Flight Club is putting creative control into the hands of its bartenders, encouraging them to take an active role in shaping the beverage program across all U.S. locations. The eatertainment brand recently invited team members who work behind the bar to participate in a companywide bartender competition to craft original drinks and have those creations featured nationally.
The idea originated from a program called “Take it to Toby,” which encourages employees across the organization to submit ideas to Toby Harris, CEO of parent company State of Play Hospitality.
“We’ve always found that the best ideas come from the field,” says Kim Chute, VP of marketing for Flight Club. “They come from the people that are out there interacting with our guests every single day.”
Each bartender was given the chance to create a cocktail or mocktail for the winter menu, with one key guideline: The recipe had to use existing ingredients and glassware available in Flight Club venues. The general manager of each location selected a winning drink to send to the corporate office in Chicago, where Chute and other executives conducted a final taste test. Submissions were judged on presentation, flavor, ingredient selection, and the inspiration behind the drink.
In the end, Lucas Carneiro from Flight Club Houston took the top prize in the cocktail category with The Equinox, a mix of Pimm’s, Tanqueray Gin, Giffard Violette, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and lychee. On the nonalcoholic side, Joe Cattoggio from Flight Club Boston won with The Snow Angel, a blend of zero-proof spirit, lemon juice, lychee, coconut, and vanilla puree.
Flight Club announced the results during its quarterly all-team meeting, a companywide call that includes employees throughout the organization. “We showcased the drinks right there in front of the whole company before we announced it to the world,” Chute says. “Having that internal recognition really seemed to mean a lot to those team members.”
The winning bartenders were recognized by name on the drink menu at every Flight Club location. The company also leveraged social media to spotlight the winners and share the inspiration behind their creations, using the competition to generate buzz around its seasonal drink lineup.
“We want to scream it from the rooftop,” Chute says. “There’s something really cool about having a face to a name and showcasing the team members, versus just having everything come from the company all of the time.”
Flight Club is already considering ways to add an in-person element to future iterations. The leadership team believes the competition could become an important initiative moving forward, as it gives bartenders an opportunity to express themselves while maintaining a sense of ownership over the menu.
“In smaller businesses, there’s more opportunity for everyone to be involved in the curation of the drinks,” Chute says. “We’re trying not to lose that small business mentality and that personal touch as we get bigger. We want to make sure that our bartenders feel like they’re not just part of a huge company where they’re one of a million. We want them to feel heard and like they’re truly a part of our business.”
Competitions like this often require minimal lift from the corporate team while delivering fresh menu offerings that might not have emerged otherwise. They also serve as a powerful tool for boosting team morale and strengthening company culture.
“Finding ways to make people excited about work—that’s tough,” says Jason E. Brooks, a hospitality coach, author, and consultant. “A little competition can be very healthy, and it draws on something that we as humans already have.”
Brooks helps restaurant managers and leaders build and maintain engaged teams, emphasizing the importance of giving store-level employees an “owner-like orientation.” That means equipping them with a big-picture understanding of the business and encouraging them to take ownership of their role.
“As business owners, bar owners, or restaurant owners, we have to reorient our team every single day,” he says. “There’s a million reasons why their mind is elsewhere, so orientation is a thing we should practice all the time. Competitions are just a heightened level of implementing an owner-like orientation. We just happen to be putting glitter, sparkles, and a prize behind it.”
Bar Louie has seen firsthand how friendly competition between bartenders can make a big impact. A few years ago, Ian Welby, the chain’s VP of beverage and execution, set out to identify and recognize talent behind the bar.
“We were really more focused on the internal side,” he says. “How do we find our best people, create a path for them moving forward, and then celebrate them publicly as well?”
The answer was the Most Valuable Bartender (MVB) competition. In its first year in 2023, Welby and his team developed selection criteria and relied on directors of operations to identify top bartenders based on in-store visits and input from general managers. Nominees then completed an online test before seven finalists were flown to Bar Louie’s downtown Nashville, Tennessee, location for a multi-phase event.
The competition included a written test, demonstrative testing, a group challenge, and a cocktail competition where finalists had 45 minutes to create an original drink using surprise ingredients. A panel of judges, including leaders from Bar Louie and sponsoring partner Diageo, selected the winner.
Elyse Perez, a bartender from Tempe, Arizona, took home the first MVB title. She was featured in a companywide spotlight with photo shoots and digital content highlighting her journey from server to champion. She also attended the Vibe Conference in San Diego and Bar Louie’s annual leadership conference in Cancun. Additionally, she collaborated with Welby to create the Wake Up Call Martini—a blend of 21 Seeds Valencia Orange, Aperol, peach, pineapple, and lemon—which landed a spot on menus nationwide last year.
For the 2024 competition, Bar Louie partnered with a new supplier and hosted the program at the Campari Academy in New York City. This time, 10 bartenders flew in for a longer event that expanded on the original format with an extra focus on education and professional development. Participants attended an intensive course on tequila and mezcal, explored cutting-edge technology in a hands-on “beverage science fair,” and wrapped up the event with a guided bar tour across New York City.
The winner, Erika Fall from Perrysburg, Ohio, will follow in Perez’s footsteps by attending the Vibe Conference and the company’s leadership conference. She also was featured on social media and collaborated with Welby on a new drink set to roll out nationwide this spring.
Welby sees the MVB program as a powerful tool for attracting and retaining talent while creating career pathways for high-performing team members. As the company continues growing, the competition can help identify employees ready to step into new roles.
Another key benefit is breaking down barriers between corporate leadership and store-level employees.
“Think about what sort of involvement they have with a senior member of the company,” Welby says. “Especially at the hourly level, it’s like this faceless Wizard of Oz type of thing. So, it’s really valuable for them to see that we’re just normal human beings. We can talk to them about why we made a certain decision or why we designed the beverage menu this way. I can tell them about how I used to be a bartender and show them that there are paths forward. Plus, having that one-on-one time is really great for me, because now I have 10 people out there that I know I can lean on.”
He also believes in exposing talented bartenders to the broader beverage industry. “Sometimes I get a weird look when I say this, but these incredibly talented people aren’t all going to be with us forever,” Welby says. “Can we help them anyway? Can we start to build a pipeline of talent in the beverage industry? That’s a big part of this, too.”
For others considering a similar initiative, Welby advises clarity on the competition’s purpose. “The biggest hurdle initially was figuring out what we wanted it to be,” he says. “Do we want people making drinks in front of guests? Do we want it to be purely educational? You just have to find what works best for you.”
Just as important is being strategic about the competition’s impact after it’s over; considering the story you want to tell consumers and how to effectively spotlight the winner. “You also need to think about how you’re going to celebrate people internally,” Welby says. “It’s really important to make sure your team members are getting recognized among their peers, too.”
