Inspiring Conversations with Brandon Bramhall of Attaboy Nashville/Lakeside Lounge

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Bramhall.

Brandon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got my start in hospitality back in 2009 in New York. Like many, I was in college and needed a flexible part-time job. I lucked into a busboy position with no experience at one of the restaurants in the Ace Hotel in Manhattan run by a Michelin starred chef. Definitely a good spot to learn the fundamentals of service. A year in, they opened a second venue where they brought in Sasha Petraske(of NY’s Milk & Honey) to consult on the cocktail side of things, I was able to slide over to work there, training with him. This experience completely changed my perception of cocktails, as well as hospitality and really motivated me to pursuit bartending not just as a job but as a career.

I left that restaurant group at the end of 2011 but maintained a good relationship with Sasha, years later we would reconnect after I had worked in some other bars, neighborhood spots, hotel bars, etc. I would work for him again when he moved Milk & Honey. This also got me looped in with two of his long-time bartenders, Michael McIlroy and Samuel Ross who opened up the NY location of Attaboy in the old Milk & Honey space when Sasha vacated it in 2013. They asked me to split time with them there and that laid the foundation for us ending up in Nashville.

I took a road trip in 2014 with two good friends of mine and Nashville happened to be one of the stops for a few nights. I had such a life-altering good time eating, drinking, and seeing the city I left wanting more. So I began casually coming down to hang out a few times in the next 12 months and then the idea to possibly do a bar down here got some legs. Sam, Michael and myself decided to do it together and we lucked into finding our space through a chance meeting with two strangers who ended up connecting us with our new landlords. I left New York in September of 2016 and we got Attaboy opened in July of 2017.

In late 2018, an opportunity to take on the dive bar space right next door(Edgefield Sports Bar & Grill) came up through our landlords and we were able to do some rehab on the space, putting our own twist on the neighborhood/dive/sports bar in November of 2019, changing the name to Lakeside Lounge.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been filled with bumps, diversions, and plenty of challenges. As an operator, I have definitely learned so much in the way of adjusting to neighborhood/patron wants and needs, leading a staff while keeping them focused and motivated, as well as all the financial/business stuff that comes along with running a bar in a new state/city.

I would say for the most part, we’ve been pretty fortunate on how great of a staff we’ve had over the years at both bars, great customers and support from the industry and our colleagues. It certainly is a business where everyday is new, there is constant troubleshooting and you have to remain engaged at all times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Beats a 9-5 desk job!

The pandemic certainly was difficult for everyone, and learning to get creative to stay afloat, adjust to restrictions and safety protocol was tricky at times, but we’re all very adaptable creatures as humans, we got through it.

Our largest obstacle came in March of 2020 right as the pandemic was becoming a reality in the states, Nashville was hit hard by an F3 tornado that ripped through parts of Germantown, East Nashville and beyond. Lakeside had some HVAC/Roof damage but was largely okay. Attaboy sustained significant damage to the roof as well as tragically losing two of our staff members. The aftermath of that has been a tremendous challenge on many levels, but we stuck together as a crew, supported each other and were able to rebuild over a 7-8 month period, finally reopening in late October of this year.

As you know, we’re big fans of Attaboy Nashville/Lakeside Lounge. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Attaboy Nashville is a small, 50 seat bar specializing in classic cocktails. Attaboy as a “brand” if you will has been a staple in the cocktail industry since 2013, with our roots extending as far back as the early 2000’s, at what many would consider the genesis of the cocktail revival in NY that began around 2004/2005. We have been nominated in Nashville in the top 4 for Best New American Cocktail Bar in 2018 at the Tales of The Cocktail Annual Award Ceremony. Our New York location has won Best American Cocktail Bar and frequently been listed in the top 10 of the 50 Best Bars in the World.

We have no menu and take all of our orders through conversation with the guests by having them describe their likes/dislikes. Citrus is juiced to order, all ice is large format and all glassware is frozen to execute what we think is the best possible cocktail we can create. We focus on simplicity and the classics. Above all, our focus is to always provide an elevated, special experience with each guest that walks in the door.

I am the most proud of the transformative experiences our staff deliver night in and night out. That consistency is so crucial. We like to be place not just for special occasions, but where you can have an excellent cocktail every night of the week from 5pm-3am.

What were you like growing up?
I had a pretty standard childhood spending most of it growing up in a rural suburban area of Northwest New Jersey. We did a few years in Upstate New York as well. My hometown in NJ was pretty close to everything but still was a small town. Small enough, we got bussed a town over for High School. Did the run of the mill kid stuff with my older brother, played sports, football, baseball, we had a river in our backyard so we’d fish and swim in the summer. Parents both worked blue collar jobs which I learned a ton from watching their work ethic. Was pretty shy until my teenage years but even then I would not say I was ever a social butterfly.

I got into skateboarding(still doing it 20 years later!) and movies in high school and that was kind of all I did from Freshman year of high school onward. Quit baseball/football and didn’t participate too much in the regular high school activities, both athletic or social. By 17, I was very interested in moving to New York for all it had to offer culturally.

Ironically, I was a super picky eater growing up and didn’t drink alcohol until a month before my 21st birthday, so it’s pretty strange I ended up working in this business. Especially those years working for Chef April Bloomfield, where most of her food I wouldn’t have touched as a kid.

Pricing:

• $15 Cocktails at Attaboy
• Lakeside Pricing scales from $3 beers to high end spirits. Food is all in that $5-$14 range

Contact Info:

• Email: attaboynashville@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.lakesideloungebna.com/ for Lakeside Lounge attaboy.us for Attaboy (both locations)
• Instagram: instagram.com/attaboynashville instagram.com/lakesideloungebna

Image Credits
Danielle Atkins