The United States Bartenders’ Guild is a national organization that exists to provide educational, training and networking opportunities for members of the bar industry. The nonprofit also offers an “Enthusiast” membership category for cocktail fans who want to support the industry and learn more about the art and business of bartending.
USBG connects members to mental health resources and other assistance programs, usually through local guilds like USBG Nashville. The Nashville mixology community is particularly focused on mental health issues under the leadership of chapter president and South representative to the National Council of Chapters Chris Mallon. A galvanizing impetus was the death last year of beloved bartender and spirits representative Chris “Speedy” Krantz after his battle with depression.
Krantz’s death led a lot of people to take a hard look at the industry and the unique stresses that Nashville bar workers face. On a recent call, Mallon shared with me: “We wanted something human to come from terrible things like what happened to Speedy. Bartending is a performative industry, and in this town people have a tendency to work their tails off like they’re onstage. Then when they get home afterwards, they can suddenly feel very alone.”
Mallon and USBG Nashville developed a simple initiative to offer the chance for workers to feel a little less alone with a monthly meeting they call “Circle Back.” It’s not a therapy session, per se, but the time together is led by a trained therapist. The agenda doesn’t circle around sobriety, although substance and alcohol abuse can definitely be a topic of conversation.
The therapist strives to offer a toolkit to help manage stress and open an ongoing discussion of burnout and resilience specific to the industry. “We just bring people together and then feed them food,” explained Mallon. “It’s about the commonality of experience, people talking openly in front of each other, and I love seeing the conversations continue after the meeting ended.”
USBG Nashville certainly didn’t develop Circle Back with an eye toward winning awards, but at April’s USBG Bar Summit in Philadelphia, the local group was awarded Chapter of the Year. The award was presented by USBG National Charity Foundation vice president Naomi Ayala and former USBG Dallas president Kayli Randle, and the official announcement recognized the group, saying: “The Chapter of the Year Award is a testament to the collective efforts, dedication, and hard work of an entire chapter. It celebrates a chapter that has gone above and beyond in fulfilling our mission and values, making a significant impact within their community and our organization as a whole. USBG Nashville has truly set the standard for excellence, engagement and leadership in our industry.”
Mallon was shocked at the recognition. “We’re an established chapter, but we’re not the biggest on the block,” he says. “We didn’t win it for some massive membership growth; it was because of our efforts to support the community. It definitely led to some ugly crying onstage. They didn’t tell anyone in advance, but somebody who saw the winner on the slide beforehand said, ‘Chris is gonna cry!’ We’re going to parade that trophy around town like the Stanley Cup!”
Rhonda Cammon
Photo courtesy of USBG
Perfectly Cordial founder and USBG Nashville treasurer Rhonda Cammon joined Mallon onstage to accept the award, and she dedicated it to Speedy Krantz and the local bartending community. The guild is looking for support for the program, but not necessarily from the usual industry bands that sponsor USBG events. Mallon has set up an online calendar to schedule 30-minute appointments with anyone who would like to discuss taking part in the program, supporting Circle Back or the USBG Nashville in general.
Bartending, especially in a volume situation like Nashville bars and restaurants, can be a meat grinder of an industry. While it’s extremely admirable that USBG Nashville seeks to help take care of its own, bar workers also deserve the support of employers and those of us who enjoy the results of their great work. Tell your favorite bartender you appreciate them. Leave a ridiculous tip every now and then. Maybe listen to their problems instead of offloading your own for a change.
Most of all, we should all be aware of what it can take out of a person to bust ass to make sure everyone else is having a safe, good time. Remember: What many visitors to our city call a vacation is an actual job for a lot of good people in Nashville.