Focus on Pietro Giunta

Pietro Giunta was born in Brescia in 1991 and lives in Franciacorta. I came across a great post he wrote, and I’d like to share it here.

Pietro title.jpg — Pietro Giunta, born in Brescia in 1991 lives in Franciacorta, the famous winemaking area between Brescia and Verona. I “discovered” him after reading a post that has really taken off on social media.
**Note to women: It was written by a dude, so that is how I kept it. The women in the hospitality community can relate to it just as well. It really moved me.**
**I wanted the world to read it in English, so here it is.**

Do you know why people who work in hospitality don't want to give up?

You see... this is a job you start early, really doing it.

From our early teens, we got used to working on weekends, during the holidays, whenever there is a time of celebration and sharing.

We were always the ones who say, "Sorry, I have to work".

Dinner with friends, pizza with your old high school friends, Christmas lunch with the family: "I'm sorry, I can’t be there, I have to work!"

The girl we ask out for a beer: "See you Monday night?" "Let's do Saturday." "Sorry, I have to work."

Holidays with friends... “Let’s all go to Ibiza together to party, dance and have fun”... but fuck, of course it’s planned for August and, as usual, we say "I'm sorry guys... I have to work".

We are the ones who consume 99% of our social life in the workplace, because when we are free, everyone else is at work.

We are the ones who, if we want to ride our motorcycle, we do it alone, we go to the gym alone, we can't go to soccer practice in the evening. We have dinner with our wife only on Mondays or Tuesdays, in those few restaurants that are open and allow us to fulfil our role as a husband, boyfriend, son… as a social animal.

We are the ones who eat standing up, who eat in a hurry, who eat cold stuff because as soon as we start eating, there is always something to do, and quickly.

We are the ones who, even if it's a shitty day, have to smile. We were taught this on our first day on the job, "leave your problems at home, don't take them to the bar"... who hasn’t heard this sentence before?

We are the ones who believe that taking care of the customer is everything. It is an art form, it is what we know how to do. Because, think about it, if people come to your place, it is because of what you can give them... in addition to the food, in addition to the drinks. Turn off Masterchef for a minute. I firmly believe that if I started serving kebab and Ceres beer tomorrow, my regular customers would still keep coming.

We are used to sacrificing, we are used to working endless shifts, we are used to skipping meals and staying up late at night, we are used to always smiling, to not giving up, we don’t throw in the towel. We are used to listening, to having patience.

We are used to spending a lot of energy in our work, almost all of it. And you know the crazy thing?

We like it.

We couldn't do anything else.

We are depraved masochists who love all of this.

We fucking love it.

We want to work late, we want to eat standing up, we want to listen to the customers, we want to laugh and joke when the tables clear after 10 hours of work.

We like it.

We are our job.

We will try not to give up, even if the “aid” is ridiculous and we are left to fend for ourselves.

We really are doing everything we can to keep going... but we are tired of this forced downtime.

Let us work.

Let us work, and if you think this is too much to ask, maybe it is because you have no idea how much time, how much effort, how many dreams, how much tenacity there is behind our work.

Article 1 of the Italian Constitution:

Italy is a democratic republic, founded on work.

Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution.

....AMEN.....

Pietro, where did you get your start in the bar business?

I started as a waiter in a restaurant when I was just 15 years old. At 19 my first job behind a bar was at Green Pepper in the town of Iseo, where I met my great friend Diego Modina who is 14 years older than me.

What was the reason you decided to stay in this business?

It is thanks to Diego, who showed me some tricks of the trade and pushed me to study my craft. This sparked my passion for the hospitality industry.

Where do you work now? I am a partner with Diego at the Wrangler Bros Pub in Iseo that we started in 2017. Here, we take an approach to food and mixed drinks that work together, using new techniques based on classic fundamentals. This is a place where our customers feel right at home.

Besides Diego, who do you look up to?

Francesco Delfino is a good friend who works at Henson’s Bar in London and was part of the staff at Jerry Thomas in Rome for a while. I like to bounce ideas off him and get advice. I spoke to him about coming to do a special event at our bar and introduce some of his signature drinks once we reopen and he has agreed. It will be great to work with Francesco behind our bar!

What propelled you to write your post?

When I have some free time, I like to put my ideas into words and share with my friends and colleagues. This post just sums up my feelings at the moment. It’s not meant to be a political commentary or a start of a debate. It’s just one guy sharing his feelings and putting them out there.

Now that you have more time to dedicate to your family, how does that feel?

Like my post says, I was always used to saying no to everybody, it’s kind of strange actually. It was amazing to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with my family for once, and I have been enjoying taking care of our dogs and chopping wood outside. I spent some time taking in nature and the silence; it was good to calm my nerves. But now I’m ready to get back to some rock and roll behind the bar.

What did you think when you saw all those reposts?

It was very surprising and also pretty cool, there was even an article on my post in Bargiornale! I’m pretty sure Dario Comini had something to do with it. I remember visiting Nottingham Forest (bar in Milan) and it changed the way I thought about the world of mixology. When Comini reposted, things went crazy. WOW!

Pietro speaks English, so feel free to drop him a line!

Wrangler Bros Pub facebook page

Wrangler Bros Instagram

Pietro’s Facebook

Pietro’s Instagram