CentrAL INC! | Central Alabama Business Journal Nov/Dec 2023 | Page 51

How did you start in the food and beverage business ? Working in bars in college . I loved
the work hours and the people I worked with and met . Plus , the aspects of the business side were interesting to me . After college , I left bartending for a more career-oriented path that led to developing bar programs and getting into operations .
What does your day-to-day running 23 Court look like ? It ’ s different every day , but it ’ s
developing events , handling the finances , staying on top of orders and deliveries , meeting with vendors and making sure the bar is stocked with all we need to meet guests ’ needs . Some days I still bar tend , and those are long days , but I love what I do .
What is the biggest challenge you and the business have faced in the last year ?
We opened at the tail end of COVID-19 restrictions , so there was a hurdle to get people back out in the world . Supply chain issues were problematic in the beginning too , and we ’ re still dealing with some of that even now .
How would you rate Montgomery ’ s current culinary and bar scene ? As a whole , the scene
is good , but there is potential for it to be even better . We have to get people in Montgomery to realize that it is not this giant city ; you can go from out east to downtown and vice versa , and to see the city grow , we need to support the whole city . Right now , downtown has a great mix of restaurants and bars with lots of options . We ’ re not all trying to be or do the same thing , and that ’ s great for customers .
Continued on page 52
CentrAL Inc ! 51