{"id":399984,"date":"2026-08-07T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399984\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T06:00:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:00:15","slug":"a-conversation-with-inwood-taverns-brendan-willis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/399984\/","title":{"rendered":"A conversation with Inwood Tavern\u2019s Brendan Willis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">How would you describe the vibe of Inwood Tavern?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The vibe can only be described as laid-back and relaxed, and welcome to all walks of life over the age of 21. Inwood Tavern is always going to have good music playing if you want to dance, and a dimly lit covered patio where you can have a conversation and a smoke, if you like, while not missing the action. With such a wide age range of people who enjoy the Tavern, it makes it an incredible place for networking with people. My mother always said life is about who you know, not what you know, and she was always right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the time you\u2019ve been there, how, if at all, has the crowd changed?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The crowd has changed alright, and it just keeps getting better. I can\u2019t tell you how many amazing people walk through the doors of Inwood Tavern, but I can tell you it\u2019s a pleasure to take care of them and learn about their journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What is a typical shift like for you?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">I arrive a bit early, normally with some candy. I like to try and say hello to everyone as I arrive and let them know the party has officially started. Then, I like to take a moment and set the bar up the way I like it, which is a luxury we have at the Tavern, and it\u2019s usually pretty chill vibes for the first several hours of a shift throughout the week.\u00a0 By about 10 p.m., it\u2019s normally pretty rocking, and the time usually goes by so fast because it\u2019s so fun and easy. <\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Do you have a signature drink you like to make, even if it\u2019s not on the menu?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">I have quite a few drinks I like to make, but I always like to ask people what they normally drink before assuming what they will like, and once I know if they are looking for something sweet or sour or spirit forward or refreshing, I can whip something up. Lately, a crowd pleaser for me has been making a ranch water and splashing it with fresh-squeezed pineapple juice, not that whack stuff out of a can. I\u2019m talking fresh-squeezed, baby!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What drink order instantly tells you something about a customer?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">If you order any version of a Long Island, I am going to ask to see your ID again. If you order any kind of a spritzer or something really fancy, it normally tells me you might be a first-timer, which is cool because then I show you that we are known for using red Solo cups for our cocktails, and it always sparks a fun conversation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What is one story you\u2019ll never forget since working at Inwood Tavern?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Working the day after Dallas\u2019s own Scottie Scheffler came in after he won the Masters was pretty memorable. That\u2019s right, I said the day after. <\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">I wasn\u2019t even there, but I opened that Monday. It was nuts how many radio stations and news stations called asking questions and how many people came in wanting to drink what he drank and take a picture where he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Scottie, if you\u2019re reading this, I\u2019m always pulling for you, brother, and when you win the next Masters, I\u2019ll have some Blanton\u2019s waiting on you. Cheers. <\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">If someone only had one visit, what would you tell them to order?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Well, without a doubt, it\u2019s a rite of passage at the Tavern to have at least one JELL-O shot for your first visit, and I would strongly encourage ordering any beverage made in our iconic red Solo cup because we have a great pour, and it\u2019s what we are known for. We also have several other options; many people are surprised to find out that we have good wine and lots of local beers as well. But if you\u2019re coming to the Inwood Tavern to get the full experience, you have to get yourself at the very least a JELL-O shot and a nice strong drink of your choice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">What\u2019s an underrated menu item people should know about?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Some underrated cocktails would be the root beer shot. That one is definitely a sleeper. For something sweet that\u2019s not a white tea, try the strawberry lemonade shot; it\u2019s dangerous.\u00a0 We also have Mal\u00f6rt for any weirdos out there who like the taste of gasoline and rubber bands. Most people don\u2019t know this, but we have the best Lay\u2019s potato chips in all of Dallas. There is literally no competition.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-96868 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/640-300x258.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"258\"  \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Is there a drink trend you\u2019re loving or one you\u2019re ready to see disappear? <\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">I don\u2019t have anything against Guinness, but I can\u2019t say I\u2019m a fan of splitting the \u201cG.\u201d Why are we chugging Guinness, guys? Gross. On the other hand, I am a big fan of how popular non-carbonated seltzers like Sun Cruiser iced tea have become, and I also like how many nonalcoholic beverages have become popular, so that way people who don\u2019t or can\u2019t drink can still come and enjoy a beverage that\u2019s not a soda water and have fun with everyone. I think it\u2019s great for the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How would you describe the vibe of Inwood Tavern? The vibe can only be described as laid-back and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[4262,102,104,103,32504,140412,8980,140413],"class_list":["post-399984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-bars","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-inwood","tag-inwood-tavern","tag-preston-hollow","tag-preston-hollow-bars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}