I Know The Owner

It's a loud holiday evening at Hinterlands and Sharlene sits down with bartender/employee Jeannine to discuss how Jeannine botched her job interview, and what a great boss Shar is. Plus: some stripping adventures and Sharlene's biggest on the job screw up!

Sharlene pops in to Blinky's in East Williamsburg to talk to Jose and Rhoades about opening a bar in the middle of a pandemic, yelp reviews, and nasty monkey behavior. Plus, is it rude to pour your drink out onto the bar?

Sharlene sits down with Ed Raven of Greenpoint Beer to discuss getting scammed out of wholesaler payments, paychecks, and your entire Instagram account. Plus we hear Ed's role in Stuart's grim backstory and Sharlene and Ed discuss what happened to beer drinkers' attention span.

Shar's in Michigan so she stopped by The Painted Lady in Hamtramck for a conversation with owner Andrew Dow. They talk Covid (of course), real estate, how to get into the bar business, and life in Hamtramck. Plus, is it cool to bring your own burger into Burger King?

Sharlene sits down with Mike Vanderbilt of Rock Island Public House and the Halloweenies podcast at the Loews Hotel lobby in Chicago, where they discuss which nearby area is the 'Brooklyn of Chicago', the benefits of starting out behind the bar at a Chili's, and how much a customer can ask to change the recipe of a cocktail. Plus, is it cool to read a book in a bar? Yes.

Sharlene joins Bobby Gagnon at The Gate, Park Slope's original craft beer bar, to discuss faking it till you make it, getting fired by Prince, strollergate, keeping your bar running during Covid, and hiring away other bars' staff. Plus a grown man throws a sandwich.

Sharlene invites Clare Huntington of historic Fanelli's Cafe over to Minnie's for a conversation about coked-up patrons, bartending during a blackout, how to shut down the bar while drunk, and what to call your regulars when you don't remember their names. Also more bad tipping stories!

Sharlene joins Matt Hogan at Irish Haven in Sunset Park to talk about buying your neighborhood bar, morning business hours, and weathering the pandemic with to-go drinks and hot dogs. Plus: hiring and firing your friends!

Sharlene joins bar manager Jen Maslanka at Spring Lounge to talk injuring yourself on the job, working in Manhattan, weathering Covid as a business, and what to with all the sidewalk sukkahs when the pandemic is over. Plus bartender bathroom etiquette!

Sharlene joins Brad Perrine at American Cheez for some garlic knots and a great conversation about outdoor Covid seating, getting a mohawk in Key West, and why you should install cameras in your bar. Plus, should people pay for the food they order in a restaurant?

Sharlene heads over to Sidecar to talk to soon-to-be former owner Bart DeCoursy about the old days of Manhattan snobbery, after hour party etiquette, why he's closing Sidecar, and what you should expect from your patrons. Plus a letter from an asshole who orders delivery to a restaurant!

We're back! Sharlene joins David Harris at The Long Pour to talk moving to NYC on 9/11, becoming a bartender, kicking people out of the bar, and celebrity regulars. Plus we hear about some asshole's bad tipping behavior!!

Here's a brief pre-karaoke update from Minnie's Bar on how things are going in vaccine-mandated NYC with Sharlene and Stuart and why there hasn't been a show in a little while. Plus some inspirational job advice from Shar!

Actor/media personality/lighting designer/karaoke addict Allegra Riggio joins Sharlene at Minnie's Bar to discuss running lights for David Guetta, the joy of live punk-rock karaoke, and managing the business of Team Harris. Plus a surprise dutch-and-dash!!

Kieran Blake of Bowery Ballroom sits down with Sharlene at Hinterlands to discuss how he got started managing a venue, being nice to drunk and high patrons, weathering the pandemic, and whether you should pay for hot sauce. Plus Sharlene tells the story of the only time she got kicked out of a bar!

Sharlene sits down with her 3rd oldest friend Alfred at Hinterlands Bar to discuss playing bar truth-or-dare, 86ing negligent regulars, and fighting the law and winning. Plus someone writes in with a kitchen mishap and Stuart handles a bar maintenance issue live on the episode!!

New friend Eric Pinckney sits down with Sharlene in the lobby of the Empress Hotel in Asbury Park to talk about bartending in drag, how hard it can be to get into the industry, customers saying they'll 'take care of you', and being asked to do weird stuff. Plus some asshole takes their date on a 'dutch' vacation!

Sharlene and co-owner Stuart Wellington sit down with Mark Nayden and Richard Kennedy of Park Slope's long-lived, now-closed gay bar Excelsior at Ice Palace on Fire Island to discuss knowing when to call it quits, straight people coming to gay bars, and the disappearance of lesbian bars all across the country. Plus: more gross plumbing stories!!

Diana King & Mike Sheehan of Fulton Ale House join Sharlene on a loud night at Hinterlands Bar to discuss being harassed at work, the post-Covid staffing shortage, and the vaccine honor system. Plus, another Am I The Asshole from an asshole!

Matthew Kimmett of Freddy's joins Sharlene on the busiest night at Hinterland's Bar in a year to discuss honesty at job interviews, bartending British nightclubs, and how he came to own Freddy's Bar. Plus a letter from some asshole about tipping!

Sharlene sits down with South Beach icon Shelley Novak, Conrad Gomez and Navin Chatani of Homecookin Hospitality Group (owners of Drunken Dragon, Foxhole, and Casa Tiki) at the Drunken Dragon to discuss the legendary origins and career of Shelley Novak, meeting George Harrison, running a restaurant during covid, and karaoke etiquette.

Melody Henry from Lucky 13 sits down with Sharlene at Hinterlands to discuss coming up in nightclubs and stripclubs, opening a bar on credit, and running a metal venue during covid. Plus, go ahead and tip that stripper please.

Stuart Wellington is back on the podcast for a lively conversation at Hinterlands Bar about alternate lives and serving off-menu drinks. And there's a guy laughing really loud in the background so it's sort of like a sitcom!

Sharlene and David Moo of Quarter Bar sit down at Hinterlands and discuss lying your way into a gig, cocktail menus, and trying to make money as a business owner during covid. Plus we got a real AITA letter from a listener!

CW: Gun violence mention at the beginning. Sharlene sits down with Adrianne Wilcox at Fiona's to talk about her winding path to bar ownership, working at a Coyote Ugly-style saloon, and the best ways to throw people out of a bar. Plus the infamous story of the baby in the walk-in. The incident described at the beginning has been edited out so you will not hear it in the episode.

Heather Rush braves the long trek across Brooklyn from Bushwick to Hinterlands Bar to talk to Sharlene about growing up in Alaska, bad bosses, and New York life during Covid. Plus a great rat story!

Sharlene is joined by master beerline cleaner Carly Maughan of Beer Witch and Draft Choice at Hinterlands Bar to talk about early jobs, getting fired, being the only woman at her company, and beer culture. Plus a custom Am I The Asshole written by a listener!

Sharlene and her co-owner and husband Stuart are back at Hinterlands to discuss the ongoing struggles of running a business during Covid, getting fired, slicing bagels properly, and Sharlene's big 'Sliding Doors' moment, Also there's a Jimmy Fallon story and Stuart does something in his pants.

Sharlene sits down with Lee Greenfeld of Magnetic Field and Hank's Saloon to discuss making money during the pandemic, archiving Brooklyn's recent history, underage drinking, and barstool etiquette. Plus Sharlene takes a stand on sitting and we hear another story somebody pukes in! Lee's Links: https://linktr.ee/mrlee718

Sharlene heads to Werkstatt in Brooklyn for a conversation with owner Robin Wertheimer and Sylvie Bertrand of Le Paddock. Buckle up for a wild ride through the history of cocktail trends and tips on how to not get fired. Plus they answer a question about who's an asshole and surprise! It's somebody's boyfriend.

Sharlene talks to her newest friend Vanessa about growing up in England, the difference between a pub and a bar, the best place for a tinder date, and how to use the bathroom in a halloween costume. Plus a question about serving pregnant ladies!

We're at Minnie's Bar and Sharlene is talking to her business partners Henry and Luis about surviving the NYC bar and restaurant scene, starting out on your own, pooling tips, and paying the grease guy. Plus Shar has a basement ailment!!

Sharlene talks to her friend and former boss Sean Cassidy about hotel bars, pandemic life, and how to sneak past hotel security. Plus a round of Who's The Asshole!

Sharlene sits down with her oldest and dearest friend Van to discuss coming up together in the NYC bar scene, what not to wear to that job interview, bluffing your way past a bouncer, and serving drinks to nasty old men. Plus we get another great barf story!

Sharlene talks to NYC bartender and theater, film, and TV actress Ashlie Atkinson (BlacKkKlansman, Mr. Robot) about working at the Brooklyn venue Hank's, knowing the owner, and knowing when to intervene with patrons. Plus they both have gross puke stories!

Sharlene talks to Arty Shepherd of the beloved Brooklyn music venue St. Vitus and South about his transition from professional musician to venue owner and the very real dangers of drunk customer service. Plus we get to hear a little bit about Sharlene's hardcore punk days!

t's the last night of indoor bar service in NYC for a while and Stuart Wellington returns to talk to Shar at Hinterlands Bar. Stu and Sharlene get into it about Stuart's work ethic and what makes him tick. Also they're married so they had the same bad day and you get to hear all about it!

Sharlene talks to Angela Waterhouse of Stone Park Cafe and Ear Inn about the benefits of accents, NYC parking am I right?, and the perils of customer service. Plus: is pepperoni a vegetable?

Sharlene has longtime friend and business partner Matthew Kuhn on to discuss his story and the struggles of bar ownership during Covid-19. Plus Sharlene tells a sad pigeon tale and Matt suggests a way to make Thanos's ding dong cooler.

Join host Sharlene Wellington and her husband Stuart for the premiere soft opening of I Know The Owner. Sharlene tells stories of coming up in the New York bar scene before becoming a bar owner herself and offers detailed advice on how to be a good bar patron. And the wonderful Stuart is there as well!