From Pungo Strawberries, to Organic Vodka, to tractor-trailers of oranges and liquor – welcome to the world of Mariah Standing, Virginia Beach's homegrown spirits maven and the woman who helped transform how an entire coastline drinks.
From humble beginnings growing up in Pungo's farmlands to building a beach empire with her husband Mike, Mariah shares the fascinating journey behind the restaurants and Waterman Spirits, Virginia's organic vodka. We dive deep into what makes her strawberry-infused vodka special – the 400 pounds of real berries in each batch and a commitment to authentic ingredients with "no shit in it," setting her premium spirits apart in a crowded market.
We had to uncover the true origin story of Virginia Beach's iconic Orange Crush while we were at it. While Mariah graciously credits Ocean City as the drink's birthplace, she reveals how a chance meeting over a boat sale led to a pilgrimage to meet "King Crush" and ultimately transformed Virginia Beach's drinking culture. The legendary Crush Fest – which once served 11,000 people and required custom-built "OctoCrush" machinery – makes its triumphant return this April after years of absence. YES!
Beyond spirits, we explore the challenges of building and maintaining multiple successful waterfront businesses while raising a family and fighting bureaucratic battles. Mariah offers candid insights into Virginia Beach's development hurdles and her vision for its future, all while reflecting on the entrepreneurial mindset that makes appreciating small wins difficult when you're constantly hungry for growth.
Whether you're a spirits enthusiast, a Virginia Beach local, or someone fascinated by the intersection of passion and entrepreneurship, this episode offers an honest look at what it takes to build something authentic in a world that often settles for artificial flavoring and cheap ingredients.
Subscribe now and join us for more conversations reshaping how we eat, drink, and experience our communities.
Connect and support Mariah! Here's the links!
https://www.watermanspirits.com/
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For sponsorship opportunities, don't hesitate to get in touch with us directly.
*The views and opinions on this show are meant for entertainment purposes only. They do not reflect the views of our sponsors. We are not here to babysit your feelings, if you are a true industry pro, you will know that what we say is meant to make you laugh and have a great time. If you don't get that, this is not the podcast for you. You've been warned. Enjoy the ride!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
burt hans podcast.
We are live right now with theone and only the one and only
standing a local legend, if youwill right, she yes, she is
Female entrepreneur.
Killing it, killing the game,trying, yeah.
So, before we even get anyfurther, I want to go right into
what's in our cup, right here,because this is the most
important part of theconversation today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Today is all about the alcohol.
Why don't you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
bring it up, tell us what we're drinking.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
We are drinking Waterman Spirits it Virginia's
only organic spirit and what Idid was take the base vodka that
we make and add 400 pounds ofstrawberries.
So I grew up in Pungo and Ilove strawberries, so this was
like the first kind of.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
So this is a tribute to where you came from and we're
indigenous to our area.
For all those who don't know,who are watching this Virginia
Beach has got, we just have abunch of indigenous ingredients,
whether it be from the ocean orwherever it may be from.
Pungo is an area down kind ofin the country on your way down
to the eastern shore or easternside of North Carolina, things
(01:16):
like that, not eastern shore,I'm sorry, the eastern shoreline
of Virginia.
Okay, so there's a lot of thingsthat come from there.
One of them is freakingstrawberries.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Strawberries.
They have a whole field Rightand the.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Pongo Strawberry Festival, right, and so, anyway,
these strawberries aredelicious, they're great, and
that's where you're from.
So you come up farmland, right,you come from a farm.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Cornfields cows and all the fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Did you have the horses and all that stuff?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I did not.
I had chickens and turkeys.
Chickens and turkeys.
My mom would not let me have ahorse because I would not feed
the dog for one year withoutcomplaining about it.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Oh yeah, the horse is bigger than you and you know
now that horses are 10 timesbigger.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
She's like nope, no horses for you.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
So you're speaking about spirits, which we'll get
into later, but this into later.
But this right here is aninfusion of a natural.
This is all organic, allnatural, and you said to me
earlier today there's no shit init.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
No shit in it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So what does that mean?
You have your vodka, which youdistill beautifully.
We carry it here Um, so youdistill your vodka.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
The non shit you put in it is the strawberry.
Pretty much, that's it.
That's it.
So a lot of products havequestionable dyes and all that
stuff in it, but the color fromthis comes from the actual
berries itself.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
So there's no red dye and so there's a maceration
process to get to extract thatcolor out.
So your spirit is the vodka.
Is it macerating with that oris it extracted before and then
added?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
The vodka is made, the berries are put into the
vodka and after it sits and getsthe perfect color and flavor,
then it's proofed properly sothat it's exactly what it should
be proofed at, and put in thebottle.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then you're strained and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I just had a conversation with her GM about
this and when he told us it was400 pounds of strawberries per
batch and that's like the goodstrawberries, so you have to go
through, pick the fruit.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's a lot of strawberries.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
That's a lot of strawberries.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Right, right.
So it's almost like it's a no,it's not.
But you know the point we'rehaving this is.
There's out there that willthrow artificial flavor in there
and call it their infused vodka, and it just drives me nuts.
This is real infused vodka.
It's really important to talkabout this process because in
the wine world or anytime youadd, even in the cooking world
the maceration process that'swhen your fruits and your skins
(03:36):
and everything are in contactwith the juice you're trying to
extract from it.
That's your maceration process.
So that's where you get yourcolors, your flavors and all
your sugars and everything right.
Most people want to skip thatstep and they're going to go buy
a syrup that's already eitherfake, artificially made or
already extracted and they'rejust going to use it for time's
sake and everything else.
They're just going to add thesyrup to their damn drink and
(03:58):
sell it and everyone loves itand it becomes some 7-Eleven
ghetto juice.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I call it.
Yeah, like that slurpy taste,right, and I don't like it, and
it's stuff we used to drink whenwe were 18, just getting
pounding it, you know, like theBoone's Farm.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
You know that's all artificial stuff, bad dog Bad
dog.
But you know what I mean.
This is not what this is.
This is in the cornfield though.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, right, true, because I was on that train too.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So when you're drinking Waterman's vodka,
Waterman.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We have to call it Waterman Waterman.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I'm sorry, waterman Sorry, and I'll tell you why I'm
calling it Waterman's in aminute, okay, where I come from
and probably why we have to dothat.
So we're going to explain that.
I already know why.
However, when we're drinkingWaterman vodka, you're drinking
a high-end and vodka.
You could drink this straightright up.
It's in the upper tier.
This is not a crap vodka.
It's very, very.
Their distillery alone isabsolutely beautiful.
(04:49):
It's clean.
I recommend everyone go thereand see what an actual vodka
distillery looks like A real one.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And you can go there and actually drink and it has a
full bar and you have a tastingroom.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
This podcast brought to you by Waterman Spirits,
virginia Beach's own fine vodka.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Pump fine is now.
She's now sponsoring thepodcast.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I love it, fyi Cheers .
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Cheers to bringing us alcohol, because this is what
happens.
But your journey in this andthis is why I mean we knew each
other but didn't like, throughall of your coming up in the
restaurant industry and for awoman to be able to go through
the steps you went through andnow have we can lead into the
restaurant, the tasting room,the, you know, the spirits world
.
You kind of diversified, butwhere did you start, like in the
(05:35):
restaurant business, where wasyour first?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Busing tables.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Okay, where here?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
At Waterman's.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
When I first got into the, I honestly I met my
husband and I had never workedin the restaurant before until I
met him.
Okay, so, I started as beingthe girlfriend Right, and then
soon after it was like sixmonths, then it was the fiance.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Sure Sure.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
That's a good girlfriend.
You moved up quick Really easy.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That's a good girlfriend, he's so easy.
Yeah, that's a good girlfriend,he's so easy.
Yeah, so now we're back there.
So you said you started atWater Men's Water man.
So that's where we got thedifference in why you have to
call one the other one.
Is that not to confuse?
Is that branding?
What is that?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, there's a few things.
So when I grew up in Pungo, myfather had a beautiful garden.
He was a commercial fisherman.
I would fish at Munnins Pointwith a cane pole.
We had very humble upbringingso I feel like being a waterman
is part of my soul and my likefrom my childhood to now.
(06:36):
And then I met my waterman,mike, and then the restaurant
was obviously and he's, and he'sa true sport waterman.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
He's out fishing all the time.
He lives on the water.
Your restaurant waterman'ssurfing, your kids are in the
water all the time and therestaurant itself is literally
on the beach in Virginia Beach,in the most prime location of
water sports and Virginia Beachlifestyle.
Virginia Beach has its ownculture and Virginia Beach's
(07:04):
culture to me is a modge podgeof all kinds of is that the
right word?
Hodgepodge, modge podge.
So it's got stuff.
It's got a California vibe,it's got a surf vibe, it's got a
fishing vibe.
It's got a northeast scallopinglobster boat vibe.
It's got all the watermen'ssports.
It's a melting pot All theWaterman sports.
It's a melting pot Right, it'sa melting pot of all water.
It doesn't have its own Like.
(07:25):
If you go to Maine, the waterstuff is pretty much lobster.
You go to scallops, you go intoa new, you go get clams and
stuff in Rhode Island,massachusetts.
If you go out to California,you surf.
You know what I mean.
Here we have pretty much all ofit.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
We really have everything.
So I feel like that's my heartand soul.
It was a little play or a bigplay on the success of the
restaurant, but it's really justthe ethos of my spirit and our
community.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
It's all in Coverman.
So when you have, when you area Waterman or you live that
lifestyle, of course the wordsare always going to come out.
It's like me saying I'm anItalian restaurant, I'm Italian,
this Italian, that Because, nomatter what I do, it kind of
revolves around it, just likethat.
So going back to people knowthis area, know Waterman's, the
restaurant, it's a legacy here,really.
Now let's talk about thisfrigging Orange Crush situation.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Look at her laughing.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So we're talking about a festival.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yes, right.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
That would get all you got out of.
It was fucking wasted.
Was drinks Wasted, Did you guys?
Soon it's coming, bringing itback.
It's back, it's back.
Waterman's is back with thefrigging Crush Fest.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
y'all Crush Fest we will do it.
Oh, we should Huh.
Oh, we can do that.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We're setting up.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
We can do that for you.
I feel like I'm 27 again.
It takes you back.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
So my question the orange crush though.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Let's talk about the crush.
You're right.
Go ahead and ask the question.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
This is the thing is, I've been to other states now
and now that it's gone national,there's always an origin story.
So tell us the origin story.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So our origin story goes back to a boat.
So really, the Crush, I feellike, came from Ocean City,
maryland.
I will give all the credit tothem.
And I actually think there's agentleman I cannot remember his
name, but I call him King Crushand he owns this restaurant in
Ocean City on the water calledHarborside Crush it.
Yeah, and we went there and metwith him.
(09:25):
Mike sold a boat to a friendnamed Jimmy Grant and he's from
Ocean City.
He sat at Waterman's Restaurantwaiting on Mike to sign some
paperwork and he ordered anorange crush.
Well, at that time we made theorange crush out of the gun
juice.
It was the most disgustingthing.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Basically a screwdriver.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
That what everybody did yeah.
Screwdriver on crushed iceright I don't even know if it
was crushed ice.
It was probably regular ice.
Jimmy goes what the heck isthis?
This is not an orange truck.
He's like you've got to comewith me to Ocean City.
That is basically whattransformed that trip for Mike
and I and Jimmy Grant to go toOcean City.
(10:02):
Then we came back to VirginiaBeach and changed the way that
we made it.
We modified King Crush's recipe, but it was incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Crushed ice Right, and they were calling it an
Orange Crush then at that timetoo.
Yeah, so the name came downhere.
You guys revamped it,revitalized it, and some people
around here don't realize thatstory, so a lot of people around
here think it kind of came fromyou.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
What I coined was what did I say?
Waterman's or Virginia'soriginal crush house?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So I feel like it's true, there's no lie you guys
were the first's doing the freshpressed, because that's the key
ingredient, so crushed icefresh, fresh juice.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So I was talking to her and I was still not that
you're not here, but I wastalking to her last year, two
years ago.
We were talking about this andyou were telling me the numbers
of what you guys were doing andthis all goes to a charity.
This was a charitable event,right?
So Crush Fest was a charitablething and I was like what that
charity needs to come on withthis way a little bit, but it
worked out amazing.
But how much pounds of oranges,how much vodka?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
what the hell was going on and I say we because
this is when I was in therestaurant business and working
as a whole partnership um, webought a tractor trailer.
We did.
We got a delivery from abc inrichmond, directly from abc to
the restaurant of alcohol.
Then there was a tractortrailer that was filled with
oranges.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
There's a whole tractor trailer ranges in one
case.
So you do the math oh my god,yeah, and did you go through all
of it?
Speaker 3 (11:32):
and it was all fresh.
Mike invented this thing calledoctocrush, so he stayed up at
night.
Of course he did.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I mean the octrush.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
The Octocrush.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
The Octocrush.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Have this one unit of a machine that's cutting
oranges and then it's dispensingthe orange juice to these other
people that were making crushes, Because they just can't crush
each time it's too much.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's too much.
They've got Popeye arms.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, you've got to switch arms, you've got to be a
switch hitter.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And 11,000 people were able to be served fresh
crusts.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Oh my gosh, so the OctoCrush 11,000 people.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
That's more people that's in.
There's more people there inyour parking lot, which is the
size of this room, yeah, thenthere's 11,000 people.
That's about.
For those who don't know, thinkabout going to a college
football game, right, right,yeah, it's like a smaller
college, smaller, smaller, right, or?
Yeah, that's a lot still.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Smaller college football A lot of people.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
You know, that's a lot of people 11,000 people,
11,000 people.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
There's 11,000 people .
I don't know if there's therewas going to be too many people,
so we moved it to thecampground Best decision ever.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And that's where it's going this time.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
No, this time it's in the shack parking lot.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Oh, perfect, yes, Perfect.
So now you got it Good, so theshack.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Let's talk about good so the shack, let's talk about
that.
Yeah, so let's keep building onthe empire here, right.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
so the Waterman's Restaurant was big.
Then came Chick's.
Chick's was great, still isGreat place to go in the
summertime, except for I cannever get a damn seat.
So I don't go there anymorebecause I just can't frigging go
there.
So on my days off I'm like, allright, I need to go have a crab
cake like that.
So the food that you guys haveis very well reflecting of
(13:24):
virginia beach and what we dohere.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You have the sirtunas , the, the crab cakes, classic
seafood, the mahi, you have allthat type of stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So you're off the fish.
You know you guys do it rightand you pretty much not only do
it right, but you guys uh,exemplify what virginia beach
seafood is, because a lot ofpeople say what type of
seafood's here, what type ofseafood's there?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
virginia beach has its own type of there's, yeah,
yeah, and it's, it's, it is good.
Well, and the french fries withthe crab meat on top, oh my god
I love those.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
They're smothered.
Look, she's excited about herown dish.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I love it they're so gluttonous but they're so
fucking good.
The cheese sticks are my.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, oh, those are good there's.
Yeah, yeah, you brought me alittle cup with those one time.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Come on, man I know, but you've turned like it's
almost like putting that spin onthings we loved as kids, like
even the orange crush, like it'ssomething like you know, we
liked, you know if you had thegrandma who made you fresh,
fresh pressed juice in themorning.
It kind of brings back memories.
So you have foods based on likereally key memories.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, so me and, uh, me and a friend of mine went
down there and we were justgoing to run an errand down at
the beach.
I actually stopped in to say hito you.
You weren't there.
So I sat at the bar outside inthe shack and this was a month
or two ago.
This was in the winter, and thehomeboy who was out there just
gave me a couple and it was verygood.
(14:39):
And next thing, I know we justskipped our happy and I had to
come back to work and I was likeWell, I think it's just cool to
see it spread.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Like I said when we kind of started this, you know,
I travel a lot in other citiesand we go to a lot of
restaurants and food places andnow I see an Orange Crush on
their menu.
And this is like Midwest, whereshit takes forever to get there
, and I see it and whoever I'mwith, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm
like, you know, this is inVirginia Beach.
Well, it's like a plague,though it's so cool.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Because think about how many our area is full of all
kinds of transient people,whether it be the military,
which is huge.
They see something and grabsomething.
Now they've been stationed herefor four years drinking these
crushes.
They go out to back to theirhome in Nebraska or wherever
they're from, and they just taketheir crush.
This is called a crush.
It's in Virginia Beach and now,next thing you know, they're
serving it and this is how thesethings start spreading.
(15:32):
So you guys have createdsomething out of Ocean City that
came to here and has blown up.
Now, the place that Ocean Cityhad.
Is it still going?
It's still in business.
So they're still going there.
So that's a great thing.
So how did that?
Now you have a lot of shoes tofill, because not a lot of shoes
to fill, but there's a lot ofpeople that rely on you and Mike
and your family and what it isyou do here in Virginia Beach.
There is a pressure to thatbecause you have chicks, you
(15:55):
have the shack.
Now you're reopening Crush Fest.
You're reopening Crush Fest,from what I would imagine, with
all the other stuff aside mebeing me because you feel a
little bit of obligation to thatand you want to reclaim what
you started and you want tobring it back and I think that
you owe that.
You need fun and that's whatthat was.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
You have to do CrushFest again.
We can't not do it, it's justbecause we're getting older,
yeah that sucks, I'm not gettingolder.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Damn it.
I'm doing Crush Fest.
You're getting better.
We're doing Crush Fest.
Damn it, crush Fest.
It's like the Catalina winemixer, except for it's Crush
Fest it's almost to the point ofbeing able to drink legally.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And I think it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I want them to experience what I'm experiencing
, right, well, right.
And if you're doing it now, bythe time they're ready, they're
going to carry it on.
Crushfest lives.
We all win CrushFest for thefucking win, woo.
Crushfest I'm saying All right,Well we'll be there for that we
will be.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Well, sunday, I think it's April 5th, is that a
Sunday?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Well, we should Bumped up on the production
schedule.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yep and sponsor a show.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
And sponsor a show.
So guess what?
We just made all sorts of sidedeals in this whole conversation
.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
No, but that works out great.
So this is going to go out to alot of people, and then we
would like to be there with ourstuff so we can show everybody
what Crush Fest really is, whatit really means.
On an impact, yes, it's alcohol.
Yes, I'm sure there's a millionother things that could be
impactful.
However, what this does to ourcommunity here is it brings
everyone together.
It makes Virginia Beach what itis.
It is a scene.
Sorry, folks, it is a partytown.
(17:33):
We do live on the beach.
We do like to get buzzed, welike to ride our beach cruisers,
we like to go surfing, we liketo hang around.
We like to fuck off, so come doit all with us in one day, on
the Sabbath.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
If it's ugly, let's have a cocktail.
If it's snowing, let's have acocktail.
Let's have a cocktail?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Let's have a cocktail .
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, the hurricane party is drink everything that's
cold first and then move on tothe red wine last.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
That's pretty much it .
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's the reason to have a, and I think you coming
up in it and again, like I said,we don't get a lot of female
presence because, kitchen-wise,you know, you just don't see as
much of it in the industry.
So I mean, you've been in itnow for how many years is this?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
So 23 years.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So 24 years.
So Mike and I will be 23 yearsmarried in April.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
So that's 23 years of restaurant bar experience.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, yeah, decades in April, so that's 23 years of
restaurant bar experience.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yeah, and that's 23 years of not the marriage part
of it, but that's 23 years of alife you probably didn't expect.
You didn't expect to be arestaurateur or vodka or
anything like that, so so that'spretty interesting because a
lot of people fall into it byaccident and they make the best
of it, and then you have somepeople that work their ass off
to be into it and just can't fitinto it because they can't get
through the work mode and a lotof our podcasts end up being on
(18:46):
that.
It's such a hot topic how muchpeople want for less People want
to come in and work they don'twant to put in the value of what
they really are.
They think they're overvalued.
They overvalue themselves allthe fucking time and don't
realize it just comes down towork.
Dude, if you're not willing todo the same work that I did to
be where I am, we're never goingto be on the same page, and
it's not a comparison, it's anunderstanding, you know.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
There's a different level of grind that is in
somebody's soul that is anentrepreneur or a successful
entrepreneur or that ispassionate about their product
or what they're serving.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I don know it's.
I don't think that can betaught, I think it's inherent.
Yeah, people say to me all thetime I want to be like you and I
say well, you know something?
That's funny.
You say that because sometimesI want to be like you.
Right, I want to wake up andnot give a shit me.
I want to wake up and not haveto do a fucking thing.
I want to wake up, I want to.
I want to wake up and be fiveminutes of work.
I want to wake up, I want to.
I want to wake up and be fiveminutes of work.
I want to show up to you know,yeah, I want to show up to work
10, 20 minutes late, not give afuck, I want to bitch a little
bit about having to be.
I want to do, I want to be you.
(19:49):
So you think you want to be me.
No, you don't Go ahead.
Try, give me a week of yourlife.
I we have to get from one stepto the next, to the next, to the
next, and people don'tunderstand that Eventually they
will the younger people,hopefully, will at some point in
(20:09):
time.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I have a lot of hope for this new generation because
I think that my contemporarieshad it kind of easy.
There was not a lot of hardship, but the kids that went through
COVID and saw what was wentthrough covid and now their
lives have changed a little bit.
I think they are going to bemore grinders, they're going to
(20:30):
stand up for what they believein more.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I think it's I'm younger yeah I think the
generate gen x kids parents yeahour kids are in that generation
coming up and I think thatthey're a reflection of us and I
think anyone in their 20s andearly, even coming into their
30s, is is going to be the hopefor us.
I think they have thegenerational they need to.
They're the ones who are goingto be working more.
(20:54):
They're the ones I can count onmore.
It's some people in theirmid-30s right now going into 40s
.
They're hard.
It's hard, man, because not allof them, but man the big percent
, they're hard.
It's hard, man, because not allof them, but man the big
percent, it's hard.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Parents did a little more gifting to that 30 year old
age group right now, I think so.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Coddling maybe, or something, but I don't
understand it.
I don't have to understand it.
All I know is that the new ageof people now, the mid twenties,
early twenties, those peoplethat are coming in are the hope.
I think they're the ones thatare grinding and getting it, but
enough of them.
Enough of them.
Who cares right now?
Let's talk about this.
I want to talk about yourfuture.
I mean you.
(21:29):
You guys are known at the beach.
You have a lot going on, whichmeans you have a lot of interest
in the beach, which means youhave heartfelt.
You want the right things tohappen in the beach.
So when you're, when you're ina position like that, no matter
where you live, that, what doyou see happening?
Because it reflects oneverywhere.
It's all the same.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I don't know if I can talk about this um, well then,
don't.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Don't talk about the politics, the politics of the
beach.
I'm talking about what we justsaid the direction.
Where do you think it's goingto happen to virginia beach as a
, as a scene, as a life, as a,as a?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I think we have one of the most beautiful beaches on
the East Coast.
I think it's veryunderdeveloped and I think
that's beautiful.
I think we have a lot of uglybuildings and stuff that's
unkept.
Our oceanfront looks, I feel,the same.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
I think that our trapped in the 80s mentality as
far as holding everyoneaccountable to run.
I feel that if it was just easyfor me to snap my fingers I
would have an outline ofeverything on how it's supposed
to kind of agree and havesomething format.
We have a format of how you'resupposed to carry your business
and conduct it to make a properlooking city.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
If you don't know what color to paint your
building, paint your buildingwhite and black yeah make it
simple right keep it simple,like a creole, a crayon yeah,
but that's 70, that's a 90s,it's still that old beach town
yeah, like it's bad somethingjust neutral, I think would
class up the atlantic avenueright, not the aqua colored wall
with a purple trim.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
What the fuck like 42 colors yeah, it's not good.
So I understand what you'resaying there, where you're going
with that it is.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
It is like that but my passion would be for making.
We need local people to startreinvesting in their properties
and reinvesting in operatingbusiness and stop just soaking
off the tourists that comethrough and hope they get
another, another round oftourists.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's almost like they're just waiting for another
round of tourists and hopingthey come.
Well, eventually they're notgoing to come, fuckers, because
you keep making it look likeshit.
That's what she's saying.
Tighten up.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
There's that Goddamn vodka.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
There's that.
Well, I mean, what are thegrowing pains that you foresee
in the next couple of years,Like I mean that they're really
going to have to overcome coupleof years, like I mean that
they're really going to have toovercome.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
I think it's expensive to maintain buildings
and expensive to repair, andit's really hard to find people
in the trades to work.
So I think there's that.
I think our city in general isdifficult to work with, with
having permits issued in anefficient manner, which then
costs more.
You have delays.
(24:08):
It's just a bunch ofbureaucratic crap.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Well, and you've had to build out several spaces so
you also have the event space.
Now you have the tasting room.
I mean you've built outdifferent spaces.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
My husband and I, when we were like together on
this particular piece ofproperty, have been battling the
city for a couple of years.
They've been battling us.
They literally it's.
I can't explain to you.
You would think that becausethere's so much property
ownership between him and somuch personal investment in the
community and having your family, business and family be there
(24:42):
for the.
He's the third generation thatyou would get a little bit of
respect.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, that's really sad.
Why are you fighting?
Somebody that wants to do goodand you got to take in all those
generations of taxes that werebrought in, employees that were
paid, careers that werefulfilled, all that stuff.
And it's hard when you get thatgood old boy network behind
everything, it's hard to breakand penetrate that sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Oh, I'm ready for the good old boy network behind
everything.
It's hard to break andpenetrate that something.
Well, I'm ready for the goodold network to come back,
because what we have right now,yeah well, they are there, it's
just not your good old boys well, it's not the same.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
It's not the same um like they're just someone else's
good old boy.
What?
Speaker 3 (25:14):
year to be efficient, and I think we as a city lack
efficiency.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah, well, I think that's most.
I mean, that's most cities.
But what year did Waterman'sopen?
What was the 81.
Okay, so yeah, you've been astaple down there for that many
years and to see successfulbusinesses, but it was prior to
that.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, my husband's family owned the building and
the land prior to that.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So for those that have the most to gain also have
the most to lose and they alsohave the most to say.
So that's kind of where it is,and then you have everyone
underneath or everyone below itthat don't really pay attention
to it.
So there's never, you can neverget ahead because there's not
enough numbers to come aheadwith you, and and but all's we
can keep doing.
All's we can keep doing isproducing and providing everyone
who looks up to us.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Try to lead by an example.
I want the properties landscapebeautifully, I want everything
done beautifully and tastefullywhere other people, men and
women feel comfortable, and Ithink the best thing is to be
welcoming in your city, and onceeverybody does that, then we
can have a much better placewhere it's happy.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
It's just more comfortable to be there.
But, yeah, I'm excited thatCrush Fest is back too, and I'm
excited and this is one story Ihave to share because, just to
attest to your work ethic sothere's certain people who work
hard every day, no matter whatit was.
When we did our podcast release, you were there, sponsored
cocktails for it, which wasamazing, and we were trying to
put up the banner in the back,and this bitch is in like a
(26:41):
skirt and heels and she justlike throws her shoes off, jumps
on the ground, starts puttingthings together.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Like didn't even have to ask yeah, took charge.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
And those are the people you want to work with,
that I've seen you operate inyour best and you're back.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
you're doing everything there's nothing that
I won't do.
How can you ask somebody elseto do it if you won't do?
Speaker 1 (26:59):
it Exactly, I hear you, or, having done it Right,
you know what I'm saying.
So here's the thing I want toknow with that attitude is why
it's kind of leading into mynext thing.
Here You're.
You're jumping into the vodkaindustry.
The spirits, let's say, vodka.
It is a, if you really want tothink about it, it is a complete
risk because it's such adiluted industry.
Just like me jumping into thepasta sauce game.
Right, it's a risk we takebecause we really believe in our
(27:27):
product and we believe thatwe're going to put in the work
it takes, so on and so forth.
Do you find yourselfchallenging some of these bigger
vodka companies that have somuch money?
I mean, you're online on parwith Tito's and all this other
stuff.
They have the time behind them,the national press, the public,
the money.
Do you find yourself trying toRight, but they didn't.
At first they had what you had.
So are you finding it hard topenetrate that thing, or is it
(27:51):
coming natural or what?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I'm finding it hard to be okay with the little
pieces of success, like where Ithink I'm going to have a
personal problem is notappreciating the small wins that
ultimately lead to bigger wins.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Right, right, and then we all do that Sure.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Is it ever enough For ?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
you Probably not.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Same thing with us when we're doing our podcast.
So if we put a lot of time, ourteam is right here.
You can't see him on camera.
We all put a lot of time andenergy and effort into this,
every piece of this production,and you can see here there's a
lot of stuff going on back there.
And if we sat there every daywait a minute, I sit there every
day and look at these friggingnumbers and the stats and the
likes and the subscribes, youcan't help but do it.
(28:38):
And even though you got somedecent numbers that week, like
you said, that ain't shit.
We need more.
And it seems like, no matterwhat we do, there's never going
to be, unless somebody just saidhey, did you see the thing?
Today there's a millionsubscribers all of a sudden, and
then we made it and then nevermake it but then we'll be
looking at like how come it justwon't hit a million?
yeah yeah why can't I get thatextra one?
(29:00):
Now you're fiending yeah soit's.
It's hard for people like usand I think that's what keeps us
going is like you said.
So that's great answers is thatit's really hard to grab small
wins, it's hard to go, and nowyou want the next big one.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
My mom wrote me a little note the other day.
She goes I've been by the housea few times to see you, but you
haven't been here.
She goes.
You need to appreciate whatyou've worked for.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
You need to slow down you know like just giving the
mom love?
Everyone says that and itdoesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
But you have.
I mean, you're also a mom.
Yes, like you have to balancethe kids, the sports, the school
, the trips, the businesses, thehusband.
Like you have to balance it all.
And yeah, you're not going tobe home much, we do make that,
yeah, and it's it's what we allhave to do and it's been.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
It's an honor having you here.
We really appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
It's been hard to lock her down because you're so
busy and and and they're alllegitimate business as I know
you and and when you say I can'tbe here because I have to to go
to a trade show, yeah, you'restill going for this product.
Yeah, yeah, pound town, yes,fun.
(30:12):
I just came up with a cocktailyesterday called the porch
pounder oh yes, nice, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I'm like, oh, that's gonna be good, okay, I need to.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
All right, that'll be funny, okay, okay so we have
wines, I have certain rosés andstuff I call the patio pounders
because they have a patio.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Not balcony.
Not balcony, but porch.
Well, we're going to have a.
We're a little classier.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, Keep your skirt up.
Keep your skirt up girls.
So anyway, listen.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Where it all goes downhill, let's do one thing.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Let's do one thing.
I want you to sit down with me,Nikki.
Let's get Nikki over here witha review.
Let's do a quick review.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Oh, okay, yeah, let me do this one.
Yeah, we have time, we havelike five minutes.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Let's do a quick review.
We're asking if we have time.
It's for social media, let's doit.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
So we'll pick one that's kind of more generic
food-wise, because you probablydealt with this with the
ingredients part of review, sonow just for these are reviews
online that are one star forTony.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So so what I do is I just for all those who don't
know I go online.
I look at all the reviews allthe time.
There are some what would somepeople would call bad reviews
that actually have somesubstance to them that we can
learn from.
Those are actually put into thegood review file because if we
can learn from them and gainfrom them and fix the problem
and there was a solution, that'svery important, just as
important as a great review,right?
(31:26):
So when that a bad review?
For me, when I shit on them,it's just an outlandish review
that they can go fuck themselves.
It's just like you know whatdude, I don't know who hurt you
or touched you on your butt whenyou walked through the door.
Oh my God, I don't know whotouched you, but that's what
we're going to talk about now.
So go ahead and read one, chris.
I don't know what it is, let'ssee it when I go ham.
Yeah, because they deserve it.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
All right.
Well, there's two that I reallylike, so this is really hard.
Do we want to do a takeoutorder on pizza or do we want to
do someone who visited fromChicago and didn't get a seat
for 20 minutes?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Let's do both, but we'll do them quick, Do them
quick go, Because we haven'tdone these in a bit.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Okay, this one's short, so we're just going to
comment on this, because youdeal with takeout and fresh
ingredients all the time, sothis is a good one.
One star, tyrone, here inChesapeake.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
One star All right, I'm going to call Tyrone out.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I ordered takeout from Luce Friday night.
I must say the of marks.
When I initially walked in.
It made me want to dine in.
Everyone was enjoyingthemselves, the ambiance was
wonderful.
Then we go downhill.
I was directed to the bar toretrieve my order.
I ordered the margarita pizza,which I mean it was not pizza,
so we'll clarify on that in asecond.
I have never been sodisappointed.
(32:42):
It tasted like cardboard, to behonest, like it was fresh out
of a box.
The crust was super hard, notyour typical crunch.
The mozzarella was fake.
Every bite the whole mozzarellawould slide off the pizza.
No flavor whatsoever, actually,they put once so ever, so they
need to spell check.
I also ordered a slice ofchocolate cake which seemed to
come out of a box.
Horrible experience.
I'll try to dine in to changemy opinion, but as of now, not
(33:03):
impressed.
So let's just talk about theto-go thing.
When you're ordering,especially that, well, it's not
pizza.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right, so it's a pizza.
So it's a Roman pizza which isa hard crust.
It's almost like it's apre-baked dough.
This is how they do it in Rome.
It's a pre-baked dough.
Your toppings go back on itagain and then it let everything
melt, unlike a conventionalpizza where the whole thing goes
in raw, cooks up together.
Okay, so it is a crustier,almost like an artisan or
(33:28):
artisanal bread crust, and it'sabsolutely delicious, definitely
100%, a million times over.
Not something you take to go.
You need to eat it as it comesout right away.
Of course, fresh mozzarella isgoing to get hardened again.
It melts out and then itbecomes tight again because it's
fresh, it's real.
So is going to get hardenedagain.
It melts out and then itbecomes tight again because it's
fresh, it's real.
So if you do bite it, it's notlike regular shredded fake
(33:50):
cheese that just stretches.
It's all crazy after 20 minutes.
It's just the way it is.
Tyrone, when you come here toeat my ingredients, what we do
here is white tablecloth.
As you walked in and lookedaround the whole place, you
should have read the whole roomand realize that when you're
paying for these type ofingredients that we spend all
this money getting here.
We don't do it with theintentions of putting it in a
(34:10):
fucking box.
That's a coffin and we don'twant to do it.
And I don't even like the factthat sometimes you can get to-go
food here, because I reallydon't.
But some people will take it andthey just won't write a bad
review on it because theyunderstand that it's not going
to be the quality they got soI'm not going to call tyrone
okay, I'm not, don't call and Ithink that what you should do,
tyrone is yeah, maybe you shouldcome here and try it again, but
(34:32):
I don't know that's going tohelp unless you talk to me.
let me cook for you.
Let me show you what it iswe're really about and let me
make that same exact pizza theway it's supposed to be made,
right here.
Eat it when it's supposed to beeaten.
It's a challenge and let's havethat fun.
That's a challenge, tyrone, youbetter call them.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
And enjoy your dirty martini made with Waterman
Spirits.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Waterman.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Spirits Right here.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, next one.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
All right, so this is a two-star, so we moved up a
little bit.
Oh, okay, two Okay.
So this conflict.
So all right, I'm torn withthis review, but I needed to
share oh yeah, we love when itstarts that way it's tough out
here, james it's tough in thesestreets, all right.
when we were there last weekend,visiting from chicago, my wife
and I didn't have a reservationbut got a seat after a 20 minute
(35:14):
wait.
Not sure if not having areservation made the host upset,
but we were met with a superaggressive attitude, blatant
condescension, eye rolling it.
I'm not sensitive, so we justassumed they'd had a tough day.
Give people the benefit of thedoubt and not take it personally
After we're seated.
The same rude host was ourserver, or our server was great,
but when the host took themenus we had more negative
(35:35):
energy and they slammed ourmenus into the corner on the
floor so loud that other patronsasked why they were throwing a
tantrum.
I was honestly worried they weregoing to do something to our
food.
We would have left, but I washungry.
Luckily, the food and the otherstaff were wonderful, but we
should never feel like that in aplace like this.
I saw their feedback andreviews from the owner about how
they run a tight ship.
Just wish they held theiremployees to the same standard.
(35:57):
Again, the food was amazing.
Patrons shouldn't come to feelthat way when they go out to eat
.
I Patrons shouldn't come tofeel that way when they go out
to eat.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
I recommend the food, but not the ambiance.
Okay, so let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Why would you leave too Okay?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
This review was from my Norfolk location and this
right here just for the reviewpeople out there, this is one of
those borderline ones.
This is borderline.
This could have some validityto it to where it could sneak
into the good category.
So this is good that youbrought this one up Into the
good category.
So this is good that youbrought this one up.
Yeah, because she did or he did, sorry, he did mention the food
was good, everything was goodexcept for the server.
(36:31):
This is where it goes wrong forme the host, not even the
server, just the one person.
Well, at this time during theweek, the host sometimes is a
server.
It's a very, very small place.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
It's like 20, I mean it's not a big place.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
There's week to two week reservations out at all
times.
You're luckily got in on awalk-in.
Somebody either canceled orthey just happened to be lucky.
If you got in in 20 minutes Nowforever my staff member was at
that time had a problem or astick up their ass, I would have
instantly fired them on thefucking scene on the spot, right
then and there.
It wouldn't have been a problemif they were slamming down menus
, if the whole restaurant wasbad, if everyone saw them
(37:01):
rolling their eyes at you.
That is a complete.
I believe there's a little bitof drama involved, but it's not
unrealistic.
It's not unrealistic.
So I'm actually going to rereadthis.
I'm going to reread this on mypersonal time now again.
Go back and go back and recheckit out.
But here's the problem, whichwas his name.
I'm sorry, james, james, james.
(37:22):
Next time you have an issue likethis, reach out to the
restaurant management or theowner.
You can go online.
You can find them online.
You can go to their websitesthey always have forums where
you can find them and actuallydrop a concerning message here
so we can deal with it, insteadof giving us a two-star review,
because every other day, withevery other staff member.
We're typically right on themoney and we do hold it
accountable.
(37:42):
But putting a two-star review onthere takes away from the other
six or seven to 14 one-starreview I mean five-star reviews
that the staff got.
So as a collective, the staffprobably did their good job and
by putting a two-star review onthere you're taking away from
their hard work and efforts.
I can easily handle that oneperson.
You can easily fuck up everyoneelse by having a stupid
two-star review.
So easily fuck up everyone elseby having a stupid one-star
(38:03):
two-star review.
So call the management, callthe owner.
They would love to hear fromyou.
This is a borderline decent togood review.
I'm not going to say this isall that bad I kind of like that
one.
Yeah, James, you did all right.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
It could be fixed.
It's one that could berectified or could have been
rectified.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
You had valid problems there.
You didn't tear, the whole Foodsucked because you had a bad
reaction.
You said the person sucked.
There's only a few I can pickfrom, so I'm going to go bring
this review back and do my work.
James if you got so on firetoday, James, here's to you.
I hope they don't have kids.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
You just ruined Christmas, James.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Yep, Christmas is coming early this year.
Buddy James, you and me aretaking this to the home.
You just lost up a job.
All right, hey, listen,waterman Vodka Spirits Amazing,
check them out at the beach.
Where can we find you?
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Location and online 712 Atlantic Avenue, oceanfront
Road at Virginia Beach andWatermanSpiritscom.
And all the.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
ABC stores.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
All the stores.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
You can get it there.
You can join me there for $6Martini Monday on occasion.
I've been known to be up therea few times.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, and high-end vodkas infused with real natural
, organic ingredients.
It's not a joke.
Don't take it as a joke, okay.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Support local women-owned businesses.
Correct, that's what I'm goingto say.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
All right, and support this podcast by hitting
subscribe and like and sharingit with your friends, and thanks
to Mariah for sponsoring thepodcast Ciao.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
For now she's like what did I just pay for Ciao?
burt hans podcast.
We are live right now with theone and only the one and only
standing a local legend, if youwill right, she yes, she is
Female entrepreneur.
Killing it, killing the game,trying, yeah.
So, before we even get anyfurther, I want to go right into
what's in our cup, right here,because this is the most
important part of theconversation today.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Today is all about the alcohol.
Why don't you?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
bring it up, tell us what we're drinking.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
We are drinking Waterman Spirits it Virginia's
only organic spirit and what Idid was take the base vodka that
we make and add 400 pounds ofstrawberries.
So I grew up in Pungo and Ilove strawberries, so this was
like the first kind of.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
So this is a tribute to where you came from and we're
indigenous to our area.
For all those who don't know,who are watching this Virginia
Beach has got, we just have abunch of indigenous ingredients,
whether it be from the ocean orwherever it may be from.
Pungo is an area down kind ofin the country on your way down
to the eastern shore or easternside of North Carolina, things
(01:16):
like that, not eastern shore,I'm sorry, the eastern shoreline
of Virginia.
Okay, so there's a lot of thingsthat come from there.
One of them is freakingstrawberries.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Strawberries.
They have a whole field Rightand the.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Pongo Strawberry Festival, right, and so, anyway,
these strawberries aredelicious, they're great, and
that's where you're from.
So you come up farmland, right,you come from a farm.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Cornfields cows and all the fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Did you have the horses and all that stuff?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I did not.
I had chickens and turkeys.
Chickens and turkeys.
My mom would not let me have ahorse because I would not feed
the dog for one year withoutcomplaining about it.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Oh yeah, the horse is bigger than you and you know
now that horses are 10 timesbigger.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
She's like nope, no horses for you.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
So you're speaking about spirits, which we'll get
into later, but this into later.
But this right here is aninfusion of a natural.
This is all organic, allnatural, and you said to me
earlier today there's no shit init.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
No shit in it.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
So what does that mean?
You have your vodka, which youdistill beautifully.
We carry it here Um, so youdistill your vodka.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
The non shit you put in it is the strawberry.
Pretty much, that's it.
That's it.
So a lot of products havequestionable dyes and all that
stuff in it, but the color fromthis comes from the actual
berries itself.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
So there's no red dye and so there's a maceration
process to get to extract thatcolor out.
So your spirit is the vodka.
Is it macerating with that oris it extracted before and then
added?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
The vodka is made, the berries are put into the
vodka and after it sits and getsthe perfect color and flavor,
then it's proofed properly sothat it's exactly what it should
be proofed at, and put in thebottle.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then you're strained and all that stuff.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I just had a conversation with her GM about
this and when he told us it was400 pounds of strawberries per
batch and that's like the goodstrawberries, so you have to go
through, pick the fruit.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
That's a lot of strawberries.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
That's a lot of strawberries.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Right, right.
So it's almost like it's a no,it's not.
But you know the point we'rehaving this is.
There's out there that willthrow artificial flavor in there
and call it their infused vodka, and it just drives me nuts.
This is real infused vodka.
It's really important to talkabout this process because in
the wine world or anytime youadd, even in the cooking world
the maceration process that'swhen your fruits and your skins
(03:36):
and everything are in contactwith the juice you're trying to
extract from it.
That's your maceration process.
So that's where you get yourcolors, your flavors and all
your sugars and everything right.
Most people want to skip thatstep and they're going to go buy
a syrup that's already eitherfake, artificially made or
already extracted and they'rejust going to use it for time's
sake and everything else.
They're just going to add thesyrup to their damn drink and
(03:58):
sell it and everyone loves itand it becomes some 7-Eleven
ghetto juice.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I call it.
Yeah, like that slurpy taste,right, and I don't like it, and
it's stuff we used to drink whenwe were 18, just getting
pounding it, you know, like theBoone's Farm.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
You know that's all artificial stuff, bad dog Bad
dog.
But you know what I mean.
This is not what this is.
This is in the cornfield though.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, right, true, because I was on that train too.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So when you're drinking Waterman's vodka,
Waterman.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
We have to call it Waterman Waterman.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I'm sorry, waterman Sorry, and I'll tell you why I'm
calling it Waterman's in aminute, okay, where I come from
and probably why we have to dothat.
So we're going to explain that.
I already know why.
However, when we're drinkingWaterman vodka, you're drinking
a high-end and vodka.
You could drink this straightright up.
It's in the upper tier.
This is not a crap vodka.
It's very, very.
Their distillery alone isabsolutely beautiful.
(04:49):
It's clean.
I recommend everyone go thereand see what an actual vodka
distillery looks like A real one.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And you can go there and actually drink and it has a
full bar and you have a tastingroom.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
This podcast brought to you by Waterman Spirits,
virginia Beach's own fine vodka.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Pump fine is now.
She's now sponsoring thepodcast.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I love it, fyi Cheers .
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Cheers to bringing us alcohol, because this is what
happens.
But your journey in this andthis is why I mean we knew each
other but didn't like, throughall of your coming up in the
restaurant industry and for awoman to be able to go through
the steps you went through andnow have we can lead into the
restaurant, the tasting room,the, you know, the spirits world
.
You kind of diversified, butwhere did you start, like in the
(05:35):
restaurant business, where wasyour first?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Busing tables.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Okay, where here?
Speaker 3 (05:40):
At Waterman's.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
When I first got into the, I honestly I met my
husband and I had never workedin the restaurant before until I
met him.
Okay, so, I started as beingthe girlfriend Right, and then
soon after it was like sixmonths, then it was the fiance.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Sure Sure.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
That's a good girlfriend.
You moved up quick Really easy.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
That's a good girlfriend, he's so easy.
Yeah, that's a good girlfriend,he's so easy.
Yeah, so now we're back there.
So you said you started atWater Men's Water man.
So that's where we got thedifference in why you have to
call one the other one.
Is that not to confuse?
Is that branding?
What is that?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, there's a few things.
So when I grew up in Pungo, myfather had a beautiful garden.
He was a commercial fisherman.
I would fish at Munnins Pointwith a cane pole.
We had very humble upbringingso I feel like being a waterman
is part of my soul and my likefrom my childhood to now.
(06:36):
And then I met my waterman,mike, and then the restaurant
was obviously and he's, and he'sa true sport waterman.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
He's out fishing all the time.
He lives on the water.
Your restaurant waterman'ssurfing, your kids are in the
water all the time and therestaurant itself is literally
on the beach in Virginia Beach,in the most prime location of
water sports and Virginia Beachlifestyle.
Virginia Beach has its ownculture and Virginia Beach's
(07:04):
culture to me is a modge podgeof all kinds of is that the
right word?
Hodgepodge, modge podge.
So it's got stuff.
It's got a California vibe,it's got a surf vibe, it's got a
fishing vibe.
It's got a northeast scallopinglobster boat vibe.
It's got all the watermen'ssports.
It's a melting pot All theWaterman sports.
It's a melting pot Right, it'sa melting pot of all water.
It doesn't have its own Like.
(07:25):
If you go to Maine, the waterstuff is pretty much lobster.
You go to scallops, you go intoa new, you go get clams and
stuff in Rhode Island,massachusetts.
If you go out to California,you surf.
You know what I mean.
Here we have pretty much all ofit.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
We really have everything.
So I feel like that's my heartand soul.
It was a little play or a bigplay on the success of the
restaurant, but it's really justthe ethos of my spirit and our
community.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
It's all in Coverman.
So when you have, when you area Waterman or you live that
lifestyle, of course the wordsare always going to come out.
It's like me saying I'm anItalian restaurant, I'm Italian,
this Italian, that Because, nomatter what I do, it kind of
revolves around it, just likethat.
So going back to people knowthis area, know Waterman's, the
restaurant, it's a legacy here,really.
Now let's talk about thisfrigging Orange Crush situation.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Look at her laughing.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So we're talking about a festival.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yes, right.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
That would get all you got out of.
It was fucking wasted.
Was drinks Wasted, Did you guys?
Soon it's coming, bringing itback.
It's back, it's back.
Waterman's is back with thefrigging Crush Fest.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
y'all Crush Fest we will do it.
Oh, we should Huh.
Oh, we can do that.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
We're setting up.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
We can do that for you.
I feel like I'm 27 again.
It takes you back.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
It's so much fun.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
So my question the orange crush though.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Let's talk about the crush.
You're right.
Go ahead and ask the question.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
This is the thing is, I've been to other states now
and now that it's gone national,there's always an origin story.
So tell us the origin story.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So our origin story goes back to a boat.
So really, the Crush, I feellike, came from Ocean City,
maryland.
I will give all the credit tothem.
And I actually think there's agentleman I cannot remember his
name, but I call him King Crushand he owns this restaurant in
Ocean City on the water calledHarborside Crush it.
Yeah, and we went there and metwith him.
(09:25):
Mike sold a boat to a friendnamed Jimmy Grant and he's from
Ocean City.
He sat at Waterman's Restaurantwaiting on Mike to sign some
paperwork and he ordered anorange crush.
Well, at that time we made theorange crush out of the gun
juice.
It was the most disgustingthing.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Basically a screwdriver.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
That what everybody did yeah.
Screwdriver on crushed iceright I don't even know if it
was crushed ice.
It was probably regular ice.
Jimmy goes what the heck isthis?
This is not an orange truck.
He's like you've got to comewith me to Ocean City.
That is basically whattransformed that trip for Mike
and I and Jimmy Grant to go toOcean City.
(10:02):
Then we came back to VirginiaBeach and changed the way that
we made it.
We modified King Crush's recipe, but it was incredible.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Crushed ice Right, and they were calling it an
Orange Crush then at that timetoo.
Yeah, so the name came downhere.
You guys revamped it,revitalized it, and some people
around here don't realize thatstory, so a lot of people around
here think it kind of came fromyou.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
That's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
What I coined was what did I say?
Waterman's or Virginia'soriginal crush house?
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Sure.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So I feel like it's true, there's no lie you guys
were the first's doing the freshpressed, because that's the key
ingredient, so crushed icefresh, fresh juice.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
So I was talking to her and I was still not that
you're not here, but I wastalking to her last year, two
years ago.
We were talking about this andyou were telling me the numbers
of what you guys were doing andthis all goes to a charity.
This was a charitable event,right?
So Crush Fest was a charitablething and I was like what that
charity needs to come on withthis way a little bit, but it
worked out amazing.
But how much pounds of oranges,how much vodka?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
what the hell was going on and I say we because
this is when I was in therestaurant business and working
as a whole partnership um, webought a tractor trailer.
We did.
We got a delivery from abc inrichmond, directly from abc to
the restaurant of alcohol.
Then there was a tractortrailer that was filled with
oranges.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
There's a whole tractor trailer ranges in one
case.
So you do the math oh my god,yeah, and did you go through all
of it?
Speaker 3 (11:32):
and it was all fresh.
Mike invented this thing calledoctocrush, so he stayed up at
night.
Of course he did.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I mean the octrush.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
The Octocrush.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
The Octocrush.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Have this one unit of a machine that's cutting
oranges and then it's dispensingthe orange juice to these other
people that were making crushes, Because they just can't crush
each time it's too much.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's too much.
They've got Popeye arms.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, you've got to switch arms, you've got to be a
switch hitter.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And 11,000 people were able to be served fresh
crusts.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Oh my gosh, so the OctoCrush 11,000 people.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
That's more people that's in.
There's more people there inyour parking lot, which is the
size of this room, yeah, thenthere's 11,000 people.
That's about.
For those who don't know, thinkabout going to a college
football game, right, right,yeah, it's like a smaller
college, smaller, smaller, right, or?
Yeah, that's a lot still.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Smaller college football A lot of people.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
You know, that's a lot of people 11,000 people,
11,000 people.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
There's 11,000 people .
I don't know if there's therewas going to be too many people,
so we moved it to thecampground Best decision ever.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
And that's where it's going this time.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
No, this time it's in the shack parking lot.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Oh, perfect, yes, Perfect.
So now you got it Good, so theshack.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
Let's talk about good so the shack, let's talk about
that.
Yeah, so let's keep building onthe empire here, right.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
so the Waterman's Restaurant was big.
Then came Chick's.
Chick's was great, still isGreat place to go in the
summertime, except for I cannever get a damn seat.
So I don't go there anymorebecause I just can't frigging go
there.
So on my days off I'm like, allright, I need to go have a crab
cake like that.
So the food that you guys haveis very well reflecting of
(13:24):
virginia beach and what we dohere.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
You have the sirtunas , the, the crab cakes, classic
seafood, the mahi, you have allthat type of stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
So you're off the fish.
You know you guys do it rightand you pretty much not only do
it right, but you guys uh,exemplify what virginia beach
seafood is, because a lot ofpeople say what type of
seafood's here, what type ofseafood's there?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
virginia beach has its own type of there's, yeah,
yeah, and it's, it's, it is good.
Well, and the french fries withthe crab meat on top, oh my god
I love those.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
They're smothered.
Look, she's excited about herown dish.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I love it they're so gluttonous but they're so
fucking good.
The cheese sticks are my.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Yeah, oh, those are good there's.
Yeah, yeah, you brought me alittle cup with those one time.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Come on, man I know, but you've turned like it's
almost like putting that spin onthings we loved as kids, like
even the orange crush, like it'ssomething like you know, we
liked, you know if you had thegrandma who made you fresh,
fresh pressed juice in themorning.
It kind of brings back memories.
So you have foods based on likereally key memories.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, so me and, uh, me and a friend of mine went
down there and we were justgoing to run an errand down at
the beach.
I actually stopped in to say hito you.
You weren't there.
So I sat at the bar outside inthe shack and this was a month
or two ago.
This was in the winter, and thehomeboy who was out there just
gave me a couple and it was verygood.
(14:39):
And next thing, I know we justskipped our happy and I had to
come back to work and I was likeWell, I think it's just cool to
see it spread.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Like I said when we kind of started this, you know,
I travel a lot in other citiesand we go to a lot of
restaurants and food places andnow I see an Orange Crush on
their menu.
And this is like Midwest, whereshit takes forever to get there
, and I see it and whoever I'mwith, I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm
like, you know, this is inVirginia Beach.
Well, it's like a plague,though it's so cool.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Because think about how many our area is full of all
kinds of transient people,whether it be the military,
which is huge.
They see something and grabsomething.
Now they've been stationed herefor four years drinking these
crushes.
They go out to back to theirhome in Nebraska or wherever
they're from, and they just taketheir crush.
This is called a crush.
It's in Virginia Beach and now,next thing you know, they're
serving it and this is how thesethings start spreading.
(15:32):
So you guys have createdsomething out of Ocean City that
came to here and has blown up.
Now, the place that Ocean Cityhad.
Is it still going?
It's still in business.
So they're still going there.
So that's a great thing.
So how did that?
Now you have a lot of shoes tofill, because not a lot of shoes
to fill, but there's a lot ofpeople that rely on you and Mike
and your family and what it isyou do here in Virginia Beach.
There is a pressure to thatbecause you have chicks, you
(15:55):
have the shack.
Now you're reopening Crush Fest.
You're reopening Crush Fest,from what I would imagine, with
all the other stuff aside mebeing me because you feel a
little bit of obligation to thatand you want to reclaim what
you started and you want tobring it back and I think that
you owe that.
You need fun and that's whatthat was.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
You have to do CrushFest again.
We can't not do it, it's justbecause we're getting older,
yeah that sucks, I'm not gettingolder.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Damn it.
I'm doing Crush Fest.
You're getting better.
We're doing Crush Fest.
Damn it, crush Fest.
It's like the Catalina winemixer, except for it's Crush
Fest it's almost to the point ofbeing able to drink legally.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And I think it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
I want them to experience what I'm experiencing
, right, well, right.
And if you're doing it now, bythe time they're ready, they're
going to carry it on.
Crushfest lives.
We all win CrushFest for thefucking win, woo.
Crushfest I'm saying All right,Well we'll be there for that we
will be.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
Well, sunday, I think it's April 5th, is that a
Sunday?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Well, we should Bumped up on the production
schedule.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yep and sponsor a show.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
And sponsor a show.
So guess what?
We just made all sorts of sidedeals in this whole conversation
.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
No, but that works out great.
So this is going to go out to alot of people, and then we
would like to be there with ourstuff so we can show everybody
what Crush Fest really is, whatit really means.
On an impact, yes, it's alcohol.
Yes, I'm sure there's a millionother things that could be
impactful.
However, what this does to ourcommunity here is it brings
everyone together.
It makes Virginia Beach what itis.
It is a scene.
Sorry, folks, it is a partytown.
(17:33):
We do live on the beach.
We do like to get buzzed, welike to ride our beach cruisers,
we like to go surfing, we liketo hang around.
We like to fuck off, so come doit all with us in one day, on
the Sabbath.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
If it's ugly, let's have a cocktail.
If it's snowing, let's have acocktail.
Let's have a cocktail?
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Let's have a cocktail .
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Yeah, the hurricane party is drink everything that's
cold first and then move on tothe red wine last.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
That's pretty much it .
Speaker 2 (17:55):
That's the reason to have a, and I think you coming
up in it and again, like I said,we don't get a lot of female
presence because, kitchen-wise,you know, you just don't see as
much of it in the industry.
So I mean, you've been in itnow for how many years is this?
Speaker 3 (18:10):
So 23 years.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So 24 years.
So Mike and I will be 23 yearsmarried in April.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
So that's 23 years of restaurant bar experience.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, yeah, decades in April, so that's 23 years of
restaurant bar experience.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yeah, and that's 23 years of not the marriage part
of it, but that's 23 years of alife you probably didn't expect.
You didn't expect to be arestaurateur or vodka or
anything like that, so so that'spretty interesting because a
lot of people fall into it byaccident and they make the best
of it, and then you have somepeople that work their ass off
to be into it and just can't fitinto it because they can't get
through the work mode and a lotof our podcasts end up being on
(18:46):
that.
It's such a hot topic how muchpeople want for less People want
to come in and work they don'twant to put in the value of what
they really are.
They think they're overvalued.
They overvalue themselves allthe fucking time and don't
realize it just comes down towork.
Dude, if you're not willing todo the same work that I did to
be where I am, we're never goingto be on the same page, and
it's not a comparison, it's anunderstanding, you know.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
There's a different level of grind that is in
somebody's soul that is anentrepreneur or a successful
entrepreneur or that ispassionate about their product
or what they're serving.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I don know it's.
I don't think that can betaught, I think it's inherent.
Yeah, people say to me all thetime I want to be like you and I
say well, you know something?
That's funny.
You say that because sometimesI want to be like you.
Right, I want to wake up andnot give a shit me.
I want to wake up and not haveto do a fucking thing.
I want to wake up, I want to.
I want to wake up and be fiveminutes of work.
I want to wake up, I want to.
I want to wake up and be fiveminutes of work.
I want to show up to you know,yeah, I want to show up to work
10, 20 minutes late, not give afuck, I want to bitch a little
bit about having to be.
I want to do, I want to be you.
(19:49):
So you think you want to be me.
No, you don't Go ahead.
Try, give me a week of yourlife.
I we have to get from one stepto the next, to the next, to the
next, and people don'tunderstand that Eventually they
will the younger people,hopefully, will at some point in
(20:09):
time.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
I have a lot of hope for this new generation because
I think that my contemporarieshad it kind of easy.
There was not a lot of hardship, but the kids that went through
COVID and saw what was wentthrough covid and now their
lives have changed a little bit.
I think they are going to bemore grinders, they're going to
(20:30):
stand up for what they believein more.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
I think it's I'm younger yeah I think the
generate gen x kids parents yeahour kids are in that generation
coming up and I think thatthey're a reflection of us and I
think anyone in their 20s andearly, even coming into their
30s, is is going to be the hopefor us.
I think they have thegenerational they need to.
They're the ones who are goingto be working more.
(20:54):
They're the ones I can count onmore.
It's some people in theirmid-30s right now going into 40s
.
They're hard.
It's hard, man, because not allof them, but man the big percent
, they're hard.
It's hard, man, because not allof them, but man the big
percent, it's hard.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
Parents did a little more gifting to that 30 year old
age group right now, I think so.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Coddling maybe, or something, but I don't
understand it.
I don't have to understand it.
All I know is that the new ageof people now, the mid twenties,
early twenties, those peoplethat are coming in are the hope.
I think they're the ones thatare grinding and getting it, but
enough of them.
Enough of them.
Who cares right now?
Let's talk about this.
I want to talk about yourfuture.
I mean you.
(21:29):
You guys are known at the beach.
You have a lot going on, whichmeans you have a lot of interest
in the beach, which means youhave heartfelt.
You want the right things tohappen in the beach.
So when you're, when you're ina position like that, no matter
where you live, that, what doyou see happening?
Because it reflects oneverywhere.
It's all the same.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I don't know if I can talk about this um, well then,
don't.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Don't talk about the politics, the politics of the
beach.
I'm talking about what we justsaid the direction.
Where do you think it's goingto happen to virginia beach as a
, as a scene, as a life, as a,as a?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I think we have one of the most beautiful beaches on
the East Coast.
I think it's veryunderdeveloped and I think
that's beautiful.
I think we have a lot of uglybuildings and stuff that's
unkept.
Our oceanfront looks, I feel,the same.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
I think that our trapped in the 80s mentality as
far as holding everyoneaccountable to run.
I feel that if it was just easyfor me to snap my fingers I
would have an outline ofeverything on how it's supposed
to kind of agree and havesomething format.
We have a format of how you'resupposed to carry your business
and conduct it to make a properlooking city.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
If you don't know what color to paint your
building, paint your buildingwhite and black yeah make it
simple right keep it simple,like a creole, a crayon yeah,
but that's 70, that's a 90s,it's still that old beach town
yeah, like it's bad somethingjust neutral, I think would
class up the atlantic avenueright, not the aqua colored wall
with a purple trim.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
What the fuck like 42 colors yeah, it's not good.
So I understand what you'resaying there, where you're going
with that it is.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
It is like that but my passion would be for making.
We need local people to startreinvesting in their properties
and reinvesting in operatingbusiness and stop just soaking
off the tourists that comethrough and hope they get
another, another round oftourists.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
It's almost like they're just waiting for another
round of tourists and hopingthey come.
Well, eventually they're notgoing to come, fuckers, because
you keep making it look likeshit.
That's what she's saying.
Tighten up.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
There's that Goddamn vodka.
Speaker 2 (23:34):
There's that.
Well, I mean, what are thegrowing pains that you foresee
in the next couple of years,Like I mean that they're really
going to have to overcome coupleof years, like I mean that
they're really going to have toovercome.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
I think it's expensive to maintain buildings
and expensive to repair, andit's really hard to find people
in the trades to work.
So I think there's that.
I think our city in general isdifficult to work with, with
having permits issued in anefficient manner, which then
costs more.
You have delays.
(24:08):
It's just a bunch ofbureaucratic crap.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Well, and you've had to build out several spaces so
you also have the event space.
Now you have the tasting room.
I mean you've built outdifferent spaces.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
My husband and I, when we were like together on
this particular piece ofproperty, have been battling the
city for a couple of years.
They've been battling us.
They literally it's.
I can't explain to you.
You would think that becausethere's so much property
ownership between him and somuch personal investment in the
community and having your family, business and family be there
(24:42):
for the.
He's the third generation thatyou would get a little bit of
respect.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
Yeah, that's really sad.
Why are you fighting?
Somebody that wants to do goodand you got to take in all those
generations of taxes that werebrought in, employees that were
paid, careers that werefulfilled, all that stuff.
And it's hard when you get thatgood old boy network behind
everything, it's hard to breakand penetrate that sometimes.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Oh, I'm ready for the good old boy network behind
everything.
It's hard to break andpenetrate that something.
Well, I'm ready for the goodold network to come back,
because what we have right now,yeah well, they are there, it's
just not your good old boys well, it's not the same.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
It's not the same um like they're just someone else's
good old boy.
What?
Speaker 3 (25:14):
year to be efficient, and I think we as a city lack
efficiency.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Yeah, well, I think that's most.
I mean, that's most cities.
But what year did Waterman'sopen?
What was the 81.
Okay, so yeah, you've been astaple down there for that many
years and to see successfulbusinesses, but it was prior to
that.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, my husband's family owned the building and
the land prior to that.
Speaker 1 (25:36):
So for those that have the most to gain also have
the most to lose and they alsohave the most to say.
So that's kind of where it is,and then you have everyone
underneath or everyone below itthat don't really pay attention
to it.
So there's never, you can neverget ahead because there's not
enough numbers to come aheadwith you, and and but all's we
can keep doing.
All's we can keep doing isproducing and providing everyone
who looks up to us.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Try to lead by an example.
I want the properties landscapebeautifully, I want everything
done beautifully and tastefullywhere other people, men and
women feel comfortable, and Ithink the best thing is to be
welcoming in your city, and onceeverybody does that, then we
can have a much better placewhere it's happy.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
It's just more comfortable to be there.
But, yeah, I'm excited thatCrush Fest is back too, and I'm
excited and this is one story Ihave to share because, just to
attest to your work ethic sothere's certain people who work
hard every day, no matter whatit was.
When we did our podcast release, you were there, sponsored
cocktails for it, which wasamazing, and we were trying to
put up the banner in the back,and this bitch is in like a
(26:41):
skirt and heels and she justlike throws her shoes off, jumps
on the ground, starts puttingthings together.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
Like didn't even have to ask yeah, took charge.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
And those are the people you want to work with,
that I've seen you operate inyour best and you're back.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
you're doing everything there's nothing that
I won't do.
How can you ask somebody elseto do it if you won't do?
Speaker 1 (26:59):
it Exactly, I hear you, or, having done it Right,
you know what I'm saying.
So here's the thing I want toknow with that attitude is why
it's kind of leading into mynext thing.
Here You're.
You're jumping into the vodkaindustry.
The spirits, let's say, vodka.
It is a, if you really want tothink about it, it is a complete
risk because it's such adiluted industry.
Just like me jumping into thepasta sauce game.
Right, it's a risk we takebecause we really believe in our
(27:27):
product and we believe thatwe're going to put in the work
it takes, so on and so forth.
Do you find yourselfchallenging some of these bigger
vodka companies that have somuch money?
I mean, you're online on parwith Tito's and all this other
stuff.
They have the time behind them,the national press, the public,
the money.
Do you find yourself trying toRight, but they didn't.
At first they had what you had.
So are you finding it hard topenetrate that thing, or is it
(27:51):
coming natural or what?
Speaker 3 (27:52):
I'm finding it hard to be okay with the little
pieces of success, like where Ithink I'm going to have a
personal problem is notappreciating the small wins that
ultimately lead to bigger wins.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Right, right, and then we all do that Sure.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
Is it ever enough For ?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
you Probably not.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Same thing with us when we're doing our podcast.
So if we put a lot of time, ourteam is right here.
You can't see him on camera.
We all put a lot of time andenergy and effort into this,
every piece of this production,and you can see here there's a
lot of stuff going on back there.
And if we sat there every daywait a minute, I sit there every
day and look at these friggingnumbers and the stats and the
likes and the subscribes, youcan't help but do it.
(28:38):
And even though you got somedecent numbers that week, like
you said, that ain't shit.
We need more.
And it seems like, no matterwhat we do, there's never going
to be, unless somebody just saidhey, did you see the thing?
Today there's a millionsubscribers all of a sudden, and
then we made it and then nevermake it but then we'll be
looking at like how come it justwon't hit a million?
yeah yeah why can't I get thatextra one?
(29:00):
Now you're fiending yeah soit's.
It's hard for people like usand I think that's what keeps us
going is like you said.
So that's great answers is thatit's really hard to grab small
wins, it's hard to go, and nowyou want the next big one.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
My mom wrote me a little note the other day.
She goes I've been by the housea few times to see you, but you
haven't been here.
She goes.
You need to appreciate whatyou've worked for.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
You need to slow down you know like just giving the
mom love?
Everyone says that and itdoesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
But you have.
I mean, you're also a mom.
Yes, like you have to balancethe kids, the sports, the school
, the trips, the businesses, thehusband.
Like you have to balance it all.
And yeah, you're not going tobe home much, we do make that,
yeah, and it's it's what we allhave to do and it's been.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
It's an honor having you here.
We really appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
It's been hard to lock her down because you're so
busy and and and they're alllegitimate business as I know
you and and when you say I can'tbe here because I have to to go
to a trade show, yeah, you'restill going for this product.
Yeah, yeah, pound town, yes,fun.
(30:12):
I just came up with a cocktailyesterday called the porch
pounder oh yes, nice, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I'm like, oh, that's gonna be good, okay, I need to.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
All right, that'll be funny, okay, okay so we have
wines, I have certain rosés andstuff I call the patio pounders
because they have a patio.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
Not balcony.
Not balcony, but porch.
Well, we're going to have a.
We're a little classier.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, Keep your skirt up.
Keep your skirt up girls.
So anyway, listen.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Where it all goes downhill, let's do one thing.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
Let's do one thing.
I want you to sit down with me,Nikki.
Let's get Nikki over here witha review.
Let's do a quick review.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Oh, okay, yeah, let me do this one.
Yeah, we have time, we havelike five minutes.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
Let's do a quick review.
We're asking if we have time.
It's for social media, let's doit.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
So we'll pick one that's kind of more generic
food-wise, because you probablydealt with this with the
ingredients part of review, sonow just for these are reviews
online that are one star forTony.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
So so what I do is I just for all those who don't
know I go online.
I look at all the reviews allthe time.
There are some what would somepeople would call bad reviews
that actually have somesubstance to them that we can
learn from.
Those are actually put into thegood review file because if we
can learn from them and gainfrom them and fix the problem
and there was a solution, that'svery important, just as
important as a great review,right?
(31:26):
So when that a bad review?
For me, when I shit on them,it's just an outlandish review
that they can go fuck themselves.
It's just like you know whatdude, I don't know who hurt you
or touched you on your butt whenyou walked through the door.
Oh my God, I don't know whotouched you, but that's what
we're going to talk about now.
So go ahead and read one, chris.
I don't know what it is, let'ssee it when I go ham.
Yeah, because they deserve it.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
All right.
Well, there's two that I reallylike, so this is really hard.
Do we want to do a takeoutorder on pizza or do we want to
do someone who visited fromChicago and didn't get a seat
for 20 minutes?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Let's do both, but we'll do them quick, Do them
quick go, Because we haven'tdone these in a bit.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Okay, this one's short, so we're just going to
comment on this, because youdeal with takeout and fresh
ingredients all the time, sothis is a good one.
One star, tyrone, here inChesapeake.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
One star All right, I'm going to call Tyrone out.
Speaker 2 (32:18):
I ordered takeout from Luce Friday night.
I must say the of marks.
When I initially walked in.
It made me want to dine in.
Everyone was enjoyingthemselves, the ambiance was
wonderful.
Then we go downhill.
I was directed to the bar toretrieve my order.
I ordered the margarita pizza,which I mean it was not pizza,
so we'll clarify on that in asecond.
I have never been sodisappointed.
(32:42):
It tasted like cardboard, to behonest, like it was fresh out
of a box.
The crust was super hard, notyour typical crunch.
The mozzarella was fake.
Every bite the whole mozzarellawould slide off the pizza.
No flavor whatsoever, actually,they put once so ever, so they
need to spell check.
I also ordered a slice ofchocolate cake which seemed to
come out of a box.
Horrible experience.
I'll try to dine in to changemy opinion, but as of now, not
(33:03):
impressed.
So let's just talk about theto-go thing.
When you're ordering,especially that, well, it's not
pizza.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right, so it's a pizza.
So it's a Roman pizza which isa hard crust.
It's almost like it's apre-baked dough.
This is how they do it in Rome.
It's a pre-baked dough.
Your toppings go back on itagain and then it let everything
melt, unlike a conventionalpizza where the whole thing goes
in raw, cooks up together.
Okay, so it is a crustier,almost like an artisan or
(33:28):
artisanal bread crust, and it'sabsolutely delicious, definitely
100%, a million times over.
Not something you take to go.
You need to eat it as it comesout right away.
Of course, fresh mozzarella isgoing to get hardened again.
It melts out and then itbecomes tight again because it's
fresh, it's real.
So is going to get hardenedagain.
It melts out and then itbecomes tight again because it's
fresh, it's real.
So if you do bite it, it's notlike regular shredded fake
(33:50):
cheese that just stretches.
It's all crazy after 20 minutes.
It's just the way it is.
Tyrone, when you come here toeat my ingredients, what we do
here is white tablecloth.
As you walked in and lookedaround the whole place, you
should have read the whole roomand realize that when you're
paying for these type ofingredients that we spend all
this money getting here.
We don't do it with theintentions of putting it in a
(34:10):
fucking box.
That's a coffin and we don'twant to do it.
And I don't even like the factthat sometimes you can get to-go
food here, because I reallydon't.
But some people will take it andthey just won't write a bad
review on it because theyunderstand that it's not going
to be the quality they got soI'm not going to call tyrone
okay, I'm not, don't call and Ithink that what you should do,
tyrone is yeah, maybe you shouldcome here and try it again, but
(34:32):
I don't know that's going tohelp unless you talk to me.
let me cook for you.
Let me show you what it iswe're really about and let me
make that same exact pizza theway it's supposed to be made,
right here.
Eat it when it's supposed to beeaten.
It's a challenge and let's havethat fun.
That's a challenge, tyrone, youbetter call them.
Speaker 3 (34:46):
And enjoy your dirty martini made with Waterman
Spirits.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Waterman.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Spirits Right here.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, next one.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
All right, so this is a two-star, so we moved up a
little bit.
Oh, okay, two Okay.
So this conflict.
So all right, I'm torn withthis review, but I needed to
share oh yeah, we love when itstarts that way it's tough out
here, james it's tough in thesestreets, all right.
when we were there last weekend,visiting from chicago, my wife
and I didn't have a reservationbut got a seat after a 20 minute
(35:14):
wait.
Not sure if not having areservation made the host upset,
but we were met with a superaggressive attitude, blatant
condescension, eye rolling it.
I'm not sensitive, so we justassumed they'd had a tough day.
Give people the benefit of thedoubt and not take it personally
After we're seated.
The same rude host was ourserver, or our server was great,
but when the host took themenus we had more negative
(35:35):
energy and they slammed ourmenus into the corner on the
floor so loud that other patronsasked why they were throwing a
tantrum.
I was honestly worried they weregoing to do something to our
food.
We would have left, but I washungry.
Luckily, the food and the otherstaff were wonderful, but we
should never feel like that in aplace like this.
I saw their feedback andreviews from the owner about how
they run a tight ship.
Just wish they held theiremployees to the same standard.
(35:57):
Again, the food was amazing.
Patrons shouldn't come to feelthat way when they go out to eat
.
I Patrons shouldn't come tofeel that way when they go out
to eat.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
I recommend the food, but not the ambiance.
Okay, so let me tell you.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Why would you leave too Okay?
Speaker 1 (36:09):
This review was from my Norfolk location and this
right here just for the reviewpeople out there, this is one of
those borderline ones.
This is borderline.
This could have some validityto it to where it could sneak
into the good category.
So this is good that youbrought this one up Into the
good category.
So this is good that youbrought this one up.
Yeah, because she did or he did, sorry, he did mention the food
was good, everything was goodexcept for the server.
(36:31):
This is where it goes wrong forme the host, not even the
server, just the one person.
Well, at this time during theweek, the host sometimes is a
server.
It's a very, very small place.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
It's like 20, I mean it's not a big place.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
There's week to two week reservations out at all
times.
You're luckily got in on awalk-in.
Somebody either canceled orthey just happened to be lucky.
If you got in in 20 minutes Nowforever my staff member was at
that time had a problem or astick up their ass, I would have
instantly fired them on thefucking scene on the spot, right
then and there.
It wouldn't have been a problemif they were slamming down menus
, if the whole restaurant wasbad, if everyone saw them
(37:01):
rolling their eyes at you.
That is a complete.
I believe there's a little bitof drama involved, but it's not
unrealistic.
It's not unrealistic.
So I'm actually going to rereadthis.
I'm going to reread this on mypersonal time now again.
Go back and go back and recheckit out.
But here's the problem, whichwas his name.
I'm sorry, james, james, james.
(37:22):
Next time you have an issue likethis, reach out to the
restaurant management or theowner.
You can go online.
You can find them online.
You can go to their websitesthey always have forums where
you can find them and actuallydrop a concerning message here
so we can deal with it, insteadof giving us a two-star review,
because every other day, withevery other staff member.
We're typically right on themoney and we do hold it
accountable.
(37:42):
But putting a two-star review onthere takes away from the other
six or seven to 14 one-starreview I mean five-star reviews
that the staff got.
So as a collective, the staffprobably did their good job and
by putting a two-star review onthere you're taking away from
their hard work and efforts.
I can easily handle that oneperson.
You can easily fuck up everyoneelse by having a stupid
two-star review.
So easily fuck up everyone elseby having a stupid one-star
(38:03):
two-star review.
So call the management, callthe owner.
They would love to hear fromyou.
This is a borderline decent togood review.
I'm not going to say this isall that bad I kind of like that
one.
Yeah, James, you did all right.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
It could be fixed.
It's one that could berectified or could have been
rectified.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
You had valid problems there.
You didn't tear, the whole Foodsucked because you had a bad
reaction.
You said the person sucked.
There's only a few I can pickfrom, so I'm going to go bring
this review back and do my work.
James if you got so on firetoday, James, here's to you.
I hope they don't have kids.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
You just ruined Christmas, James.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
Yep, Christmas is coming early this year.
Buddy James, you and me aretaking this to the home.
You just lost up a job.
All right, hey, listen,waterman Vodka Spirits Amazing,
check them out at the beach.
Where can we find you?
Speaker 3 (38:50):
Location and online 712 Atlantic Avenue, oceanfront
Road at Virginia Beach andWatermanSpiritscom.
And all the.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
ABC stores.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
All the stores.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
You can get it there.
You can join me there for $6Martini Monday on occasion.
I've been known to be up therea few times.
Speaker 1 (39:07):
Yeah, and high-end vodkas infused with real natural
, organic ingredients.
It's not a joke.
Don't take it as a joke, okay.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Support local women-owned businesses.
Correct, that's what I'm goingto say.
Speaker 1 (39:19):
All right, and support this podcast by hitting
subscribe and like and sharingit with your friends, and thanks
to Mariah for sponsoring thepodcast Ciao.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
For now she's like what did I just pay for Ciao?
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