We were lucky to catch up with Sekoya Burke recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sekoya, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

After several years of bartending, and being a trainer with several restaurants/bars/clubs, I believed I could create my own hands-on training facility, that was in an environment and atmosphere a lot less stressful than on the job training, easier to grasp the concepts/knowledge, and a FUN experience that covers ALL NEEDED CERTIFICATIONS to assist with day to day operations (i.e. ServSafe, TiPS), and for current & future business owners & staff!

Sekoya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Sekoya Burke. I’ve been bartending, for the past 20 years! I have seen and heard just about all there is in the hospitality industry (lol). I began bartending in 2001 at The Roadhouse Grill here in Conyers, Georgia. I have worked everywhere from Red Lobster, Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Barnacles, Taco Mac, DaBomb Sports Grill, Chaos Nightclub, Jay’s Place II nightclub, Shooter Alley Gentlemen’s Club, OLG (Old Lady Gang) and many more. I’m pretty sure I can give you all the tools you need to become a successful bartender. I can teach you to make drinks, but I can’t teach you personality. Practice makes perfect. Bartending is a skilled trade, and must be treated as such. It’s also a fun, entertaining, and very lucrative skill to achieve!

Our Mission Statement…
Our goal is to produce skilled, trained, and competent individuals ready to work in the hospitality industry, not only equipped with knowledge, but with tools to jump start their success.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

In April of 2002 at the “soft opening” of Applebees Bar & Grill, in Stonecrest, Georgia I met my future husband/business partner while I began my first “FULL TIME BARTENDING” shift. He was one of my first customers, who then became my friend, and now is my husband/Director of Operations. His B.A. in Marketing as well as my A.S. In Business Management, along with his love, encouragement & support catapulted me into the position(s) that I now hold.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

While attending college in the summer of 2001, I began working a “summer job” as a hostess for the Roadhouse Grill steakhouse. Soon after (maybe 3 months) I was trained as a waitress. It was then, I realized, that the bar is where the magic was created. I later applied for the waitress position at Applebee’s, and the General Manager told me that he had enough waitresses, and asked if I wanted to bartend instead. I told him I was ONLY 18 years old (at that time), and I wasn’t sure if I qualified, and now, the rest is history…(lol). After being a phenomenal employee, I was promoted to the training team. Again, this was ONLY supposed to be a part time summer gig, that has emerged into a CAREER!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.highspiritsbartending.com
• Instagram: @HighSpiritsBartending
• Facebook: @HighSpiritsBartending
• Linkedin: @High Spirits Hospitality Training, LLX
• Twitter: @HighSpiritsBartending
• Youtube: @High Spirits Hospitality Training, LLC
• Yelp: @High Spirits Hospitality Training, LLC
• Other: info@highspiritsbartending.com