Bartending is like acting

Danny Garland started serving beer and wine before he could buy it. He was just 18 years old in Los Angeles. Thirty-two years later, he still loves bartending.

“If I was still, at this age, worried about how much money I was making behind the bar, I wouldn’t be behind the bar. It’s not a solid job.”

“It’s kinda like being on stage in a sense. You get to command an audience in a way.”

“People will come in and talk to me about anything. They talk about relationships. People talk about work, sometimes politics, religion. Those things can be taboo in a bar, but I don’t mind.”

He’s been married for 22 years and if they ask, he will offer advice.

“I’ll tell them what works for me: you gotta love unconditionally. You can’t be stubborn and steadfast in your way because it’s not your way anymore.”