What do you get when pickleball ratings make no sense, sandbagging gets a spotlight, and a restaurant entrepreneur turns out to be a beast on the court? You get an episode that’s part strategy session, part cocktail hour, and a whole lot of real talk.

This week, the pickleball provocateur, Andrew Kole, returns with the kind of hot takes only he can deliver, questioning DUPR math, calling out tournament trickery, and unpacking why your 4.0 rating might only count in your zip code. It’s spicy, it’s chaotic, and it might just change how you play rec.

Then we meet Brenton Phillips of Written by the Seasons, who’s serving up cold-pressed cocktails, thoughtful business partnerships, and the kind of communication strategies that work whether you’re running a restaurant or hitting a drop shot. He talks about how he and his wife keep it cool on the court (most of the time), what pickleball taught him about energy and awareness, and why calling a timeout mid-game can feel a lot like defusing a tense dinner service.

We talk about:

Why ratings systems feel made up (because…they kinda are)
How to manage egos, emotions, and court chaos
The grind behind building a restaurant brand with soul
And what happens when you and your spouse run a business and share a kitchen (in both senses of the word)

Grab a glass, hit play, and let’s get into it.

Cheers,

Casie & Lauren
Dinks on Tap

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