The Speakeasy: "Who Pulls a Better Budweiser Than Me?" with Robby Dow

Date: April 11, 2026
Hosts: Damon Boelte, Greg Benson
Guest: Robby Dow (Owner & Beverage Director, Bespoke, Wilmington NC)

Episode Overview

This episode welcomes Robby Dow, formerly of Brooklyn’s Grand Army and now owner of Bespoke in Wilmington, North Carolina. The hosts and Robby discuss the unique challenges and joys of creating a welcoming, multi-concept bar that serves as a coffee shop by day, and a cocktail-forward neighborhood spot by night—one that’s equally passionate about the coldest Budweisers as it is robust Amaro and draft cocktails. Robby shares his journey, design philosophy, approach to training staff, and strategies for melding European and American drinking culture in a small Southern city.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life, Gasoline, and a New SUV

• Damon returns from a break, discussing a new, rather expensive diesel SUV and the reality of $9/gallon gas in California, setting a conversational, down-to-earth tone.
• Greg brings levity with an anecdote about a Verona, Italy restaurant incentivizing guests to lock their phones away for a free bottle of wine.
  • Quote: “It creates that nice Pavlovian association between saying goodbye to your phone for the next two hours and getting this wonderful free thing.”
  • [01:42] Greg Benson

On Tech-Free & Hybrid Spaces

• Robby introduces Bespoke’s 'no screens after 6pm' policy, keeping the transition from all-day laptop café to ‘dark, sexy bar vibes’ fluid and intentional.
  • Quote: “We do have that as like a policy so that people don’t [stay glued to their screens into the night].”
  • [06:10] Robby Dow

What Makes a “Perfect Bar”?

• Damon raves about visiting Bespoke:
  • Warm, inviting, ergonomically thoughtful, details-focused.
  • Passion for Amari, vintage spirits, and seamless transitions—hidden infrastructure, comfort, and honest, inviting architecture.
  • Quote: “Everything’s fit perfectly. There’s no room to trap anything behind. It’s just great. Amari and Aperitivo focused. All the things I like done to perfection in one space.”
  • [09:44] Damon Bolte

Bespoke’s Bar Design & Philosophy

• Robby details the painstaking ergonomic design, especially for staff comfort and workflow (e.g., dremeled-in rails, equipment placements).
• Inspiration from both Crunkleton and Grand Army—open, breezy neighborhood spots, not hidden speakeasies.
• The intent: approachable neighborhood joint with high attention to detail.
  • Quote: “The details of the space are really special. But it’s…meant to very much be an approachable neighborhood joint, neighborhood watering hole.”
  • [11:37] Robby Dow

The American Bar, All-Day Culture, and the Coldest Beer

• Bespoke brings together Italian bitter traditions with American bar culture—a space for a Spritz or a frost-lipped Budweiser with equal gusto.
  • Frozen glassware, glycol beer lines (Bud at 31°F), draft cocktails, true all-day neighborhood café/bar hybrid.
  • Quote: “We’re very much a cocktail bar, and we’re really serious, but we sell a bunch of really, really cold Budweiser that when you get it, there’s a little [frost] on the top.”
  • [17:43] Robby Dow
• Greg highlights the multitudes guests want: serious Amaro followed by a High Life or Budweiser—a sign of drinking culture’s evolution.
  • Quote: “It’s possible to want, in one breath, this extremely esoteric, very flavorful, very regional Amaro. And in the next breath be like, all right, it’s Corona time.”
  • [20:49] Greg Benson

The Day-to-Night Business Model—Why It’s Hard, How Bespoke Succeeds

• Many try, few succeed at blending coffee and cocktails; Robby attributes failures to lack of dual expertise.

• Bespoke inherited a coffee shop legacy—leverages skilled baristas as well as a serious bar program.

  • Home of the “7am Negroni”—open for business with both espresso and cocktails from dawn.
  • Quote: “We're home of the 7am Negroni…I don't think many places…our current earliest one is 7:28am.”
  • [25:00] Robby Dow

• Staff cross-train: bartenders learn coffee and vice versa, creating inclusivity for non-drinkers and offering robust experiences regardless of time of day or guest’s drinking preferences.

  • “We're not like, oh, coffee during the day, cocktails at night. It's like, no, we have coffee and cocktails during the day…and at night.”
  • [27:08] Robby Dow

Wilmington, NC: A Bar Town with Personality

• Robby chose Wilmington for surf, lifestyle, and opportunity after New York—relaxed, approachable local clientele.
• Bespoke is substantially more laid back than NY bitter bars like Dante or Pisolino—aims for authentic neighborhood feel, but does not compromise on quality.

The Rise of Bitter & Aperitif Culture Beyond the Big Cities

• Robby sees “bitter” (Amaro, Negroni, Spritz) as thoroughly mainstream now—even in a small city, guests order complex drinks with gusto, and many opt for Amaro-centric beer-and-shot combos.
  • “Once people get, you know, having a Negroni for the first time, and they're like, that's wild…before you know it that's their drink.”
  • [37:48] Robby Dow

Mentorship, Training, and Service Philosophy

• Robby is present behind the bar, setting standards for efficiency, cleanliness, guest interaction.
• Efficient bar service—no table servers, all bartender interaction.
• Intensive on-the-job mentorship: round-building strategy, perfect cold drinks, tool diligence ("if the building is burning, tools go back first!").
  • Quote: “We have very firm rules, we have a bunch of documents…But a lot of my connection with staff…is just on the clock and working beside them.”
  • [41:33] Robby Dow
  • “Bar service is a dying art…it’s a really cool thing when you can command a bar and you’re getting your, you know, you’re getting your butt kicked in a full room and you’re crushing it because you have all these things dialed in.”
  • [44:16] Robby Dow

Wilmington Recs—Where Robby Drinks

• Favorite spot: The Rusty Nail, a blues-drenched, old-school dive since the ‘40s/‘50s:
  • Quote: “It is also like, you know, divey dive, you know, super old, eclectic pictures of old, like scrappy pictures of B.B. king on the wall. Like, I mean, it's very cool, very cool and old and weird, but like just so, so authentically itself.”
  • [45:47] Robby Dow

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Details:
  • Damon Bolte: “Your actual physical space ends up being kind of like your most important business partner.” [13:21]
• On Guest Experience:
  • Robby Dow: “You can’t really teach [great guest interaction]. So having the right people that can handle volume and still do that…more now than ever…it is a people business.” [39:12]
• Fun:
  • On Staff Culture: “If the building is burning and we've got to get out…tools have to go back first, and then you can leave.” [41:33]
• Chill Vibes:
  • Damon Bolte: “You seem very happy and chill, and it’s showing in the fact that you’ve put out this great product and had the time to actually focus on a lot of the smaller details.” [44:16]

Important Timestamps

• 01:42 – The phone-in-a-box & tech-free incentives
• 06:10 – Bespoke’s no-screens after 6pm policy
• 09:44 – Damon’s "perfect bar" review of Bespoke
• 14:55 – Building Bespoke’s identity ("the coldest beer in town")
• 17:43 – “Frosty mug” Budweiser at Bespoke
• 20:49 – Highbrow/lowbrow, multitudes in drinking
• 25:00 – On launching a hybrid café/bar; 7am Negroni
• 27:08 – Cross-training staff; inclusivity for non-drinkers
• 33:43 – How the Italian bitter trend has gone mainstream
• 39:12 – Robby on training staff and mentorship philosophy
• 45:47 – Where Robby drinks in Wilmington: The Rusty Nail

Where to Find More

• Robby Dow IG: @thevodkaartist
• Bespoke IG: @bespokenc

Summary:
This episode explores in detail what makes a bar concept thrive, from the unseen ergonomic and operational details to the guest experience, with Robby Dow providing insights into how Bespoke achieves its seamless day-to-night transition and blends global and regional bar culture—all while never neglecting the importance of a perfectly frosty Budweiser.