Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Vargas.
Antonio, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been a bartender for six years now. As soon as I was relieved of duty in the Marines, I became a bartender at the Dallas Country Club in Highland Park. Before I was even old enough to drink, I wanted to own my bar. I had seen the movie Casino too many times. But I thought, why not learn the ropes of bartending first. I actually started late in this career I was 22 when I was out of the military. But I feel like working at the DCC taught me so much to advance as a bartender. I’ve now used of all it into my business.
In 2019 I had come up with the idea of creating a bartending Instagram. It wasn’t until the pandemic happened where I actually followed through. My initial goal was to create content for everything bartender, from “How To’s”, Cocktail pictures, and going on live to show people how to make drinks from their home bar. Two of my best friends Sabin & Mitchell, have had a huge part of this glow up. Sabin, known as (Chef Taste Budz) has his own business with birria tacos and ramen. Mitch is the master behind the camera. He believed in our dream and decided to shoot for us—the collaboration between food and drinks that Sabin provides. We grew a following and are now doing local pop up events in Bishop Arts & the Design District.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had just recently become a first-time homeowner in February. Then the shut down of restaurants and bars happened March. Out of work, I was at home with my daughters. My wife still had to go to work. But it really got me thinking of what was next. I don’t think it’s been a smooth road for anyone this year. But a lot of positive things have happened out of it. And that’s what I’m focused on.
Style Bender Bartender – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Style Bender Bartender is a special bartending service. It’s more than creating cocktails for your guest. It’s making it an experience—a vibe. We offer custom bar menus for your special event. We make signature cocktails in bulk for your event as well. I squeeze fresh juices for all my events because I want the cocktails to be immaculate. My photographer Mitchell is my bar back & he always captures the best moments of the guest. What other bartender/photographer duo do you know? It’s letting us take care of the hard work of hosting a party/wedding. We know what that feels like.
What I’m most proud of as a new company is all the love and support I’ve gotten. When I started, I did IG live of how to make certain cocktails, and so many family and friends would jump on there to support. When I went live making pre-mixes to go, everyone would buy. Now that I’m at pop-ups in Bishop Arts & the Design District, everyone shows up. They have no idea how much they’ve helped me. Because you have moments of doubt when you start something on your own, but they haven’t given me a chance to start doing that to myself yet. If you’re reading this, I love you.
In a lot of our team meetings, I always ask the same question. “What can we do that separates us apart from what everyone else is doing?” And it’s not about just being different, you have to make it count. I follow a lot of bartenders on IG from Europe. And bartending out there is the next level, those professionals take it super seriously. The content they produce is substantial. The locations they chose, and the bars they work at. That’s always been a dream. I get a lot of my influence from that. I’m trying to bring that to Dallas in my own way.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I recently got hired to work a pop-up event in the Bishop Arts District. We named it “BrunchTober”. I collaborated with “Chef Taste Budz,” and it was a really good turn out. The pandemic hasn’t let anyone be at their full potential but It was my biggest event to date. Texas has been more open lately but we do everything to stay safe and sanitary. Bishop Arts… I hold that area close to my heart because I grew up most of my childhood there. So it meant a lot. I was proud. Thank you Paula’s Everyday Petals, for hosting us.
Pricing:
- Hourly Rate: $60 an hour (3hr minimum)
Contact Info:
- Phone: 469-865-0177
- Email: stylebenderbartender@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylebenderbartender
Image Credit:
Mitchell Flores
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