We were lucky to catch up with Adrienne Calhoun recently and have shared our conversation below.

Adrienne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

We’ve been doing social media on our own for the most part because it’s been very difficult to find someone who understands the vibe of the restaurant. Honey Moon Spirit Lounge has an atmosphere that’s much easier to feel rather than sum up in a few words. Hiring in house has been a really great solution! Our staff members spend a lot of time in the building and know how to create the experience we want our guests to have when they come to Honey Moon. One of our servers, Madison Guyton, has been pursuing a career in social media and marketing as a career path. She’s been part of our team for a little bit over a year now as a server and recently began managing our social media. She understands our aesthetic and how to channel it into our online platforms. As a social media manager, she checks all of the boxes. Madison is driven, disciplined, creative, and always learning. We’ve even expanded her role of social media manager to include digital marketing. She has exceeded all of our expectations and continues to help Honey Moon’s social media presence grow.

Adrienne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My husband Reed and I got engaged right before we decided to open a restaurant together. We knew that if we were going to get married in the spring of 2020 and open a restaurant a few months later, that we would have no time to bask in the wedding bliss or take a honeymoon. One wine-filled night, we decided to make the business we were creating our forever honeymoon and the name, “Honey Moon Spirit Lounge” was born. Fast forward and neither of those things happened in 2020 like we had “planned” but eventually we opened the restaurant in 2021 and got married in 2022.

Reed was a musician, which means he’s spent most of his life in the service industry (haha) and I (Adrienne) fell in love with hospitality while living in LA and spending all of my time in a family friend’s restaurant. Together, our love for people, hosting, and passion for curating a magical and unique experience blossomed into what I call our “funky little love child”.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The most important part of managing a team is getting to know the individuals that make up the team and putting people first every step of the way. Learning the different aspects of how someone operates and what that person needs to feel seen lets you prioritize meeting your team’s needs. It’s been crucial to nurture the interpersonal relationships within the team so that each individual feels validated, connected to the whole, and able to give their best to the business. That also means constantly evolving. As people grow, their needs change and it’s important to adapt to those changes so we can grow alongside our team.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think opening and owning a restaurant has been one giant story of resilience (haha). Every single day is a grind and that means learning the best way to endure a million tiny cuts. When we run into issues, we just have to keep our heads up and continue to move forward. I have learned the hard way that focusing on a solution is a much more beneficial way to tackle situations rather than trying to figure out what went wrong and who to blame. Those are things that can be done later if they’re actually part of finding the solution, but the best and most positive way to move forward is to keep looking towards a solution.
Don’t be afraid to cry, let it out, and breathe your way through it, but keep the big picture in mind so afterwards you can pivot and just keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://honeymoonspiritlounge.com/
• Instagram: honeymoonspiritlounge
• Facebook: Honey Moon Spirit Lounge
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/honey-moon-spirit-lounge-austin-2
• Other: https://www.opentable.com/r/honey-moon-spirit-lounge-austin?corrid=abf3ec72-f708-4435-84de-e72825abb2f3&avt=eyJ2IjoyLCJtIjowLCJwIjowLCJzIjowLCJuIjowfQ&p=2&sd=2025-03-26T19%3A00%3A00

Image Credits

Cassandra Klepac

Joi Conti