Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonard Madison.
Hi Leonard, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started out serving tables for Bostons Pizza in Grapevine, TX. I had a great trainer that taught me the basics on taking care of people. I enjoyed that I could be myself and laugh with people but also get paid for it! After about 6 months, my GM asked me to open the new location in Arlington, TX, but at the same time, I accepted a position at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. I agreed to help out and was working Bostons Pizza during the lunchtime, then would get off and go to Great Wolf Lodge for the night shift. Eventually, I left Bostons and went all in at Great Wolf Lodge. It took about 3 years at Great Wolf Lodge before my manager told me they needed a bartender, and I had the personality to do it. I was nervous because I was never a drinker and really didn’t know anything about alcohol, but it looked fun, so I jumped in. I did it for about a year, and was horrible. I lost confidence in myself and went back to serving. About a year later, the same thing happened. They wanted me to jump in as bartender, and since I had some experience, they believed I could do it. I tried again with the perspective that I HAD to learn how to do this and weather the storms. Working shift after shift and learning from other bartenders, and going to the back and “googling drinks I didn’t know,” my confidence started to rise, and I figured it out.
I ended up being the face of that restaurant, spending about 10 years at that bar until 2020.
When Covid hit, I was working in the restaurant, and we were told that we would shut down for about 2 weeks and then be right back to work. It took 4 months. However, this was the turning point in my bartending career. During those 4 months, I was at home, bored, drinking, and experimenting with different liquors. I would often make a drink, garnish it nicely, then post it on my social media. People started reaching out and wanting to try them, so I had the idea to start charging for it. I started my mobile bartending business called “Fort Pours,” delivering drinks to people during Quarantine. It pushed me to be more creative, and I challenged myself to learn more. When I came back to work, my restaurant was shut down, and they moved me to bartend out at the pool. I realized that I absolutely loved it. I had access to the liquor room where I could pull any liquors that I wanted to make drinks, plus I was dealing with people out at the pool, in better moods just wanting to drink and have fun. I got to the point to where people would ask me what is good, I would ask them what flavor they are looking for and their favorite color, then make a drink on the spot and name it after them. That was part of my “great customer service.” I easily became the most popular person at the lodge.
After a change of management and having disagreements on how to make the customer experience better, I left Great Wolf Lodge after 14 years and started working at the Hilton Anatole pool. At the same time, I was working at the ATT stadium bartending as well. I was hand-picked to be promoted to the Cowboys Club, which is a members-only private social club for the Dallas Cowboys and their business partners. When I showed up, I didn’t know half of the liquors and drinks that they were making. I had so much confidence in my abilities as a bartender, but showing up at the Cowboys Club was a humbling moment. Thankfully, I had some really amazing trainers, and I had a desire to learn everything I could from them. I believe they knew I was behind, but they respected my work ethic and interest to be taught. I learned more in my year at that club than I had learned in my previous 14 years of bartending. I owe so much to the Cowboys Club. The whole time working there, I learned proper balance of a cocktail, and I got to experiment and learn to new ideas. I also got to connect with the upper echelon of the business world in Dallas and bartend players, and celebrity parties. I left after a year for an opportunity to recreated a bar program for a beautiful steakhouse that was reopening with new ideas and identity. SER Steak and Spirits, atop the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, is currently where I reside for my bartending (along with ATT Stadium). The main reason for leaving the Cowboys Club was to challenge myself to see what I could create, as well as have a place for friends and family to be able to come anytime to try a great cocktail.
Ever since starting my cocktail business during quarantine, I have been growing my mobile bartending services on the side. All of the money I made during the 4 months of quarantine, half went to buying more products, and the other half was donated to a family that I was mentoring. I’ve done many parties, weddings, menu creations, and bar consulting for people and places all around the metroplex. Today, I’m still creating all kinds of delicious and beautiful cocktails and continue to post at least 2 a week on my Instagram. I’m also working at SER Steak and Spirits, events at ATT Stadium, competing in cocktail completions, and servicing multiple events around the metroplex.
Feel free to reach out to me
FortPours@gmail.com
Instagram: @FortPours
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a bad road, The bumps in the road, were when I got to Cowboys Club and I was exposed to a different level of bartending. Every single bartender there was solid. I felt I had this chip on my shoulder to pull my weight since we were all sharing tips. I didn’t want to be the weakest link. Even though I may not have known how to make all of the classic cocktails, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask. But one thing I could control was my customer service and personality. At the bar, people really just want a great cocktail and to laugh a little bit with the bartenders.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in craft cocktails. I have trouble sleeping all of the time because I always have ideas for drinks. I’m always thinking of flavor profiles and using ingredients that most people have never thought to use before. I don’t like making basic drinks. I like to push the limits as to what I can do with a cocktail. Trust me; I make a lot of bad drinks. There is a lot of trial and error with measurements to create a true balanced cocktail, but I enjoy the creative process and the smile on the customer’s face when they try something that they love and never thought about having before.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Quarantine was a blessing in disguise. Most people saw it as a bad thing, but I used that time to transform my mindset about bartending. I saw opportunity and took advantage of it. Luck came into play when I decided I would not worry about how much money I make but would focus on the customer’s experience. I wanted to be memorable. This is where my mantra came from… “Give Positive Energy, and Be Memorable.” When I did that, luck hit, and I was noticed, out of over 150 bartenders at the stadium, to be selected to the Cowboys Club. That is where their “coveted customers” are.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @FortPours
- Facebook: Leonard Madison
