Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/912565
BAR Q&A 106 / the tasting panel / december 2017 Debbi Peek: Datz is such a well-known Tampa destination. What path led you here? Morgan Zuch: I have been working in restaurants since I was 16. I started off working in the kitchen of a small, independent restaurant and later developed a passion for working behind the bar. All through college I bartended at a few different restaurants and made all sorts of friends with co-workers. Years of friendship led me to Datz, where several chefs whom I had become close with recruited me to help manage. What is the biggest challenge of your position? My biggest challenge as a beverage director is definitely training and development. It seems like over the last decade there has been such a boom in this business with all of the new breweries, distilleries, and wineries that have emerged. Consumers are also so much more educated and have much higher expectations of a bar experi- ence. There really is so much to learn and teach the staff each and every day. Making sure every bartender is knowledgeable and consistent in day-to-day operations is key to a successful bar program. The key here is to find the ones with a passion. Not everyone has the same passion or way of learning, so finding ways to successfully train them all can be very difficult. Debbi Peek, MIXOLOGIST–NORTH FLORIDA & NATIONAL ACCOUNTS OF SOUTHERN GLAZER'S WINE & SPIRITS & Morgan Zuch BEVERAGE DIRECTOR FOR DATZ RESTAURANT GROUP Debbi Peek, Mixologist–North Florida & National Accounts of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits, and Morgan Zuch, Beverage Director for Datz Restaurant Group in Tampa, FL. photos by Djamel Ramoul