Up next in our series of columns by World Class GB Top 10 bartenders, David Riera urges the industry to remember the real reason for repeat custom - and it's not the drinks. 

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But I sometimes wonder if we’re forgetting the one thing that matters most: hospitality

Early in my career, I worked at one of New York City’s famous cocktail bars. Like many young bartenders, I was fascinated by the drinks. Every cocktail was perfectly balanced, every detail carefully considered. I assumed that’s why guests kept coming back.

One evening, I asked a couple who were regulars why they chose this bar over all the others in the city.

I expected them to mention the cocktails. Instead, they simply said: “The people.”

They explained that every visit felt like coming home. The team remembered their names, knew what they liked to drink, welcomed them with genuine warmth and made them feel like they belonged.

That conversation changed the way I looked at hospitality. Years later, I saw the opposite happen in London.

There was a cocktail bar where the hospitality industry gathered after work. It wasn’t just the drinks that made it special. It was the people behind the bar. They created an atmosphere that made everyone feel comfortable, whether you were a bartender finishing a shift or a guest visiting for the first time.

Over time, those bartenders moved on. The menu stayed the same. The interior stayed the same. The cocktails were still excellent. But the feeling had disappeared.

That’s when I realised something that has stayed with me ever since.

A bar doesn’t make the people. The people make the bar. I experienced this from the other side while working at an underrated cocktail bar in London. It had a fabulous concept, a creative menu and well-made classics. But something was missing.

We did not have many regulars, and few people from the hospitality community knew about us. Slowly, however, we began to create something special. We built relationships with our guests. We developed a community of regulars. We connected with more people in the industry, and travellers from other parts of the world began to visit us.

Through consistent hard work and genuine hospitality, people started talking about the bar, even in other countries.

Some of our regulars would tell us, “If you ever leave this bar, we will follow you wherever you go. You are the bar.” That meant more than any award.

Today, our industry is obsessed with innovation. We’re chasing the next technique, the next viral serve, the next piece of equipment, the next place on prestigious lists.

There’s nothing wrong with that. Innovation is essential. Education makes us better. Creativity keeps our industry moving forward. But none of it replaces genuine hospitality.

Sometimes, I see bartenders forget to smile, say hello or acknowledge the person standing in front of them. At times, it feels as though we are becoming machines.

Of course, hospitality work is difficult. The shifts are long. We miss birthdays, celebrations and important moments with the people we love. The pressure is high, and exhaustion is real. But hospitality must remain our priority.

Innovation, education, technique and ambition are all valuable. We should continue pushing them, but we need to find balance. People don’t walk into bars looking only for great cocktails and without guests, our creativity has no audience. A beautiful cocktail may impress someone for a few minutes. Genuine hospitality can stay with them for years. People come back for people.