We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joe Vandal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joe below.

Joe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

After working at in the same bar for nearly 2 decades, I developed a deep understanding of the value of quality employees. My previous workplace felt like a family; not only within the staff, but also with our locals and repeat out-of-state clientele. Relationships and how you treat people matter from your co-workers to your patrons, especially in such a highly transient place. Retaining staff for over 10 years is very rare. Especially in the service industry, where we deal with all types of people day-in and day-out, employees need to feel cared for. Because, inturn, they’ll care more about what they are selling, the people they are helping, and the overall business in general.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I moved to Colorado at the age of 22 to chase the ski-bum lifestyle, like most people in Breckenridge. My first job was working for the ski area. But, soon after, I found if I worked nights, my days would be open for non-stop skiing. My first and only bartending gig (I would stay there for nearly 2 decades) was in a little basement margarita bar. At the time I didn’t drink tequila, and I certainly didn’t care much about what I drank. Fast forward to the spring of 2016, 10 years after starting that job, I was invited down to Mexico on an industry trip with Patron. It really opened my eyes to where tequila comes from, the people who make it, and the love that feeds the industry and the country. The following fall, I spent a month in Mexico, traveling all over rural Oaxaca. It was my first real deep dive into Mezcal production. From then on, it was over for me – I was beyond hooked.

Before I left that little margarita bar, I started to really focus on what was carried on our back bar. I didn’t want to carry every trendy and beautiful bottle or celebrity-endorsed brand. I was determined to know the story that was behind the bottle and I really wanted to make sure I met the producers. Too many distributors and brand are on a pay to play model. That just doesn’t sit well with me.

Coa Cantina is a small Mexican inspired restaurant and bar. At the bar we focus on additive free, non-celebrity, Mexican-owned brands. We try to support real people who make real distillate and have a real stake in the production of the best booze in the world.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Breckenridge is nestled deep in the High Rockies of Colorado. Its scenic and gorgeous, but very seasonal. There are peak seasons and low seasons – summer and winter are a mix of beauty and madness, where spring and fall are on the quiet, muddy side. Since the end of the pandemic, the low seasons have been getting shorter and shorter, with more and more people starting to find our little hideaway.

Coa opened in mid-July of 2023, right in the midst of our high summer season. We had shut the location down for two months between the last restaurant and our opening to remodel, and it took some time for people to find us. Due to this, we really only had one full month of being open for warm weather before shoulder season was upon us. Oddly, this fall shoulder season was slower and longer than what I’ve experienced in awhile. The weather was warm, but as families and professionals returned to work in the fall, Breckenridge got very quiet. It was an extremely stressful 3 months before the winter crowds arrived. I think this experience will help us plan in the future.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Being in a new location, people didn’t know what I was trying to do. I had to develop a new local crowd. I was getting asked pretty consistently why it was taking us so long to open, what was the hold up. We had a lot of work to do, cleaning the space up, making it feel like our own. We wanted the guest to have a new experience when they walked through the door. We wanted to distance ourselves from previous concepts.

It’s been a fun and rewarding journey developing a new local crowd while also pulling my old regulars into the new space. I’m excited for the future!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coacantinabreck.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coa_breck/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coabreck