Bartender of the Month Kristi Roberts

this article was originally posted in the SWFL Parrot in the July issue

This month’s bartender of the month was hard to pick out. There were three excellent choices at this bar alone! However…
Her name is Kristi Roberts and she tends bar at TGIFridays in Murdock. I stumbled upon her after a late night Redfish game. That reminds me…off the track…starting this month we want our readers to nominate a bartender of the month. I personally have volunteered my services to check out every applicant to find the one most worthy of next month’s BOTM. Anyone who thinks they have a bartender that should be considered, should e-mail me and tell me who and where, but please don’t take offense if I don’t pick yours…there’s a lot of excellent bartenders here and I AM a sucker for a pretty face!! (Sorry dudes) …I will make a conscious effort to pick a guy when I can…or when I’m told to! I will promise that for ANYONE nominated, I will go to that bar! So when you nominate them, tell me the day they work so I can catch them on duty!
And now…back to Kristi. Kristi is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. She’s been here for approximately three and a half years. Her mom moved down here to get away from Kristi’s three brothers and three sisters and Kristi followed. You gotta love when your mom moves away and you don’t take the hint…just ask my mom!
She was trained by Fridays to do some amazing tricks behind the bar…some of which include bottle twirling and whipped cream tossing. I could not believe when she told me she hadn’t spent any time in bartending school with the abilities that she has…actually they all have. Kudos to Friday’s for training their people well. All the bartenders there have definite skills!
I asked her why she bartended and her response was “I love it, it’s really fun and the people I work with are all fun.” She definitely seemed to me to have a bright, beautiful smile and that goes a long way in being a good bartender. Being friendly and happy is a definite plus given most of us who are there are trying to escape the work day and other problems. She is easily a “highlight” of the day.
Her funny story…her first day on the job, she had to open a bottle of champagne and was not familiar with the uncorking procedure and accidentally shot someone at the bar with the cork. Talk about your bad first days. I can tell you, she has definitely learned plenty from that day. She was the one responsible for the new Redfish drink at the bar… it’s appealing to the taste and on the eyes and trust me, it’s a winner.
When not at the bar, she spends time with her three kids and her Shih Tzu, Jada. If she’s in front of the bar and not behind it, her drink of choice is Malibu and pineapple juice (and she confessed that …and I quote…”HA HA…I get hammered on it, too”) and pizza ranks as her favorite food. She also confessed that she’s a bad driver, so try to leave before she does! She works five days a week so there’s a good chance that you’ll see her there.
She wanted me to promote the bartender championships at Friday’s in August. It’s a Friday’s local competition and the winners move on to regionals. Our location is doing theirs in combination with a poker run to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network and I will be there to see it for sure! I’ve only seen her skills, but if the others are as good at their craft as she is, it will DEFINITELY be a thing to see. Tom Cruise never did these moves in Cocktail.
I asked Kristi what she missed most about Cincinnati and she said her family and the holidays. Her husband has family in Ohio as well. My suggestion to her was to bring them all down. Maybe one of her sister’s is as proficient at slinging the hooch as she is!
There’s your bartender for this month. Stop in and tell her you saw her in the Parrot and show your support for the BOTM Kristi Roberts…
And try a Redfish …or a Malibu and pineapple in Kristi’s honor. Make sure you thank her from me and enjoy the fact that we have such great bartenders in this area!