Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brian Bartels. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Brian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

My hero is my mom. My mom cooks all the meals for our family. She raised six squirrelly kids and a fussy husband, cleaned all our clothes, constantly organized the house, got us up every day for school, made sure we had everything we needed, clothed us, kept us from killing each other, sang us lullabies, made us laugh, and again, most of all, she fed us. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks we desired in between. We were not rich by any stretch, apart from the opportunity to use our imaginations.
To date, my mom has provided over approximately 70,000 meals for my family.

Most importantly, she did the dishes as well. In fact, she insisted. When I grew older – basically, out of my selfish teenage years – I discovered something important: Mom always wanted do the dishes because she had bad carpal tunnel, and washing the dishes made her sore hands and wrists feel better, if only for a little while. This was never something she complained about. She dealt with the pain in her own quiet way. Though she eventually treated her carpal tunnel, her hands still ache, and I still try to help do the dishes even to this day, and she continues to refuse my offer.
So on top of doing everything else in our household, she is a world champion in finishing what she started. She would create the meals, set the table, pour the drinks, serve the hot food, then wash the dishes. That dishwater was always the craziest hottest temperature, and no one else dared challenge her to wash those dishes, because only she could take the heat.

She’s the hardest workin’ gal in show business and a queen of social protein.

So who am I? I am the son of my mom. She is a real superhero. She is immortal. She is my idol. And no one else can make taking the heat look so easy.

And that is something you should know about my philosophy in serving others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started working in the service industry when I was 13 years old and have worked in some version or another ever since. My first restaurant job was a busboy at 15 at one of the premiere supper clubs in Wisconsin. Once I reached college I needed to work to make rent, so having a serving and bartending job was necessary and provided flexibility for my classes.

I enjoyed taking care of people on the hospitality end. Taking care of others is one of the more selfless acts we can provide as human beings.

I’m a lifelong student in the matter between properties and how they interact in a contained social atmosphere, such as a bar, dining room, kitchen, or office, places a lot of us live and work when we’re not sleeping.

We believe our restaurants are homes away from home, and people are treated as though they are guests in our home.

Greeting someone into your home has an impact on how that person is going to begin feeling comfortable.

I believe human beings are social protein. We are mammals, which means we are built to be interactive.

Egos are unwelcome in our restaurants. And bad attitudes don’t fit. No one enjoys watching someone be mean to another person.

You never know who is going to walk through your doors, so one of the disciplines I’m interested in charing with staff is to be open-minded and open-armed with how we treat others. Strangers are friends. Friends are family. Family deserves the benefit of any doubt. If you’re doubting something, it usually reflects a need to improve your surroundings. That can be the quality of food or beverage or the level of service we are providing. It’s not a complicated algorithm but it requires a constant attention to detail.

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

I have only been business partners with good friends I used to work with from my college days. These formative years helped me grow and learn through my own mistakes with people who trusted and believed in me and were generous enough to be patient and tolerant with my misgivings. That is such a rare commodity to have: friends as business partners. As a result it often feels less like work. Such a blessing. And it certainly makes the more difficult days easier to digest when you’re experiencing those times with trusted friends.

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

We opened Settle Down Tavern a few months after COVID started and shortly after George Floyd’s death. Not only was the world in a most difficult place but social unrest was magnified like I have never seen. That was easily the hardest year of my professional life. 16 hour days and sleepless nights. If it were not for the support of some very kind regulars and the community of Madison we might not have endured. We are lucky to have such thoughtful people surrounding us in this area. Madison is wonderful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.settledownmadison.com www.ozbyozmadison.com www.turnkeymadison.com
• Instagram: @settledowntavern. @ozby.oz. @turnkeysupperclub