Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Patino.
Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started off in the drinks industry working behind the bar at an Irish Pub in New Orleans. Every day, sales reps from countless distributors would come in and try to sell new products, or get new placements for established brands, but when asked a question about said product, they froze. They didn’t have the answers for even the most basic questions unless it was one of the three brand facts that was listed on their sales sheet. I knew I could do better, so I got a job working for one of the big wine and spirits distributors in Louisiana as a sales rep.
From there, I was hooked. I spent as much time as I could learning about cocktails and the various spirits categories; the brands, the history, the heritage, and production methods, etc. I was constantly reading and tasting, and tasting and reading. Meanwhile, the cocktail renaissance was beginning to take shape across the US, and I knew that wanted to be a part of it.
From there, I held various jobs within the industry across the country. A distributor sales rep in Orange County, CA. A Brand Ambassador back in New Orleans. Field Trade Marketing Manager for seven states, based out of Dallas. Manager of Brand Education for the second largest spirits supplier in the world, in New York City. And most recently, Director of Brand Advocacy for the same company, while still living in New York.
But there was something missing, and I knew I needed a change. There was a creative voice within me that wasn’t being heard. So, I packed up the family and moved back to California. Back to San Diego to start a small company with another well-known fixture in the Bar/Spirits Industry, a bartender by the name of Erick Castro.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Has it been smooth? Heck no, it’s been a rollercoaster! In fact, a lot of the positions that I held along the way didn’t even exist until I stepped into them, essentially paving the way for new ranks of like-minded professionals, constantly having to prove that what I was trying to accomplish had value. That educating Bartenders and Consumers, and building brand advocacy mattered.
It can be extremely hard to quantify qualitative goals and prove there was a return on the investment. In fact, I am convinced that there are people who can only see in numbers. But like Albert Einstein said, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”, and I knew that I had to think differently in order to succeed. So my focus shifted from brand education in the more traditional sense, to building brand advocacy through creating experiences and bringing brands to life.
Please tell us about Simple Serve.
Simple Serve is a trade-focused, boutique marketing agency that offers highly innovative and customized brand-building programs for drinks companies of all sizes. In simplest terms, we help brands see things through the eyes of bartenders.
Most brands are so focused on the consumer, the end user, that they lose sight of the fact that it’s the people behind the bar that can make or break you. That’s one of the reasons that I partnered with Erick Castro to form Simple serve. He’s one of the best operators (Polite Provisions, San Diego & Boilermaker, NYC) in the business, and together we are able to provide brands with a more complete picture of what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong and how they can best maximize their resources.
Aside from working with Brands, we also organize a San Diego centric event called “Bartender’s Weekend”. Essentially, this three-day, Industry only event is centered around a platform that focuses on building a network throughout the service and hospitality community.
The ultimate goal of Bartenders Weekend is to bring all aspects of the industry together on an equal footing and encourage bars, brands and bartenders to work together to bring both growth and positive change to the industry.
The events that make up Bartender’s Weekend take place on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday to reflect the typical days off, or “Weekend”, observed by most members of the service industry. Each day will focus on a different area located in San Diego, ranging from Downtown to North Park and the Beach communities. Events throughout “the Weekend” will include a series of competitions, the brand hosted happy hours, cocktail pairings, as well as sponsored events, put on to showcase the wide array of bartending styles and culture that can be found throughout Southern California.
As with previous year’s, the core philosophy behind Bartender’s Weekend is to give back to the industry, which is why, for the second year in a row, BW will be partnering with nationally recognized 501(c)3 charity, Inspired Artistic Minds, so that all proceeds from “the Weekend” will go towards the training and development of future generations of bartenders and service industry professionals.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, at this point, I’m not sure that there is anything that I would have done differently. Every experience I have had, every job that I have taken, every goal that I have worked towards has led me to this point, and so far it’s been an amazing ride. I mean sure, there are classes that I could have taken or choices that I should have made, but part of the thrill is in what lies ahead. It’s the great unknown.
There is no one job or experience that best prepared me for where I am today. It was series of jobs, experiences, and opportunities that helped to shape my career. The best advise that I can give anyone is, be patient. Do your homework, put the time in to study/read/learn, set goals and talk to the people that do what you want to do. And always Invest in yourself. If you are in a job and you are not learning something new or challenging yourself on a regular basis, it might be time to move on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.simpleserveinc.com
- Email: info@simpleserveinc.com
- Instagram: @simpleserve
- Facebook: @simpleserveinc
- Twitter: @simpleserve
Image Credit:
Arlene Ibarra
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
