Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Navarro.
Jose, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We were both first time home buyers in condos in downtown Atlanta in 1999. A couple of years later we decided to quit our jobs and open a place we never had. A local place for residents to come and have a drink and a bite and catch the game.
We started out as a 1200 sq ft facility and have expanded twice to our current size of nearly 7,000 sq ft.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We started out with renovation and being our own contractors. We had to teach ourselves how to tile, how to re-finish a bar, how to paint, everything. We went from working over 90 hours a week to running 3 different locations with great management teams that help make things run much smoother. The greatest challenge is always finding good staff and keeping them. Lots of places can sell you beer and spirits, but it’s the people that you have working on your behalf that give guests a place to call their local bar.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sidebar – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Sidebar is a neighborhood bar. We specialize if great Cuban sandwiches, wings, and a great beer selection. We take great care of our employees and they, in turn, take great care of our guests.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As a company, we are looking to continue our expansion. There are a few different avenues we are considering but at the moment we are certified as an ACDBE company and are pursuing locations within the airport concessions industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: AtlantasBestBars.com
- Email: owners@atlantasbestbars.com
