intention on both sides of the relationship that the door will remain open to connect at a later date.’

But too often, we’re constantly on the loop of ‘let’s have tea’ and when the date comes - we give ourselves and one another the grace to cancel. Unless there are tickets involved, and even then folks sometimes still opt out. Because capitalism wants you drained, grinding week in and week out, with little room to energize yourself through connection and joy.

And listen, I’m not here to advocate for forced in-person time. Boundaries and healthy relationships with ourselves and others are important. But rain checks are a way to ensure that cancelled plans actually happen with the folks who make up your community. Much like the piece I wrote last year about potlucks, rain checks can be an easy way to engage in reciprocity when the time is right. Think about it: how many times have you said “let’s reschedule” and then... didn’t? The social rain check is about meaning it. It’s about saying, “I can’t make it this week, but I genuinely want to see you” and then finding another date, and sticking to it. It’s about building community through actual action, and not just good intentions.

Creative Reminder: any newsletter can be turned into a zine and shared digitally for folks to print on their own or send via the good ol’ U.S. Postal Service. Last summer I had the pleasure of documenting Jen Mayer of Makeist, while preparing for the Chicago Zine Fest, and she turned my Potluck article into a zine! Jen took one of the core values of her work — tactile design, and showcased a beautiful example of reaching folks through many mediums.

Paid subscribers are getting The Luncheonette’s first zine in a few weeks. The issue will also be available on the Aldea Hospitality site for the “follow and read, but don’t subscribe” crowd 😎

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Tasting Season

Sometimes the rain check we need isn’t about rescheduling - it’s about knowing when to skip the first invitation altogether. Folks in the non-alc space can tell you that, like any beverage professional, it always feels like tasting season. And given everything that’s going on in the world and the United States, it can feel almost crass to go to big beverage and cannabis conventions, as well as grand-scale tastings. Maybe what we need is permission to rain check the corporate spectacle and show up instead where it matters.

And there’s definitely a time and place for larger gatherings. We need the opportunity to come into community and get our collective effervescence on, over joyful tables and bars, especially while supporting independent spots, joints and taquerias.

Over the coming weeks and months, there’s going to be a lot of think pieces that are going to make us feel uncomfortable, if you’re not already, about the industries from which we’ve made a career. Wine and spirits will not be untouched - and if you’ve been following along, 2020 gave us quite a preview of what it looks like when those at the top of an industry are held somewhat accountable.

That’s why right now it’s more important than ever to trust your gut and align your resources: time, energy, dollars - with organizations and folks that are contributing to an equitable collective in their portion of the hospitality industry. Beverage pros are experts at taking inventory and as folks taste through this season it’s an opportunity to use skills of discernment, by backing those that are working towards the greater good of our communities, and neighbors.

Diversity and equity aren’t buzzwords; they’re the difference between a vibrant industry and one that serves only some of us. So as tasting season gets started, which of course overlaps with awards season, with wine dinners and events popping up - we can all get more curious, and not just of the sober kind, and ask: are our spaces reflective of the community that keeps restaurants and wine working? Are there emerging voices alongside established ones on panels, at conferences, and our tables? And are we making intentional space for folks who’ve been historically excluded from conversations — by race, class and gender?

Hospitality Hyphenate - Artist Spotlight

Part of getting a rain check is that there will be delayed gratification and hopefully payoff - something creatives and artists know a lot about while paying the bills. Jim Yale has a long history as a hospitality professional: years behind the bar, then in wine sales. Now, with an anchor income in real estate, Jim has in recent years followed his creative sparks back to artistry and found success as a hyphenate; after quite the rain check on his artistic side.

Jim is our guest speaker for the next Hospitality Hyphenate Community Call on Thursday, February 26th at 1:30 PM EST / 12:30 PM CST; he’ll share his path from bartender to sales, and now as an emerging artist. His story is a reminder that hospitality folks are often hyphenates. We wear multiple hats, and find creative ways to sustain ourselves while doing work that fills up our cup, and soul.

As always, subscribers to The Luncheonette get first access to online community and in-person events, with special access and pricing for paying members. Sign up to join the conversation - here: Community Call.

Whether you’re asking for a grocery store rain check, rescheduling coffee with a friend or deciding which industry events deserve your time - it’s all connected. In a country where social contracts feel broken these days, we can refuse to be shamed for wanting what we’re owed or asking for follow through on commitments.

And for my middle, working class folks - don’t let the system tell you that you’re asking for too much, whether it’s for justice or rain checks. Because the latter isn’t just about deals or rescheduled plans - it’s also about holding space for more humanity, even when it’s delayed.

Another Round is a recurring article at The Luncheonette, hitting inboxes a couple times a quarter - covering recent topics in hospitality and beverage.

Sending out newsletters, in these times feels wild. As we consume some level of the news - we’re all watching the same show, on a handful of different channels. And as of this writing, writing about wine or hospitality feels frivolous at best, potentially insensitive, and at worst inappropriate.

At least without stating: we are the revolution.

And everything is connected. So, to address what’s happening in wine and hospitality, also demands that respect be paid to what is happening in the United States.

The empire is crumbling, y’all. But it’s a mistake to believe the sky if falling. Because our dear mother nature, has reminded us that she does not believe in hoaxes. Sending a blanket of quiet across the country, as a freezing invitation to slow down and face the shadows, in order to find the light.

That may sound like woo-woo fluff. Yet — as Neptune enters Aires, after fourteen years in Pisces, I promise you the above is anything but…

The cosmic compass is calling for us all to be revolutionary. To create art and prose for the greater good. In our homes, neighborhoods, industries, and ecosystems. To take extraordinary care of ourselves. To be strong, in not only body, but also mind. And yes, even at times to find joy — in the little moments, with our people.

Speaking of people — the artists and writers have been showing us the way for centuries. Now, is no different. Choose carefully and support wildly where artists are fighting for freedoms on stages larger than the ones we stand on in our daily lives.

So here we go with Another Round No. 9, it’s all about wine and hospitality change — each of the included works ask us to examine sustainability, curiosity, and the helpers in food and beverage writing.

Struggling to See Sustainable Change

It’s often said that to be a truly good writer, one must provoke. In past Rounds, I’ve noted my love–hate relationship with the VinePair podcast — and that tension is very much the point. Adam Teeter understands the game extremely well. He brings a very specific know-it-all millennial male energy, and he’s fully aware of it. That’s probably why I appreciate the show, even when the tone or topics irk me. At least they’re being honest — and only pulling a few, well-chosen punches.

I’ll be honest: I had VinePair muted from my media intake for awhile. Some of that was ego — they gave my beloved sherry a lot of hell, back in the day. And lately, it feels like non-alc gets similar treatment, but that’s a story for another time. This summer, I added them back into rotation, and even when I get annoyed, I’m genuinely impressed by what they’re doing right now.

Like it or not, the VinePair crew is probably doing one of the best jobs of covering the beverage industry today. I see Dry Atlas attempting something similar in the non-alc space, which I respect.

Here are two recent episodes, absolutely worth your time:

• Why is Wine PR Struggling So Much? I’m not sure why this isn’t being discussed on every platform — especially LinkedIn. Oh wait, yes I do. VinePair has a lot of haters. This podcast isn’t for them, and I’m fully recommending it for all independent restaurants and bottle shops.

  Listen closely to what Adam and the team say about pitching. Not only is it spot-on, it’s almost verbatim what I’ve done as an independent operator. It works, and I have the coverage receipts from 2015 and now to prove it.

  Even if you don’t care about wine PR, if you’re a small, independent restaurant, this episode is worth your time. The lessons are A+.

• Have Bars Bought In Too Heavily to Non-Alc Programs? I don’t believe bars have bought in too heavily — but I do think there’s a lack of much needed diversification. We don’t need endless zero-proof cocktails, but we do need more non-alc wine options, as well as more than one NA IPA. This conversation helps clarify why on-premise programs look the way they do right now.

  At about the halfway mark, Adam talks about being a very good time - and it so resonated. I used to be known for walking around after my bar closed with a duffel bag size purse of wine. Wherever we ended up after last call, I made sure it was a very good time — which is great, until it’s not, as tends to happen for many of us in this industry.

  So hearing Adam talk about a lot of folks on the spirits side being sober made complete sense to me. And now, it’s spilling into the wine world.

  After two years alcohol-free, I can confidently say — especially given where dealc wine is right now and where it’s headed — that this growing contingent of sober and Cali-sober sommeliers is very real. If you’re not paying attention to it, you’re behind.

Annual Dealc Wine Bashing

’Tis the season for bashing dealcoholized wine — and now, apparently, Dry January too. Whatever the trend is this week or month, having high quality beverage options sans alcohol is always going to be “in”.

Last March I got the opportunity to sit down with Dave Baxter and Dallas Miller to talk innovation and technology in wine. And almost a year later, little has changed. Dealc wine, and ready-to-drink are still the top two ways I see as paths for the industry to meet both trade and consumers where they’re at — which lives in a crossover of ease, moderation, and curation.

Today, we’d be hard pressed to have the conversation without discussing the impact of THC — which is a whole mess for another time. But this year, Dave and Dallas did a full line-up tasting of dealc wines and they’ve got some real winners that are regularly making my lists and glass pours, these days. Check out Part I and II if you’re thirsty for more.

Vintertainment: Wine and Movies

The Great Ultra-Premium Non-Alcoholic Wine Tasting - Part 1: Sparkling, Rose, and Whites

This one’s been a long time coming…

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8 months ago · 8 likes · 13 comments · Dave Baxter and Dallas Miller

Vintertainment: Wine and Movies

The Great Ultra-Premium Non-Alcoholic Wine Tasting - Part 2: The REDS

Make sure to check out PART 1 of this epic tasting where we tried Sparkling Whites, Sparkling Roses, a still Rose, and three still Whites all in the Ultra-Premium de-alc wine space…

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8 months ago · 9 likes · 12 comments · Dave Baxter and Dallas Miller

Don’t Sleep on WineStack

Good + Tasty might be my favorite Substack right now — and not just because Kathleen is generous about supporting so many of us WineStack folks. Also, I can’t set up another Google Alert for the industries I care about and this newsletter is doing some heavy lifting around important topics.

There are so many moving parts in beverage, and much like the world at large, things are changing at lightening speed. Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to wine writers who do thoughtful roundups — part of why I started Another Round at The Luncheonette was to pass some of that on to my community. I know many subscribers here care about the overlapping ecosystems of wine and hospitality — and sharing strong work still feels like a meaningful way to cut through some of the noise.

Here are two recent home runs Kathleen wrote in the wake of Dry January:

• High & Dry Conversation: is it sobriety if weed is involved? Everyone has to figure out their own consumption and wellness journey. But their is growing evidence in the restaurant and beverage industries that High & Dry is a model a lot of folks are following these days.

• Zebras in the Wild: Zebra Striping in Food & Wine? Love to see it. Yes, I am someone that no longer consumes alcohol - but I’m also in the camp of drink whatever you want. And pacing yourself, in any kind of consumption, is never a bad idea.

If you want to help our neighbors in Minneapolis, especially in food and beverage spaces, check out Beyond Beurre Blanc by Kirstie Kimball.

beyond beurre blanc.

the home for gutsy, independent restaurant criticism in Minnesota & Madison, Wisconsin.

By Kirstie Kimball

We all know Eat Street in South Minneapolis will never be the same after this weekend. Check out these two pieces from Kirstie — both with plenty of resources to be a helper, especially if getting out in the streets isn’t possible.

beyond beurre blanc.

Support Eat Street Right Now

Another ICE observer was executed at point blank range in the streets of Minneapolis. This happened on Eat Street, a mostly immigrant-owned restaurant corridor in Minneapolis. beyond beurre blanc rapidly assembled a list of those restaurants that have gift cards online, as they will be forced to close due to the volume of people coming to protest and ob…

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7 months ago · 48 likes · 5 comments · Kirstie Kimball

beyond beurre blanc.

Minnesota Food Writing I Am Loving Right Now

Look y’all, it’s crappy out there, let’s talk about some food writing I’ve been loving right now…

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7 months ago · 10 likes

Sign ☮️ the Times

We are being forced to look at the signs — whether they are literal or metaphorical, and the times are clear: change is coming whether we’re ready or not. If you feel lost, don’t only look for the helpers, but look too for the artists that have been and are still lighting the way.

Not in a “you must have everything figured out” kind of way. Rather, in a “if you feel like crap about what you have to do, then there’s likely misalignment” kind of way.

I was excited to get the first full week of this new Gregorian calendar started, and not only because it’s a 10 year. Yes, Saturday night’s full moon illumination feels like the Hermit tarot card shining its light on the incredible path that’s ahead of us. But I also know, or at least continue to learn that January is not the time to grind.

Winter is for going slow, planting seeds, and creating meaningful connections – with myself and the ecosystems around me.

Plus, there’s still work to be done in these last few months, before the year of the Fire Horse takes off, and we truly learn the meaning of hold your horses. It’s going to be a wild year, in a different way than 2025 – because as the masses continue to know better, we’ll collectively do better — for the greater good.

That’s why how you feel on the Monday-est of Mondays, is your sign to figure out what else you need to shed in these last months in the Year of the Wood Snake. When I say you, what I really mean is me… and us, because the cosmos know in this last lunar year we’ve all been shedding what no longer serves. And because of everything I read in the Venn diagram of beverage culture, hospitality, thought leadership, and cosmic spirituality — there seems to be this collective holding of the breath, while we shed this last little bit.

We all saw a large-scale example of the continued shedding on the third day of 2026. I could say that’s a story for another time, but as we all continue to learn – everything is interconnected, much as everything is political.

Still, today is about alignment. About noticing whether we’re moving toward it, drifting away from it, or standing still entirely. And it’s worth remembering: standing still isn’t failure. It’s often a necessary phase in building a value-driven life and body of work.

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Revolutions > Resolutions

I stopped making “resolutions” about twelve years ago. Looking back, it was a clear connection to my historical roots of two farming families. Farmers work in seasons, knowing mother nature has little regard for what the physical calendar will have us believe. It’s also why those almanacs are so handy and tied to the cyclical nature, of nature.

And it’s why revolutions > resolutions. Of course revolution has multiple definitions and we’re clearly already living through the political and technological types of our time. But when the circular type crosses the first of the calendar year it can feel heavy with expectations to do better, be better, live better.

Especially after the dumpster fire that was 2025 — a Groundhog Day statement many of us have been making, about each year, since 2020.

When we consider the circular revolution it has three components: the center, the orbit, and gravity.

The center is what we organize our lives around. Our values. What we protect. And the time and energy we’re willing to trade. When our center is unclear, or like in resolutions — borrowed from someone else, work and life starts to feel real heavy, real fast. Not because the tasks are difficult, but because they ultimately never point to what feels true to us, in our core.

The orbit is the day-to-day reality of our lives. How we spend our time, who we answer to, the closest three to five folks in our life — and how our energy rises and falls after each of our daily choices and actions. It’s where work and life intersect in practice, rather than theory. And if our orbit is constantly pulling us away from what we value — rest, creativity, care, autonomy, or we have nothing to center that orbit, then no amount of positive thinking or habit tracking is going to save us from hating where we go after weeks of too much cheese (is there such a thing), sleeping in, and too often forced family time.

The Monday after the holidays is such a reliable signal because it strips away distraction. After rest, ritual, and a break in routine, you can immediately feel whether your center, orbit, and gravity are working together — or fighting each other. Any kind of morning after dread, is incredibly valuable data.

Value alignment doesn’t mean every Monday feels good — but it definitely doesn’t feel like betrayal. And hey, being tired is normal — especially when we’re always connected to the 24 hour news cycle. But being disconnected from why we’re showing up is not normal - despite what capitalism has conditioned us to believe. And, it keeps us from trusting any system we’re participating in.

This is why resolutions often fail. They focus on correcting behavior in an orbit that’s already misaligned. Circular revolutions ask a deeper question: What am I orbiting, and does it deserve my energy?

When our work and life share a value driven center, gravity does its job. Keeping us tethered to values that don’t only sustain us, under our individual roofs, but also to the well being of the collective.

While it is an enormous gift and privilege to feel aligned with how we pay our bills, it’s also worth noting that not dreading the first day back after the holidays — isn’t the sole responsibility of the working class. We are living in truly brutal times for work — from high profit layoffs to sitting at micromanaged corporate desks and hustling at any type of sales gig, work has become highly extractive at almost every level.

And that’s why building creative community is more important than ever. Of course the word community was co-opted by corporate marketing in 2025 — it became the safer version of 2020’s DEI. It’s also why you’ll see words like ecosystems and villages start to pop up more in 2026, along with analog — the latter two of which The Luncheonette and Aldea (which means village in Spanish) have embodied for almost two years.

Whatever we call our small collectives — they are important. Creating art, craft, words, showcases, salons — anything that helps us feel more whole in telling our most true stories is how we stop the Monday dread from creeping in. If that can also overflow into our work and service, then that is the best gift of all.

What’s On Deck?

The Luncheonette

This newsletter rebranded eighteen months ago, and it wasn’t until the last two that I truly started to settle in to not only what I want to write about more regularly, but how I create my own analog sandwiches for this community.

I spent most of the 2025 summer immersed in zero proof events and culture, while also filming a zine documentary — hopefully that will see the light of day this year. In the interim this is what subscribers can expect at The Luncheonette.

• Quarterly Zines: paid subscribers are getting physical media from The Luncheonette this year about some of my favorite things — Spain, tea, dealc wine, music and much more.

• Beverage Culture: with the hemp ban and big alcohol showing its fearful backside at the end of 2025, we’re going to see the beverage world get truly turned upside down in 2026. Not surprising to readers, the continued coverage of beverage culture here, will largely focus on dealc wine and THC — a combo a lot of zero proof industry folks are super bullish on right now.

• Hospitality Reimagined: a lot of hospitality folks have been building a portfolio career, long before we had language for it — thanks to the many hats we wear while working in restaurants. In 2025, I finally took the Hospitality Hyphenate conversation out into the ether, after reading The Multi-Hyphen Life by Emma Gannon in 2023. I come from a family of multi-hyphens — thanks again to farming, as work changes we’ll continue this cultural conversation in 2026.

Aldea Hospitality

• Hospitality Yearly Planner: everyone is selling planners. Very few are specifically geared towards hospitality — this one is, and paid subscribers will get quarterly, behind the scenes previews of what’s included in each of the three sections: People & Culture, Systems & Service, and Planning & Adaptability. Starting today — just below the paid subscriber line. Plus there’s a seasonal notes section — because our menus always benefit from the changing bounty of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

• Hospitality Hyphenate: it was an absolute blast to launch a workshop, community call, and co-working session in Q4’25. How we work is changing, even in the hospitality industry. I’m excited to continue collaborating with Kim Lerner of as we build community, ecosystems, and villages around creative, sustainable hyphenate work.

• Zero Proof Partnerships: I love restaurants, and a lot of folks I love create truly compelling menus across cuisines, and throughout this country. Yet, the zero proof on-premise game is still well behind retail and leaving a lot of money on the table. In December 2025 I kicked off zero proof partnerships with Mas Fi (Winesellers Limited) and Boisson — thanks to the folks at both of those companies for working with me, especially at a time of year when budgets tend to be tight. If you or someone you know is looking to build truly inclusive, zero proof programs, start here — Zero Proof Programming, a free resource from Aldea Hospitality.

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A warm welcome to the swath of folks who’ve recently joined The Luncheonette — and a huge thank you to Michael Nagrant of The Hunger, for the continued support, and recommending this space to those looking for a cultural perspective on hospitality.

If you’re new here (or it’s been a while), here’s what’s on tap at The Luncheonette:

• Beverage Culture — with a special nod to the growing world of dealcoholized wine, and the non-alc industry. All from the perspective of a former corner bar owner, and award-winning sommelier.

• Hospitality, Reimagined — exploring how this industry has always been built for multi-hyphens, at every level. As a creative working class - hospitality has held multiple professions, skills, and roles - which can be linked together for a more sustainable way of working and living.

• Equity and Access — centering fairness, care, and opportunity in an industry built by creative, working class folks.

The New Age of Hospitality (and Hyphenates)

I was fortunate to work with hospitality professionals across the country through my role in strategic restaurant partnerships at American Express — after closing my wine bar. That work and the building of Aldea Hospitality, has kept me connected to a lot of fantastic folks shaping what’s next for our industry.

Over the past eighteen months, I’ve been developing a multi-hyphenate business model that helps hospitality professionals turn their skills into sustainable, creative work - with diversified income streams. I’m thrilled that Kim Lerner of Hospitality from Within has joined me in this effort — together, we’re helping our colleagues and peers explore what it means to create and live as Hospitality Hyphenates.

What’s Coming Up

📺 Substack Live
This Friday, Kim Lerner and I are going live to preview the Hospitality Hyphenate Community Call later this month. We’ll be discussing how our growing community is shaping the conversation around modern hospitality.
→ RSVP for the Live

🤝 Community Call
After two months of broadcasts, it’s time to open the conversation. Kim and I will kicking off our first Community Call on Saturday, November 22nd at 1PM EST/12N CST. The upcoming (free) Zoom call is your chance to connect directly with peers, ask questions, and share your own hyphenate story. We’re pretty excited about this one, and look forward to welcoming those that can join.
→ Join the Community Call

🧭 Free Workshop
Want to dig in before joining the call? We’ve created a free workshop on the foundations of building a Hospitality Hyphenate Life — because we know this is a new concept for a lot of folks. And building this community means sharing as much as possible - often for free.
→ Access the Workshop

Hospitality Yearly Planner

Before wrapping up, a midsize note — this week we launched the Hospitality Yearly Planner for 2026. At Aldea, we often build products with one philosophy in mind: create things, we wished we would have had, when owning a small, independent wine bar.

This digital planner was created from decades of working the floor, while knowing there was a pile of work waiting for me in the office, and a to do list more than a mile long. It was also created because I, like a lot of hospitality folks, love notebooks and planners - they always lead to inspiration, and that is the hope with this one.

As a new age of hospitality emerges - how we’re helping each other at every level is changing. Over time, many of us with long tenures on the floor have shifted into roles that serve an emerging, necessary purpose: caring for the industry in new ways. And that’s what led me to create the Hospitality Yearly Planner. It’s a tool for small restaurants and businesses that don’t have big teams or budgets. It’s a tool for small to medium size teams, wearing a lot of different hats.

If that resonates, this planner might meet you where you’re at, in this moment. And if that’s the case for one person, it’s truly a win for me and my small business - because helping each other is the point. Building up the work and craft of one another in ways that make the collective stronger is absolutely one of the goals at my company. And it should be, right? Because we’re not strong as an industry, in any industry, unless we’re all safe and fed.

Paid subscribers - be on the look out for a special PPX discount code hitting your inbox soon.
→ Explore the Planner

But for hospitality folks, we can struggle with pacing beyond the bar and restaurant floor. The energy, curiosity, and care that we extend outward all year long is rarely directed inward.

October is the month where we can practice hospitality philosophy for ourselves. Slowing down to speed up - not for lack of drive, but out of strategy. Restoring the parts of us that make the work sustainable: focus, presence, and generosity of spirit.

In an industry that celebrates “the show must go on,” slowing down can feel radical. Yet a pause - to restock our energy, rethink our routines, reestablish our creative priorities is what allows us to truly speed up when it matters most. Like mise en place for the mind and spirit.

Maybe that means taking a night off from the shift drink, starting a new (late) morning ritual, or simply saying no to one more event that doesn’t serve a greater purpose. Maybe it’s revisiting the calendar or planner, and asking: What does balance look like in the crisp, cool fall air?

There’s never been a more critical time to ensure we’re taking care of ourselves - especially so we can show up for our neighbors and communities, when needed. Because the real philosophy of hospitality isn’t only about welcoming guests - it’s also about sustaining the ones who welcome.

Sober-ish October

Restaurant and retail folks are likely going to see an influx of non-alc drinkers this month. We dipped into this a bit during September at The Luncheonette - while getting our houses in order. As we welcome seasonal fall favorites, a reminder - drinking less, doesn’t necessarily mean abstinence. Folks are drinking socially in a multitude of ways these days - with and sans booze.

Curious folks, creating inclusive spaces with their beverage programs - use this checklist to support well-rounded programming.

Slowing Down in Community

Reflecting and preparing for the fall season is better with friends. This month, I’m going live on Substack with Kim Lerner of to talk about the Hospitality Hyphenate life - the joys, challenges, and strategies of balancing multiple hats in hospitality, without tipping over.

Join the Live Discussion ➡️ HERE, Monday, October 6th at 1PM EST/12N CST

Another Round is a recurring article at The Luncheonette, hitting inboxes a couple times a quarter - covering recent topics in hospitality. No. 8 is one for the drinking folks.

Hate watching has become a top spectator sport. And with the dumpster fire that is the news, along with FOMO being the number one KPI for social media - we all do it. Whether it’s watching reels or streaming shows we all know are causing potential harm to our industries, there’s content out in the world that makes us grimace - yet we can’t look away. We roll our eyes, and promise we’re done - but then binge one more episode or read another article or press play on yet another podcast that catches our side eye, because we can’t help but watch… or listen.

As someone with a Communications degree, which often touches the edge of both marketing and journalism - I hate watch (and listen) to a lot of content. Because I want to be informed about the industries that have made my life move for the last three decades.

But here’s a consideration: maybe hate watching isn’t all that bad. And I’m not talking about the rage bait riddled news that raises the cortisol in our bodies and the click rates of folks producing from a place of little integrity.

When something is well-written, sharply reported, or brilliantly produced for the true benefit of the audience - it evokes. Even if it’s annoying or makes you want to throw your earbuds across the room. And that provocation? Is where the magic lives in great journalism and reporting. Piqued curiosity that invokes conversation, rather than outrage has the ability to act as sparks. Making us think harder, feel deeper, and sometimes even change our minds.

One podcast I’ve “hate” listened to for years, is VinePair. In full honesty, part of the reason the hate kicked in long ago was due to the hosts dogging and dragging my cherished Sherry1. With some distance from my favorite fortified wine, I’ve actually come to appreciate the VinePair podcast more than ever before.

And recently they have been absolutely crushing it.

The hosts - Adam Teeter, Joanna Scriarrino and Zach Geballe have truly been getting into the weeds on topics that keep popping up in my ecosystems. Stories legacy media doesn’t have the time or resources to cover - probably because they’ve let go of all their food journalists and would laugh at the idea of beverage journalists in today’s media landscape.

If you care about the beverage world or have your livelihood tied to it, and haven’t listened to VinePair in a minute - don’t sleep, it’s better than ever. Below are four recent standout episodes - on pressing and timely topics:

• The Restaurant Bar Has Changed for the Worse: while the episode is New York specific, where real estate is minimal and expensive - this can be applied to a lot of restaurants across the country. Industry folks know the best place to dine is always at the bar, which is becoming more difficult with space reserved for reservations.

• Should You Work in the Wine Industry? My favorite answer in today’s nuanced world is Yes, And… this is one of those situations because as we continually learn - two things can be true at once.

• Can AI Write a Wine List? Should It? My very biased opinion: No. Because the robot doesn’t have space for the complexity it takes to run a program. It may have a place in development - but not writing and implementation. Big kudos to the team for taking this on, as AI continues to dominate the headlines - while a lot of folks in the restaurant and beverage industries are very quiet about how they’re using it.

• An Example of Wine’s Struggle to Collaborate: The Luncheonette covers a lot of ground on the opportunities for the wine world to embrace and champion dealcoholized wine in the changing landscape of drinking. And after listening to this episode I understand why that feels like such a reach, when folks on the “same team” are still struggling to collaborate for the greater good of the grape.

The Future of Wine, According to Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Future 40 Tastemakers

Leaders in the wine industry, quoted in a wine based magazine, focus on the future of wine - and NO ONE speaks to dealcoholized wine. Yes, they mention the zero proof evolution and drinking moderation - which is great.

But how are we talking about The Future of Wine - and not one person brings up the incredible evolution and opportunities happening with the dealc wine world??? Readers of The Luncheonette know this is a drum I’ve been banging online for the last year, and in the glass for the last four - which folks can read here, here, here, and here.

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And while the article hits on important topics and includes solid stats from some of the best in the business - to not even mention dealc wine and alternatives is a big indicator of the industry still being slow to embrace our beloved beverage sans booze.

I’ve got full respect for all the leaders listed in the article. Working in this business has never been for the light of heart - and today, it can be downright brutal. One of the paths to bring wine consumption back up - for all generations are dealc options as part of an inclusive, well rounded program. And maybe Wine Enthusiast had to cut some of the answers for length - but if any of the folks did mention dealc wine and it ended up on the cutting room floor, that’s a miss from one of the best, legacy wine magazines out there. Read the full piece here.

Gen X Has Wine’s Attention

I do not read winesearcher - but I have been respectfully hate reading Tom Wark for years. Readers may be familiar with his Daily Wine Blog, Fermentation - which has been around for decades.

Wark recently posted up on his newer, newsletter ‘The Spill’ something that caught my eye. One because I am a Gen X wine lover that desperately wants to see the industry rebound. And two, because I’ve been preaching about wine coming back to Gen Xers - with both alc and dealc options as a sure bet way to reignite consumption.

The winesearcher piece has it’s usual stats and quotes - Gen X has the money to spend, and big budget wineries have the ability to develop targeted experiences. Great - love to see it on both sides.

It’s also another Yes, And… situation.

As noted in Polls & Possibility at The Luncheonette - Gen X women are a leading demographic contributing to the 54% of Americans that reported not drinking in a recent Gallup poll. And a lot of Gen X women love wine, speaking from experience, and want to continue drinking it without the alcohol. The wineries and suppliers that tap into that market segment: Gen X women, that dig dealc wine - are going to see their numbers surpass the doom and gloom we’ve had to endure the past few years.

Takes & Trends Begin Again

Much like holiday decorations, it feels as though trend spotting begins earlier every year - especially in a world where being first, is often prized over being correct.

Ask anyone in their respective industries about this evolution of listicles, and it’s likely paired with a few grumbles. In the restaurant industry there can be so much nuance to why things have become popular, as well as how owners and operators navigate keeping the lights on, while enticing diners.

And, when asking journalists for their peeves and things they want to see go away - we rarely consider that they, the writers being tapped for their expertise are desensitized and oversaturated themselves due to constant access. dining out, press releases, onslaught of viral videos - it can cause a whiplash of hot takes, which often don’t benefit anyone.

All of that said: The New York Times came out with a couple of 2025 lists - top restaurants, and then “things” they loved and would like to see ditched. Read it and make your own assertions. However there is one item worth noting here - writers wanted to see more non-alc offerings. Nice! But, the claim came with a side-eye on cost. “And please keep the prices lower than for cocktail offerings. I know I am drinking fortified soda water here. I don’t want to pay martini prices.”

While agreeing that non-alc offerings should not be martini prices - calling adult beverages, whether they are zero proof cocktails or dealc wine+alternatives, fortified soda water is infantilizing the time, care and craft a lot of folks are putting into developing this new lane of beverage hospitality. It also has an underlying message that the value of adult beverages are predicated on whether or not it contains alcohol - which is sadly archaic.

And a reminder to all of us: there is still an enormous amount of education needed around the topic of non-alc beverages and the evolution of drinking on premise.

At the end of the day, maybe hate-watching isn’t really about the show at all. It’s about how we process the things that annoy us, the things that push our buttons, and strangely - the things that connect us. We might roll our eyes for different reasons, but we’re still talking about the same scene, the same headline, the same cultural moment - in these moments of our collective lived experience. And in that overlap - somewhere between laughter, frustration, and critique - we’re all a lot closer than we think.

Owners and operators know the drill - January means back-to-basics. Systems, training, and tightening budgets. For decades, I subscribed to that rigid hospitality calendar. But stepping back from the floor has made something clear - the benefits of a true reset actually come long before we’re counting down the clock to a new year.

Fall Rhythms

The first few weeks of September bring a pause: back-to-school routines, long holiday weekends, and a noticeable shift in the air1. Guests settle into patterns. Menus turn from tomatoes and corn to squash, apples, mushrooms, and braises. Bars trade spritzes for stirred cocktails. Even the music in dining rooms feels different.

And menus aren’t the only thing shifting. It’s also mindsets, as September whispers - time to get serious again.

Seasonal Readiness

Summer is glorious, and often messy. Service standards loosen under the chaos and unpredictability of the season. Repairs get pushed off with promises of “when the patio closes” and by September, a lot of restaurants are running on grit.

That’s why this month matters. September is the time to get our houses in order - front, back, personal, and professional. Deep cleans and sharpened knives. Revised budgets and retrained service steps. And reminding teams as we all head into the last quarter of the year what it means to support one another and finish strong.

The restaurants that reset in September are the ones that hit the holidays running - not scrambling when the bar is three tickets deep on a Friday in December or private dining requests start pouring in the day after Thanksgiving.

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September Determines December (and January)

The truth is, you don’t finish the year strong by accident. It happens by paying attention and taking action as the fall equinox turns our clocks back. And one of the smartest moves operators can make this month? Bolstering zero proof programming.

Here’s why:

• Sober October: While most restaurants and bars consider harvest dinners and Halloween preparations in October - it’s the second biggest month for folks to ditch booze. Whether it’s to take a break before the holidays or reset after an indulgent summer - upping offerings and training staff in September sets you up to lead in an evolving cultural moment that a lot of restaurants haven’t fully tapped.

• Holiday Inclusivity: Every guest deserves to toast the season, but adding new sparkling dealc wine options in November and December puts undue stress on staff. Also, folks today plan dinners based on menus - both food and beverage. Develop accordingly.

• Staff Readiness: Fall is a natural training season, as the rhythms of life have us in back to school mindsets. Is your staff equipped to explain to guests why zero proof cocktails cost $12 or why dealcoholized wine isn’t just carbonated grape juice? Coaching and training staff in September, sets them and the business up for more success and revenue in Q4.

• Consumer Demand: According to Gallup, and reported at The Luncheonette - 54% of Americans aren’t drinking, either abstaining entirely or moderating. Yet most menus are barely scratching the 5% mark for non-acl offerings. This isn’t a fad - it’s the market deciding and offering a roadmap with data on drinking.

Zero Hacks

Operators that invest in zero proof programming in September are rewarded throughout Q4 - as October and December are two of the biggest non-alc months outside of Dry January. Waiting until the first of the year is too late to ensure hospitality is inclusive and staff are equipped at a time of year when they are often pushed to breaking points.

Does developing a zero proof program take investment? Absolutely. But, savvy operators know testing new strategies alongside the tried and true is the only way to grow. Here are some considerations, while tasting, exploring and adding non-alc selections:

• Mirror your beverage program in small form. Give non-alc drinks the same care and creativity as your current program - and please don’t forget the dealcoholized wine. Especially if wine is a big part of your alc offerings.

• Stop hiding soft drinks, coffee, tea and bottled water in a “spirit-free” section. Because more options doesn’t mean robust. “Beefing” up your zero proof section with infantilized drinks only sets up the guest for an over promised and under delivered experience.

• Build relationships with local bottle shops (both non-alc and traditional) so you can recommend where guests can find quality dealcoholized wine or other zero proof options, while supporting independent businesses.

• Capitalize on busy season. A lot of guests find themselves searching for places where they can substitute in October, December and January - the earlier restaurants solidify themselves as a go to for non-alc drinking, the more benefits they’ll see in the bottom line.

True hospitality has always been about anticipating needs. The fall equinox is an optimal time to reset and prepare - not just for the holidays, but for the year ahead.

Finish strong is something we say a lot in restaurants, to do so we have to start strong - that happens by beginning and hitting the reset button, in September.

As the seasons turn, hospitality folks often look for resources to support reflection and resets. Aldea has a library of free resources, including Zero Proof Training. It’s free, and hospitality human made - because as smart as LLMs may be, they’ve never had to handle menu changes and flooding basements. Folks who understand those stressors, also know how to give applicable, in the moment support - so I hope y’all find value in it.

For those reimagining hospitality through the lens of inclusion, wellness, and creativity, I’ve learned, personally and professionally, over the past few years - zero proof programming is a powerful tool. If you’re curious about how to weave that into your space with intention, from someone who also understands the demands of owning and operating small independent businesses - I’d be honored to help. Reach out if so inclined: hi@aldeahospitality.com

Related Reads

Yet data is important, even if it comes in skewed polls. It allows for quick insights, moderately informed decision making and storytelling receipts. Recently, Gallup released a poll1 reporting only 54% of folks in the U.S. are actually drinking alcohol these days, and you don’t have to be in the beverage industry to know this isn’t all that surprising.

Most respondents cited health and wellness as reasons for drinking less or not at all. After diving into the data, two things stand out, probably because they are points often made at The Luncheonette. First, if over half the population isn’t drinking - those numbers aren’t represented on most restaurant beverage menus. Second, the non-alc beverage world continues to miss enormous opportunities with women - particularly those of Generation X.

Sign o’ the Times

According to the poll, women are leading the decline in drinking, while ages 35-54 have the biggest drop in the category at ten percentage points since 2023. Of course that age range straddles two generations, and speaking from experience - Generation X has long been one that had no problem putting up big drinking numbers in the past. But now, for whatever reason, a lot of folks are opting out, often times with limited substitutions available - especially in the wine world.

But are restaurant and bar menus really keeping up with the times?

The definitive answer is no, and the onus doesn’t fall solely on, on premise beverage pros and sommeliers.

In the non-alc space, the past five years have been a busy time. So much so - now most of what we hear in the beverage industry is about saturation and acquisitions. All the while, restaurants menus struggle to keep up with consumer demand. Of course, as a former corner wine bar owner I understand the constraints of margins, labor and staffing. Those are constant conversations in my ecosystems. But in this moment, even amongst flawed polls, when half the country isn’t drinking or is at least drastically cutting back - the real estate being dedicated to non-alc on menus barely scratches five percent at most spots.

And it’s not as easy as just adding more “offerings” to the menu - especially with all of the changes that continually thrown at the folks who buy wine, beer and spirits for a living.

Consolidation at the top of alcohol distribution from a handful of giant players over the past decade has resulted in a continual squeeze of the industry. Mergers and acquisitions treat smaller and regional distributors as collateral damage in the name of the bottom line - much like we’re seeing across all entertainment and consumer industries. Because profits over people is the patriarchal way.

And in case any reader isn’t aware, alcohol is what keeps restaurant doors open - at least when ridiculous tariffs aren’t a concern. Yes of course, you need solid service and aligned food margins, a landlord that isn’t charging you an outrageous rent and some marketing savvy to ensure guests know where to find you etc. But booze pays the bills or at least it used to in old models of restaurants.

But as the restaurant industry continues to adapt in order to survive, while always looking for ways to thrive - taking a new approach to beverage menus and partnerships are keys to unlocking more opportunity.

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Polls Offer Direction

As flawed as they are, the recent poll from Gallup is a compass for the beverage industry - whether folks who work in it want to take the lead or leave their head in the sand. So, how does that show up in the industry and on menus?

A Change is Gonna Come

Gallup surely didn’t survey many restaurant folks, because in hospitality it can feel like drinking heavily is still the norm. Or is it? Culture is shifting. Legal cannabis provides a widely accessible substitute, and more people are openly choosing not to drink at all. I’ve experienced this firsthand, both personally and through stories shared at events like Free Spirited Fest - where I sat on a panel for ‘The Rise of N/A Culture’.

There, I was asked a big question during a panel on the rise of non-alcoholic culture: what will it take for non-alc to be adopted by the masses? My answer remains the sam - restaurants. While retail drives volume sales, restaurants are the cultural domino. When restaurants embrace dealcoholized wine and offer full non-alc programs, they validate the category, signal its legitimacy and influence consumer habits in ways retail shelves cannot.

Class is in Session

Beverage professionals and sommeliers are deeply educated in wine and spirits, but the non-alcoholic world isn’t just plug-and-play. Dealcoholized wine, in particular, requires thoughtful understanding: how it’s made, how textures and balance work differently with food when alcohol isn’t present and how to allow it to complement alongside traditional wine.

Without that context, it’s been too easy for professionals to dismiss the category as inferior. This is where distributors and educators have a chance to lead. By providing training and tools, they can ensure that non-alc products are treated with the same seriousness as their alcoholic counterparts.

The educational move includes hiring non-alc beverage experts. This may sound self-serving, but it’s true: distributors need people who understand both sides of the aisle. Non-alc is not just an offshoot of wine and spirits - it’s its own evolving category. To lead in this space, distributors are going to benefit from hiring beverage professionals who not only know the traditional industry but are also fluent in the non-alcoholic world. These educators and advocates can bridge gaps in understanding, build credibility with restaurants and help normalize the presence of dealcoholized wine in portfolios.

Playing in the Band

Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle is community. Normalizing not drinking within restaurants and the beverage world is essential to shifting culture. Inclusive hospitality means ensuring every guest feels considered, whether they choose alcohol or not. This doesn’t require calling anyone out for lacking a non-alc program - it’s about approaching change with curiosity rather than judgment. By framing non-alcoholic options as part of a broader vision of inclusive hospitality, restaurants and distributors can participate in shaping a community where everyone has a seat at the table.

A Time to Lead

The data makes it clear: drinking culture is changing, and so are consumer expectations. Restaurants, distributors and wineries each have a role to play in making sure the wine industry evolves with it. Restaurants are the cultural domino, but they often move slowly without leadership from producers and distributors. Beverage professionals need education, and distributors need to prioritize voices with non-alc expertise. Communities thrive when hospitality is inclusive - and that includes thoughtful, high-quality dealcoholized wine options.

For wineries, this is not just an add-on or a niche experiment. It’s a chance to lead. By investing in dealcoholized wine now, wineries can expand their portfolios, strengthen relationships with distributors, and set the tone for how the category is understood. They can ensure wine remains relevant and meaningful to the growing number of people who are rethinking their relationship with alcohol.

The truth is simple: dealcoholized wine is not about replacing tradition, but about expanding it. The wineries willing to take that step will be the ones shaping the future of wine culture, and forging a path of partnerships with restaurants, beverage pros and sommeliers.

The following newsletter is for folks in the restaurant business that are ready to look at work differently, while staying true to their creative roots that led them to hospitality in the first place; like those unicorn Gen Xers still working the floor - that love what they do, while also acknowledging what once was a good fit, needs to evolve. It’s also for folks who have been laid off or are simply tired of being tired when it comes to how we work.

At some point in a restaurant career the body and mind will start to leave hints - both big and little, that working the floor may have a shelf life. And while we rarely discuss the many pains that can lead us to leaving it - which are worthy of discussion, we often only see a few paths after our in service days are behind us.

No matter the positions front or back of house, most folks usually move into sales or service of some other sort - Bartenders become Nurses, Sommeliers become Wine Reps, Chefs become Instructors - the list goes on, because our professional1 skills transfer well.

And while the presumably stable paycheck and “quality of life” can be a whole new world for our nervous systems and bank accounts, it often comes at the cost of creativity or flexibility - sometimes both. It’s also a trade off many cannot or simply don’t want to make. But what if we don’t have to?

How we work is changing and as the world burns around us literally and figuratively, folks are reprioritizing living a life that is nourishing rather than depleting - no matter the vocation. And it’s happening by building portfolio careers.

Portfolio Careers aren’t really new, even though the terminology still tends to send most to the internet for clarification. And folks working in restaurants have long been putting financial and creative puzzle pieces together to make up a life of pursuing dreams; while artists of all kinds have paid rent on the flexibility of restaurant work.

As we welcome in a new era of how to keep roofs over our heads, as well as engage in community to help our neighbors do the same - folks that have made restaurants both craft and career are in a prime season to put structure around something sustainable for the future.

A portfolio career is a professional path of multiple part-time jobs, freelance gigs or projects, often across different fields - instead of working a single full-time job with one employer. It’s a flexible and self-directed way of working that combines various income streams, interests and skills. And it typically includes layered creativity - in terms of how to make it all work to pay the rent and the vocational mediums it encompasses. It’s also a structure that builds safety when one stream hits a roadblock or worse, ruptures.

It’s been a part of the restaurant industry for decades, mostly across the middle class - and it is the future of sustainable work for folks thinking about moving or already in a position beyond the floor. And we don’t have to look far for revolutionary examples from the past.

Before becoming an American culinary icon, Julia Child worked for the Office of Strategic Services - a precursor to the CIA. While we know Josephine Baker for her performances in Paris - she was also a spy for the French Resistance in World War II. Edna Lewis was a legendary chef of the south and a founding voice of American farm to table cooking - long before the phrase became buzzy. She also worked in fashion as a seamstress.

Today, as the word hospitality has become expansive and far reaching beyond the walls of restaurants - we’ve seen portfolio careers take shape on premise and off. So much so, that the playbook seems to now write itself: excel in a field, then find ways to branch out (expand the portfolio) and diversify revenue streams. Depending on values, purpose and goals - this can also include going viral, winning game shows, getting private equity funding, and/or a product acquired.

Yet, the biggest examples I’ve seen in my own life of portfolio careers are from middle class, restaurant folks. Those often known by their neighbors and in local communities, with little recognition while grinding out a solid life working the floor - while also writing, drawing, playing music, traveling and anything else that fills up the creative soul.

Musicians, writers and artists turned sommelier, chef and barista pour their creativity into the craft, leaving little room for anything else. And while that has become a badge of honor in the current state of our industry, it can often leave creative folks feeling depleted and looking around for next steps in new paths.

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At The Luncheonette I talk a lot about the creative, middle class because portfolio careers don’t have to be reserved for those with more access or money. While both of those things can sometimes make it easier, they aren’t the defining elements needed to start working in a way that may look unrecognizable to some, but feels natural to creative folks.

Work is changing. Businesses are being forced to pay folks a living wage - which all humans deserve. Because of that it’s not only working folks that benefit from portfolio careers - restaurants can as well. However, it can be difficult to see a different way of working when you’re trying to make payroll, after paying retail tax and execute marketing plans while managing staff - which means that part of the portfolio career conversation needs to include all aspects of the restaurant industry embracing this idea - but we’ll leave that piece for another time.

Two years ago I told a zoom room full of former restaurant folks that had all made the move to a corporate, hospitality adjacent world that I wanted to build space for a network of makers - which led to all six of them chiming in with what they were working on outside of the nine to five grind. Each of them noting, they didn’t want to turn a hobby into a side hustle - rather, they wanted to get creative and find a way to live a more connected, grounded life. Centering the work that they loved, without having to sacrifice their wellbeing. I vowed after hearing their stories, that I would ramp up exploration of my own creative work while building a safety net to sustain myself when I did make the leap to working differently.

Today, it’s happening - my music and art centric worlds from the 90s have started to take new shape with my hospitality and beverage career. Zero proof, zines, workshops, courses, digital products and events have become my personal hodgepodge of a portfolio career. It’s only come with great costs, and diligent organizational skills2 - because portfolios take time to create, and even longer to build a network around. All of which doesn’t necessarily generate revenue right away.

But it can, and it’s a power move in this moment. Not in a viral, social media ‘look how great everything is’ monthly drop of hustle reels. In a way that builds agency, community and sustainability into how we work - without losing the ability to live with decency while being creative.

Yes, to be able to do so is rooted in privilege but part of a portfolio career is that last block of Legacy & Leadership - where those of us who have an opportunity to brave a new way of working clear a path and help other folks find their way from the floor to the future.

Beyond the paywall this week are examples of hospitality careers evolving into a portfolio. If you are not a paying subscriber, the resource is also available on the Aldea Hospitality + Productions website.

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The first half of the year has been intense, for everyone. And while it can be an absolute feat not to doom scroll or feel the weight of the world - it’s not impossible to realize we’re only going to get through this wild, wonky ride of America in this moment, if we begin to consider living differently.

Now more than ever it feels imperative to find good folks, doing their best to do good things. Building communities, rooted in integrity, on a foundation of curiosity. Finding small ways to support one another, that allows multiple ecosystems and all humans to benefit. Maybe I’ve tipped a little too far into wishful thinking, but that’s okay - because it helps conjure hope.

Having hope right now - means we’re alive and the rigged system hasn’t pushed us to the point of completely disassociating or numbing out. Hope is essential in every aspect of our lives, now more than ever - and it’s the basis for this installment of Another Round1. So, pour yourself a refreshing beverage and let’s jump in.

Good Things

Hospitality showing up in packaging is a love language - those who are fluent in it can initiate welcoming, creative encouragement for the recipient. And I got a dose of it from Good Things Vending, recently.

If you fall into the Venn diagram of hospitality and creativity in Chicago, there’s a chance you might have come across this brilliant company from founder - Steph Krim. For those less familiar, Good Things Vending flips machines into artistic expressions on the outside, with local art and oddities available in the slots that once held snacks.

Good Things Vending was one of the companies supported in the Q2 Sticker Society for paid subscribers at The Luncheonette2. In addition to receiving the order in a perfect vessel, with items nestled in crinkle paper - Steph sent a handwritten note, extra goodies and an invitation to join the Good Things community.

Whether you’re an artist or hospitality veteran or both, the Good Things newsletter is absolute gold - chock full of events, guides, resources and support for builders and artists. Sign up on the website, which just won a well deserved Webby - because it’s absolutely fly.

Writing & Reading

Women telling their stories on any platform or medium is a risky move these days. Speaking up comes with criticism at minimum and many times - violence, whether it’s online or in real life.

Two women over the past six months have gone public with stories surrounding the restaurant industry - serving up courses on visibility, accountability and repair.

If we are going to build inclusivity and hope in hospitality, for the many different type of folks that make up an industry - we have to hear from all types of different voices. Even if we don’t agree with everything they write. Because good writers inform. Great writers provoke and prompt action.

While the two books below come from white women, which we all know includes an enormous amount of privilege - they both offer something we still don’t see enough of: women writing honestly and distinctively about food, power and the culture of an industry.

Complete agreement is not a prerequisite to find value in women’s voices; when we disagree it’s data and that tension can sometimes be the point. Feeling uncomfortable is part of making space for perspectives that challenge, surprise or even unsettle. We are in a time of hospitality reinvention and many folks - their mess and all, have stories worth writing and reading.

• If You Can’t Take the Heat, by Gabriel DeRuiter: this has gotten a lot of its own heat, to the point of semi-hateful takedowns. I see it as essential material in hospitality cautionary tales. An opportunity to observe the thinning veil of societal contracts in and around the world of restaurants and media - with a peek into the experience of going viral for women writers.

• Care & Feeding by Laurie Woolever: showing up a hot mess and writing about sobriety in the public eye is vulnerable, again - only possible with privilege. To do it as a woman who played second chair to some biggest names in restaurants and the branding boy’s club of the early aughts, media love fest - takes guts. It’s also a reminder for all of us - hindsight is 20/20 and we’ve all got glass in our houses, so it’s never good to throw stones.

Free Spirits

You don’t have to be a born and raised Hoosier to dig on the upcoming Free Spirited Fest in central Indiana. It’s a music fest, food fest and drinking fest for curious crowds - from one of the top non-alc bottle shops in the country, which also means it’s full of spirit, and without alcohol.

It’s an exciting time to be in the booze free beverage world. Four years ago I started to take a hard look at my relationship with alcohol - something rarely discussed at The Luncheonette. As I began substituting and zebra striping with dealc wine and alternatives, I realized there was a life where my skills as a former sommelier could be applied in a new way. Now, hundreds of bottles of dealc wine later - it’s extraordinary to see the emerging category show incredible promise for a beverage that has defined so many careers.

As an industry, we don’t talk about alcohol consumption much. Especially as front of house folks who serve and work with it on the regular. Not surprising. The restaurant industry is connected to a lot of alcohol fueled, bad behavior. And while that isn’t an excuse for harm - it can come with a lot of shame and confusion on how to live life to the fullest with a few less drinks.

It’s one of the many reasons I’m finding so much anticipation around Free Spirited Fest. The folks at Generation NA are doing something special, not in Chicago or New York or LA - which all have great non-alc communities and experiences. They are doing it with inclusivity, fun and hard work - in a sometimes, very conservative part of the country. So, not without challenges, but succeeding.

The Fest also happens to fall during The Days Between, which is never a bad time to be on the road with friends, headed to a farm with live music, food and a good time.

Hope has an awesome quirk, similar to working out. Once you start engaging it, the more it starts showing up. Yes, the world is burning - but what’s rising from the flames is fueled by hope.

Hope isn’t some distant ideal - it’s already bubbling up in quiet gestures and creative corners of our industry. It’s in a vending machine that dispenses joy, while reminding us of free will. It’s in a small town gathering where people show up for one another, and build something new. It’s women and folks who have been told to be quiet standing up and sharing stories.

We all know, hospitality at its best isn’t about service alone. It’s about stewardship of energy and spirit. And when we lead with care, curiosity and connection - we create places where hope can grow. So, consider this your reminder that it’s okay to begin again. To gather differently, inclusively and with heart.

The work we do matters. How we take care of ourselves and one another matters. Creating matters. And now more than ever - it’s all worth doing, with hope.

Related Reads

Because working in restaurants is a front row seat on how class works in the world, and how today’s -isms get plated alongside service. An experiential education in class divide, while holding down a station and your own temperament can do a lot for one’s understanding and empathy - sometimes. Injustice isn’t new, something people of color and most women, already know quite well. Yet it has become more visible in recent months - we know why; and if your feed looked like mine after the televised protests in the good ol’ U.S. of A. - there was a flood of information on what everyone should do next.

Important - as activism greatly benefits from momentum.

At the same time, another important part of a budding relationship with collective liberation is rest - which thankfully, was another topic educators and leaders in activist spaces prioritized in their directives after millions of folks got in the streets to show solidarity in the fights for humanity and democracy.

Whether you did or didn’t protest for whatever reason1 - what to do next can be overwhelming. But if you read The Luncheonette, there’s a good chance you’ve got a connection to hospitality, and this industry comes with a long, historical pipeline to activism. Out of necessity and care - how we have worked in restaurants, taverns and public spaces to feed folks for centuries has come alongside skills used to provide support, sustenance and sustainability - especially in oppressive systems.2

So, what’s next? And what tools in hospitality, translate in activism? First, Taking inventory - something many of us have spent years teaching folks - after spending late nights and early mornings counting bottles at the end of the month.

• Where are you on the activism pipeline? New, Moderately Educated, Well Versed

• What level of participation can you act on now? Reading, Self-Education, Online or In Person Action

• What initiatives are important to you? Narrowing it down, helps with focus and avoiding more burnout than we are already collectively experiencing.

• Who are the Activist Leaders in your impacted Communities? This may look different than who the industry has deemed as leaders in the past. Also, take note of who has the ability and choice to speak up

Taking inventory allows for us to build an activism mise en place to ensure our steps of service to solidarity are set up for success. While the internet tells us we must move fast in urgent times, a lesson we’ve repeatedly learned in front and back of house is key in this moment: Slow Down to Speed Up.

Mise en Place

• Research: everyone’s activism looks different, and to make it sustainable it’s key to find communities that resonate with your own values.

• Read: Consuming non-fiction, historical texts are important: Books, Newsletters and Think Pieces are all helpful. Yet we all learn differently, so don’t sleep on poetry and fiction from writers of color - especially women.

• Listen: in restaurants we’re taught to anticipate needs of guests and our co-workers. And while it can make for efficiency - it doesn’t always set us up for solid active listening. Hospitality activism isn’t new and it got a resurgence in 2020. Seek out folks and publications online who have been in this space - get to know their voice and community to learn and eventually engage.

• Support: this can come in many forms. Standing Up briefly covered a few. And let us not forget, cooking is an act of resistance. Support can look like hitting that heart more on posts and newsletters that resonate or sharing sentiments from activist leaders in your own feed, stories and newsletters; or paying educators for their work - buying their books or subscribing to their Patreon.

Actual Action in Activism

As an industry of fixers and (sometimes recovering) people pleasers there will always be a push and pull - from wanting to make every, single thing in our reach better to being overwhelmed and agreeable to the point of potential harm.

Is what we’re facing as a nation urgent? In every way. But as this week showed, we have a collective power as working and middle class folks - the rich need us to make their luxury move. That’s why finding educators, coalitions and agencies that are aligned in values and actions for change, in our ecosystems is such an important step - no matter whether we are in hospitality or not.

The internet has actually made that part somewhat easy. A quick search on Instagram (the app every Gen Xer is trying to delete off their phone) with the help of hashtags and algorithms will easily serve up the folks that have been in the space for a minute - if they aren’t being shadow banned by the billionaire boys club.

As in life, there are a lot of grifters and performative folks. So it’s important to do, due diligence. And ensure our own actions are based in values and purposeful work, rather than performing and virtue signaling - which is another nuanced mess in and of itself, but that’s a topic for another time.

It’s also okay to be seen trying - despite what the cringe kids say. The folks you see online that are “successful”, with a plethora of access and opportunity often have teams of people helping them make it look easy. As more of us with small platforms are seen trying at our music or art or writing or craft - it encourages others to find their voice, speak up and take the lead from aligned activists.

Here’s the thing, we’re going to make mistakes and in an industry where we’re told perfection is the only acceptable way to show up - that can be scary. But we can’t allow fear of mistakes to keep us silent in these deeply important moments for our world, country and communities. And because there is an existing connective pipeline between hospitality and activism - we can get active while building and replenishing our mise en place.

A Word on Community

We often believe community constitutes a congregation of friends, family and colleagues - it’s not. Can there be crossover? Of course. But community also means making sure all of us are fed - folks who don’t look like us or hang out at the same bars and even sometimes annoying as hell folks, that still do solid work in contributing to the changing narratives around equity.

So what does building community look like right now? I don’t have all the answers, and I’ve made my share of mistakes. But I know it involves expanding circles of connection and communication - online and in real life. Finding folks that are standing up and speaking out in ways that resonate with how we’re feeling, beyond the friend group chat - that can often turn into an echo chamber.

As we step back and review what freedom looks like in this country, the hospitality industry - like always, will be at both the forefront and center of change. Now is the time for all of us to figure out how we show up3. The working, creative, and middle class absolutely depends on it.

Let’s Move the Needle

Sarcasm, dark humor and making stuff with my hands in the name of justice are the ingredients for my kind of activism. If that sounds like your cup of tea too - Let’s Move the Needle has brought a ton of value to my community. Shannon Downey is also running a Pride Month Discount throughout June, if you want to check it out.

And the question that keeps coming up around those tables - with artists, chefs, and beverage folks is falling into a repetitive rhythm. What does it mean to show up, when we are challenged with choice?

In a world where we overuse a plethora of terms and phrases, we are truly living through unprecedented times for multiple generations the United States. We are now living through what will usher in the Neo-Progressive Era, with deafening echoes of the Gilded Age. Beginnings are cold, and sharp. And the drastic movement of the ‘Ice Age’ upon us is not only about climate; it’s the chill of fear, raids and silence. And of being punished for doing the “right thing”.

As restaurant workers, especially women and marginalized folks - we often find ourselves caught between knives that feel like double edged swords. Showing up and speaking out can come at great cost. We’re usually the first to be punished or the last to get support and funding for initiatives to make our industry better. And when we do speak up, we still feel the need to rattle off our resumes or give our credentials before we’re allowed to raise our voice.

Since I’m still working on my status as a recovering people pleaser - here’s mine: I am the Granddaughter of two farming families, and began working in restaurants at age fourteen. I’ve owned a brick-and-mortar restaurant, as well as built and ran beverage programs at corner bars and a Michelin star. Worked in tech and media - while pouring my life into service - blood, sweat and tears earned hospitality. Seeing this business from multiple angles - literally, I have worked almost every position in a restaurant, except Chef, and as many readers know - I married one of those guys.

And all of that experience gives me perspective, yet not immunity. Because when you speak up, especially now - it comes with great risk.

The No-Win Zone

Restaurants find themselves in no-win zones often and not only since the pandemic - although much of that was the training ground for what we’re experiencing now. And let it be said there are some folks, businesses and independent coalitions doing good work to make real, fundamental change in the restaurant industry. We’re also facing an enormous mountain of issues hitting hospitality all at once - some of which are purposely divisive - tax on tips is a perfect example.

But this week, everything changed for restaurant owners and workers, because the threat of Ice Raids are happening in real time. For folks who have built teams that look like this country looks; for families, friends and communities made up by immigrants - this isn’t theoretical. And speaking up can make you a target, on multiple levels.

If you raise your voice, you might lose business. If you lose business, you might not be able to pay the very people you’re trying to protect. Protests themselves are often framed as bad for business, especially in communities already struggling with foot traffic and rising rents. And landlords charging astronomical prices only make it harder for anyone to rebuild after unrest.

But staying quiet is it’s own violence. The rigged system is working exactly as intended. It’s not suppose to be easy to speak up in the hardest of times.

As someone who ran a small restaurant during the 2016 election - I was filled with fear. Not only because I woke up on November 9th at the guttural knowing that our rights would be stripped. But because I was responsible for my team’s livelihoods. I worried speaking up would cost us guests, opportunities and access. Because in any industry, especially around arts and entertainment - silence can be a mask of survival. And survival, last time I checked is still a full time gig.

Who Can Speak Up?

Now, I’m in a different position. I don’t have a physical restaurant of my own on the line anymore. So I’m able to use my voice, not to speak for anyone else - but as someone that’s been in no-win situations in the past and knows what’s at stake now.

And here is what I know, many of us can be stepping up to use our voices. There are folks that can speak up and we need them, desperately and urgently.

Most food media are largely freelance now, and writers often can’t afford to lose access, even if they believe in justice - because the internet has shown us the danger for journalists who stand up. Farmers and purveyors are scared of raids too, on their land and in warehouses. And most big, corporate brands? They’re likely strategizing behind closed doors about how to navigate this moment - knowing it will come with varying degrees of accountability.

But us? The scrappy, hearts-on-our-sleeves, floor hardened, hospitality folks of the middle class? We were built for this moment. Years of working the ebb and flow of service, between front and back of house, has primed us to navigate chaos with grace. We know how to manage heat - literally and metaphorically.

If anyone can organize resistance with care, it’s us.

Resistance in Hospitality

Restaurant owners are in no-win situations when it comes to folks being in the streets and standing up for rights. Minimal impact - it drives away business; maximum impact is destruction and not to be overly dramatic, but death - of dreams and hopes, and of life as we know it today. A life alongside our neighbors that may not look like us - so standing up and speaking out comes with challenging choices.

Protesting is important - but it’s also not the only way.1

• Home Base: whether it’s for activists or immigrant families in need - folks need nourishment right now. Cook meals. Host potlucks. Replenish nervous systems.

• Phone a Friend: can you be a safe contact for someone that is protesting? Time to put all of our Sharpies to even better use.

• Amplifying Online: Share resources. Educate. Use your platform, no matter how small.

• Donating + Mutual Aid: there are many ways for us to use our wallets. Small amounts of $5 add up quick.

• Even Honking: this may seem trivial, but honking in support at the overpasses and roadways give peaceful supporters hits of dopamine and serotonin - which are key to resiliency.

• Talk to Your Teams: not from a place of fear - rather, from one of preparation. If things go sideways - are managers set up for success with resources? Are areas of restaurants marked private, for protection?

• Build Coalitions: We can build campaigns and resources to support every level of worker in our industry - Restaurants Against Raids, has a solid ring to it.

There may be a lot of hospitality folks that don’t want to see the streets filled in the fight for democracy - again I understand the concerns. At the same time, we need to humanize everyone working in restaurants. We do that by being in solidarity, using our voices online and alongside folks who may not know how devastating this moment is for our industry.

If you work in any restaurant adjacent realms: beverage, marketing, media, consulting, lawyers, influencers, content creators, former award winners - this is a time to speak up for restaurant folks that may not be able to speak for themselves, out of fear. Because hospitality doesn’t end when we leave the floor - whether it’s at the end of a meal, end of a shift or a shift in our careers.

Invitation

It’s not lost on me, that as the world prepares for what is likely one of the largest days of protest - my generation has seen, that the restaurant world is descending on the city that I have called home for the last thirty years2, and where my Chef husband was born and raised. Chicago ranks seventh in immigrant population, and as most folks know our Mexican community is only second to Los Angeles - all of which are at risk.

There has never been a better city to set the standard for how we can speak up for immigrants. We all know hospitality isn’t only about service. Hospitality Starts at Home - we dig deep for the courage to care and stand in the heat, while still offering sustenance. We don’t have to do everything, because as we also know - it’s impossible to pour from an empty cup. But we can all do something. And waiting for someone else to take the first step, is where silence roots in violence.

Let’s be the ones who help make people feel safe - on the plate, in the glass, on the floor and out in the streets.

Because that’s the type of hospitality this moment demands. And I believe we are the ones who can deliver it.

So here is the call to the hundreds of subscribers I have at The Luncheonette, and to any readers beyond that list - who is ready to join a Restaurants Against Raids movement to build resources for our industry alongside organizations like the Independent Hospitality Coalition of Los Angeles?

Now is the time to back up of the phrase - LFG.

Resources

Zines are about radical, physical communication in order to support community. They were instrumental in punk resistance. The No Hielo Zine - prints on 8 x 11 paper, click the image below to copy, download or save. If you’re not familiar with how to cut and fold - see videos here and here. Thanks to Jen Mayer of Makeist and Zinestack for helping No Hielo come to life. Spanish version to follow.

Miq's Mix

8 Things You Can Do to Stop ICE Zine

Sharing is caring. Click the link to download, print, and share, folks…

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a year ago · 17 likes · 2 comments · Miquela Davis

National Immigration Law Center: Guide for Employers

Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Red Cards (Download + Print)

National Lawyers Guild Chicago

Independent Hospitality Coalition - Resources

• Protocol Template

• Print + Post

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights

• Wallet Size Know Your Rights Cards (Download + Print)

Chef Valerie Gordon (L.A.) - Google Doc: Immigrant Resources

Chicago Immigrant Resources

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