Full plates and full hearts at Outer Banks Brewing Station

by Danielle Puleo

Late summer nights call for good music, a wide drink selection and fantastic service, all of which can be found year-round at the Outer Banks Brewing Station (OBBS). What makes this winning combination of factors come to fruition regularly? The faces behind the bar!

Bar manager Jay Ammon knows the job of a bartender is not for everyone; his crew has been hand-selected to ensure effective work flow night after night. OBBS staff can “serve upwards of 200 people at any given time,” which requires a dynamite set of skills. As the crew prepares for Thursday night trivia, they go over the inner workings of what goes into a smooth night of service.

“On any given night, we can have three to six bartenders on, not including outside. Inside, everyone takes their own position,” Julie Santo, four-year bartender at OBBS shared. She scans the outside of the long counter that surrounds the bar inside the restaurant, checking to make sure everyone has been served.

Santo is no stranger to how, in the blink of an eye, the building can go from calm and slow to packed and hectic. “We feed off of each other,” she mentioned, as another bartender slid behind her to bring a drink to a newly seated customer. “I think what makes our shifts go so smoothly is the dynamic of everyone … we glide together. It’s tight behind the bar, and when you’re talking six bartenders, you’re bouncing from place to place constantly.”

“A late night can change depending on the entertainment for the night,” Ammon explained. “Bands can bring a rush of people before they begin, giving lulls while they play, while a DJ can keep the dance floor and bar full for most of the night. So, in a sense, there is an ever-changing look to a late night, which means our preparation differs from night to night. My staff usually sets up for the expectations of being as busy as possible.”

Bartender Sam Tillett, who has been with OBBS for eight years, shared that customer satisfaction comes from not simply slinging drinks, but maintaining a safe late-night environment, ensuring the bar and kitchen is well stocked before service begins, and having the right amount of staffing prior to the rush, including bartenders, servers, cooks and bouncers. “There is a lot of ‘looking forward’ to do to prepare for what the DJs or bands may bring. Set-up is quick, and most of it lies on the bar manager to make sure we are ready to go.”

Ammon said, “As a bar manager, I had to put together a crew together who can work cohesively and efficiently … as a bartender, I have to have my head on a swivel, always anticipating the needs of either my customers or my fellow bartenders.” He added that the crew has a catalog of drinks locked in their memory, with a list of names and faces combined with each of their preferences so customers can have an even more enjoyable experience at OBBS. “And we meet about 100,000 new people a year. It’s a lot to keep up with.”

With so many tasks to balance, it’s easy to get bogged down even before the crowds come. So what makes the job worth doing? “The people I work with, that can make or break any job,” Santo said. “It really comes down to the people you work with, and treating everyone with respect. Tillett agreed: “The people who work here are friends, even the customers. You become a family with people that you work with and the people that you serve.”

Ammon said, “being behind the bar allows me to meet all kinds of people, listen to great music in an intimate setting, make great drinks and serve amazing food. In the off-season, I get to play around with different drink recipes and in summer I get to do high volume bartending, my favorite part of the job.”

11:00pM