Q & A's Exclusive

Shut It Down

86'd Me Interview: Bar Rescue Co-Host Phil Wills: The Art of Hospitality

Jerbear | Thursday, March 19, 2026

| Estimated Reading Time: 6 Minutes

'm four episodes deep into a Bar Rescue marathon on Paramount+, about the point where "SHUT IT DOWN!" starts to feel less like chaos and more like a lullaby.

At this point, I’m mentally redesigning a failing dive bar in Nebraska and have developed a dangerously unearned confidence in my ability to spot a cross-contaminated kitchen from across the room.

Nobody thinks what I think, and nobody dreams when they blink, at least that’s the solitary reality of sitting here in the dark, denying that I should have gone to bed three hours ago, completely captivated by someone else’s disaster.

It’s easy to spot what’s wrong. Fixing it is something else entirely.

That’s where Phil Wills comes in.

Classic red and white striped TGI Fridays exterior sign. Representing the hospitality roots and flair bartending beginnings of Bar Rescue Co-Host Phil Wills.

TGI-Fridays-Legacy-Sign-Phil-Wills-Origin-Story | Image by The Training Ground: Where the "Art of Hospitality" began for Phil Wills.

Long before television and before the signature hat, Phil Wills was behind the bar at TGI Fridays, coming up in the world of flair bartending.

At the time, Fridays was not just another chain. It was one of the most influential brands in bartending and a major part of the after-work culture, and its competitions helped define an entire era of the craft.

Wills spent more than a decade in that world, competing multiple times, earning a win, and placing in another along the way.

That dedication shows in the work he does through Spirits in Motion, a company he co-founded with Tony Pereyra to help operators build thoughtful, profitable, and human-centered bar programs.

Many viewers know Wills as a Bar Rescue expert and co-host, where he is often the one sent in to help turn struggling bars around.

My connection to Phil came through George Barton, the former VP of Operations for TGI Fridays, whom I met while working in Charleston.

He had just moved here from Las Vegas, and when he mentioned that, we started talking and hit it off. After reconnecting over lunch, George introduced me to Phil via email.

My connection to Phil came through George Barton, the former VP of Operations for TGI Fridays, who I met while working in Charleston. He had just moved here from Las Vegas, and when he mentioned that, we started talking and hit it off.

After reconnecting over lunch, George introduced me to Phil over email.

Phil didn’t have to take the time to speak with a niche publication like ours, but he did.

“Phil Wills has demonstrated excellence in the food and beverage industry for years and his development on new beverage innovation towers over his contemporaries.”

— George Barton, Former VP of Operations, TGI Fridays

Phil Wills behind a bar with six vibrant craft cocktails. Bar Rescue co-host and beverage consultant demonstrating menu innovation and the Art of Hospitality.

Phil-Wills-Spirits-In-Motion-Mixology-Expert | Image by Crafting the Vision: Phil Wills showcasing the cocktail innovation that drives real revenue for failing bars.

86’d Me Interview

Phil Wills Q&A

We asked Phil a few questions about ownership, hiring, and where the industry is heading.

What type of owner is the hardest to help and why?

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The hardest owner to help is the one who thinks the fix is outside of them. I’ve walked into a lot of bars, on TV, in consulting, and in real projects, and the pattern is usually the same. The menu gets blamed, the staff gets blamed, the market gets blamed. But if leadership isn’t willing to look inward, nothing really moves.

The owners who make real progress stay curious. They ask better questions. They’re open to hearing things that aren’t always comfortable. That’s usually the turning point.

Many younger guests are drinking less. Is this a fad or a real long-term shift?

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It’s a real shift. People still want to go out. That hasn’t changed. What’s changed is intention. I see guests ordering one great drink instead of three average ones. I see groups mixing in non-alcoholic options without it feeling like a compromise.

The operators who understand that are doing really well. Experience matters more now. Thoughtful menus matter more. How people feel in the room matters more. Hospitality was never just about food and alcohol anyway. They are merely tools used to allow hospitality to shine.

Is tech like QR menus and automation actually improving service, or just reducing labor?

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Tech helps when it removes friction. It hurts when it removes people. I’ve seen QR menus speed things up and help teams. I’ve also seen rooms feel colder because everything becomes transactional. Guests still want guidance. They want someone to read the moment, make a suggestion, notice them.

The best teams use tech behind the scenes so they can be more present out front. That’s the balance in my opinion.

What hiring mistake do operators repeatedly make even when they think they are being careful?

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Hiring the resume instead of the person. I’ve watched incredibly experienced bartenders struggle because they didn’t care about the guest or the team. And I’ve watched someone brand new become a leader because they genuinely wanted to take care of people.

You can teach specs. You can teach systems. Teaching someone to care is different. That’s the mistake I see over and over.

When you visit a bar purely as a guest, what do you typically order and why?

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Usually a classic, something simple like a Sazerac. A well-made classic tells you a lot without saying much. Technique, pace, how the bartender moves, how the room feels. You notice the small things.

And honestly, simple drinks leave space just to be. Conversation, energy, and the reason people go out in the first place. That part never gets old for me.

Phil Wills speaking at a past Bar & Restaurant Expo. Hospitality consultant and Bar Rescue co-host delivering a keynote on guest experience and bar systems.

Phil-Wills-Bar-Restaurant-Expo-Speaker-Archive | Image by Phil Wills Speaking at the Bar & Restaurant Expo in Las Vegas

Phil Wills on

Limitless Hospitality

“A big part of my work centers around what I call Limitless Hospitality. The belief that great service isn’t a script, it’s a mindset. When teams understand why they do what they do, not just how, everything shifts.

Most operators don’t need more tactics. They need alignment, clarity, and ownership from their team. That’s where the real change happens.”

What comes through in all of it is simple. The best operators are not just focused on the product.

They are focused on people, on consistency, and on creating an experience that actually means something.

If you have the chance, you can catch Wills in person at the Bar and Restaurant Expo in Las Vegas on March 23, where he’ll be speaking on creating experiences guests can’t resist and continuing his work through Spirits in Motion.

Go ahead and start the next episode. You were going to anyway. Just know the guy on your screen earned every minute of it.