Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 507
Featuring content from the hottest gay and gay-friendly spots in New York, each (free!) issue of Get Out! highlights the bars, nightclubs, restaurants, spas and other businesses throughout NYC’s metropolitan area that the city’s gay a population is interested in.
Featuring content from the hottest gay and gay-friendly spots in New York, each (free!) issue of Get Out! highlights the bars, nightclubs, restaurants, spas and other businesses throughout NYC’s metropolitan area that the city’s gay a population is interested in.
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BY EILEEN SHAPIRO<br />
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT<br />
It takes a special<br />
person to manage a<br />
bar, especially in New<br />
York. Tracy is above<br />
and beyond that kind<br />
of person. <strong>Get</strong> <strong>Out</strong>!<br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> was there to<br />
congratulate Tracy and to<br />
have a conversation<br />
about the bar and her<br />
experiences.<br />
MANAGING IS A<br />
TOUGH POSITION.<br />
WHAT DO YOU<br />
LIKE MOST ABOUT<br />
YOUR JOB, AND<br />
WHAT’S THE MOST<br />
DIFFICULT PART OF<br />
IT?<br />
For me, It’s like being<br />
a conductor of an<br />
orchestra. Every<br />
aspect and every<br />
department must be<br />
in sync to make that<br />
vision come alive.<br />
When all is aligned,<br />
you create a great<br />
experience for guests.<br />
That is also the most<br />
difficult part of it.<br />
HOW LONG HAVE<br />
YOU BEEN AT RISE<br />
BAR AND WHAT<br />
EXACTLY ARE YOUR<br />
RESPONSIBILITIES AS<br />
MANAGER?<br />
Timing was perfect<br />
when lifelong friends<br />
John Blair, Beto Sutter<br />
and Ted Arenas reached<br />
out at the start of 2019<br />
during a shift with New<br />
York nightlife and mega<br />
nightclubs were closing<br />
one by one. It was a<br />
no-brainer to jump ship<br />
Tracy of Rise Bar<br />
Best Bar Manager of the Year<br />
from Space Ibiza NY<br />
back with a group that<br />
I’ve had the pleasure to<br />
work with during Peter<br />
Gatien’s days (Limelight,<br />
Palladium, Tunnel, USA)<br />
and Club XL.<br />
WHAT IS THE MOST<br />
FUN YOUR JOB<br />
OFFERS FOR YOU?<br />
Creating a team<br />
(operational, promotional<br />
and talents) that is<br />
multi-talented and able<br />
to provide a space<br />
with great energy,<br />
entertainment, amazing<br />
sound & lighting,<br />
customer service and<br />
more.<br />
IS THERE A FAVORITE<br />
NIGHT OR EVENT FOR<br />
YOU AND WHY?<br />
There are hundreds.<br />
They are all different<br />
and unique and some<br />
may cater to a specific<br />
audience. The fun for<br />
me is to make each<br />
event go seamlessly<br />
and memorable for the<br />
guests.<br />
WHAT ADVICE<br />
WOULD YOU<br />
GIVE TO THOSE<br />
WHO DREAM OF<br />
HAVING A JOB<br />
LIKE YOURS?<br />
I think most have a<br />
misconception of<br />
what it entails to run<br />
a successful bar or<br />
nightclub. You can<br />
work in nightlife for<br />
a number of years<br />
holding only one<br />
position, and that<br />
doesn’t make one<br />
qualified to become<br />
a general manager/<br />
director of operation<br />
or whatever title.<br />
The position is<br />
many occupations<br />
looped into one. You<br />
have to know a little<br />
about everything.<br />
Management skills are a<br />
given, business, law, bar<br />
science, sound, lighting,<br />
music, and culture. It<br />
takes years to retain it<br />
all. You also must have<br />
thick skin and be strongminded<br />
to last in this<br />
business and remain<br />
successful.<br />
Rise Bar<br />
859 Ninth Ave<br />
Hells Kitchen
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