Blu Nyle is a musician, bartender, healer and all around Renaissance person hailing from Boston. She worked in the club and bar scenes of New York and LA while pursuing a vibrant career in music. We talk pre-pandemic about the grind of multiple side hustles, leading a spiritually rich life, and being grateful for the flexibility of service work in pursuit of bigger dreams. Enjoy!

Tip Your Server

Episode 47: Blu Nyle

Originally from Kansas, Ari Johnson started working in restaurants after college in Austin, TX. She made it out to LA a few years later, where finding a serving gig proved just as challenging as finding acting gigs. Eventually she landed in coffee shops M Street in Sherman Oaks and Coffee Commissary in Burbank, becoming an early riser. We discuss the problem with delivery apps, how cutthroat finding a server gig can be in LA, and her new web series Friend Request, premiering on YouTube next week. Enjoy!  

Episode 46: Ari Johnson

Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, Brandon "Bubba" Ogborn began his restaurant journey as a dishwasher at the age of fifteen. He eventually became part of the Trader Joe's family for years before landing at Restauration in Long Beach, where he once chased a crazed customer down the street. We discuss the dark side of restaurants, how waiting tables is like putting on a production, and his podcast Telephone Stories, available now on Luminary. Enjoy!

Episode 45: Brandon Ogborn

LA native and illustrator Conor FitzGerald started his restaurant career in college, doing the coffee shop grind at Peet's in Harvard Square. Eventually he moved back to LA, continuing his coffee expertise at M Street Coffee in Sherman Oaks, a local enclave for artists...and customers with "service animals." We discuss the perils of cafe tips, his life in the freelance illustrator world, and how grateful we are to be free of the service industry (for now). Enjoy!

Episode 44: Conor FitzGerald

Jeneta St. Clair started in the restaurant biz back in Indianapolis at the age of 16, closing the now defunct downtown hot spot Jillian's past midnight on school nights. She moved to LA at the age of 19 to pursue acting, eventually finding a bartending gig at the Dirty Bull Tavern in Woodland Hills. We discuss what it means to be a woman working behind a bar, the freedom that comes from leaving the service industry, and the importance of comedy in connecting us. Enjoy!

Episode 43: Jeneta St. Clair

Texan Keleigh Kremers came to LA to pursue acting, landing a serving gig at none other than the infamous Saddle Ranch on Sunset. She eventually landed at pizza restaurant Stella Barra next to the Arclight movie theater, where a friendly run in with Gary Oldman left her speechless. We discuss the hustle of the entertainment business, teaching customers the art of good etiquette, and her script about women in World War 2. Enjoy!

Episode 42: Keleigh Kremers

Molly Silver starting working in restaurants in Knoxville, TN where she worked at the Mellow Mushroom pizza joint as a teenager. She then moved up to being a host at a local bistro, managing unruly out-of-town football fans. After moving to LA for acting, she landed at Gusto, a different kind of unruly crowd - the privileged elite of Beverly Hills. We discuss the importance of reading a menu, her current restaurant family and east side neighborhood gem Little Dom's, and her upcoming web series. Enjoy!

Episode 41: Molly Silver

Amy Heidt started working in restaurants during college back in North Carolina, where she learned the importance of a cigarette break. She eventually moved to New York City and worked all over town, including at Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke and a small tasting room in the Chelsea Market. We discuss the harsh reality of the actor grind in New York, why we always want to wait on Mark Ruffalo, and how to zen it out before walking into a shift. Enjoy!

Episode 40: Amy Heidt

Originally from western Nebraska, Costa Lapaseotes began his career in food service at a Whole Foods in Chicago where he got his start in the butchery world. From there he worked around Chicago's finest meat establishments, including Standard Market and Chop Shop. We discuss whether or not to tip your butcher (yes!), the hard choice of a comedy career, and making the move from Chicago to LA. Enjoy!

Episode 39: Costa Lapaseotes

Tarik Woodbine briefly worked at a Wendy's when he was a teenager, where he learned what they do with leftover meat (it's in the chili). Eventually he made it out to LA after college and worked at Mo's in Burbank, which turned out to be a wild time for the predominantly early twenties staff. We discuss why you should always tip for to-go orders, juggling both a restaurant job and working on The Santa Clarita Diet, and his new collaborative project The Collective. Enjoy!

Episode 38: Tarik Woodbine

San Diego native Victoria Truscott started working in restaurants at the age of 15, eventually making her way to LA to pursue acting after high school. Her resume includes a stint at Starbucks and Chin Chin in Beverly Hills, neighboring establishments with vastly different customer behavior. We discuss the importance of meal breaks, what happens when you deconstruct a menu item, and how waiting on Quentin Tarantino led to a featured part in his upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Enjoy!

Episode 37: Victoria Truscott

Fellow Colorado alum Amanda Olmstead began her restaurant career as a runner at the fancy Boulder restaurant Flagstaff House, where she donned a tuxedo uniform and tried to avoid classmates. After a stint working for the famed Four Seasons, she found herself immersed in the vegan restaurant world of LA, bartending for the vegan raw staple Cafe Gratitude in Venice. We discuss the struggle with creative identity, the strange world of LA lifestyle dieting, and her new podcast She Said, She Said. enjoy!

Episode 36: Amanda Olmstead

Dave Rispoli got his start in entertainment and working with the public at Universal Studios in his hometown of Orlando, FL as the skipper on the Jaws ride. He moved on to the original Melting Pot where he discovered some of his coworkers partaking in their own Melting Pot fight club. We discuss run ins with Jordan Knight at TGI Fridays, what casting directors are actually thinking about you, and what happens when you drop it like Todd. Enjoy!

Episode 35: Dave Rispoli

Bryan Baysore started his restaurant career as a pizza delivery boy in his home town of Malibu, working the perfect teenage summer gig. He then moved on to the World Famous Malibu Inn, a popular spot for locals and tourists that closed soon after Bryan's departure. We discuss what it's like growing up in an evolving beach town, the debaucherous behavior of customers at a bar venue, and Bryan's experience as an illustrator. Enjoy!

Episode 34: Bryan Baysore

Fellow Wexler's worker Jackie Gonzalez-Durruthy came into restaurants just a few years ago, working at some of the trendiest establishments on LA's east side. Those restaurants shall remain nameless as we delve deep into questionable management practices and Jackie's hilarious take on wrongful terminations. We discuss the lack of HR in restaurants, what happens when the valet gets shot at your work (!), and Jackie's podcast The Most Wonderful Pod of the Year. Enjoy!

Episode 33: Jackie Gonzalez-Durruthy

Conversations with comedians about working in restaurants. Natalie Gregory interviews fellow servers & bartenders about the idiosyncrasies of waiting tables in Los Angeles and beyond, while highlighting their other creative pursuits in comedy and entertainment.

hubhopper

Tip Your Server

hubhopper