MEET THE OWNER, Matthew Spone

In 2001, I made the decision to leave the snowy winters of the Chicago, Illinois for sunny San Diego, California. Upon arrival I got my first bartending job in a family restaurant on Sports Arena Blvd. in Point Loma.

In 2007, I made the decision to move to Las Vegas, NV and took an hourly job with the Cheesecake Factory in Cesar’s Palace which eventually lead me to my salaried position as Bar Manager. I learned so many valuable lessons from customer service to business management with this company. It has been my greatest work experience. However, as a manager, I missed my true passion of being behind the bar, interacting with customers, and making cocktails.

In 2013, I made the career choice to leave corporate management behind. I took a job as bartender and assistant manager with QuadZ Las Vegas, a private owned bar/nightclub in the heart of the Las Vegas gay district. This position was great for someone with an entrepreneurial mind set, as you were given a platform to serve your guests, however building a customer base to come in on your shifts was up to you. Through marketing, social media, and self-promotion, I increased sales, not only on my bartending shifts, but across the board leading to my promotion to Assistant Manager.

When the opportunity arose for a General Manager position with Badlands Saloon I gladly accepted. Beyond my responsibilities of all daily management functions, I was also working several bartending shifts a week. Following the same marking plan used with QuadZ, I successfully increased bar sales again. When the owner sold the bar to enter retirement, I knew it was also time for a change.

Throughout all this time, I had always dreamed of owning my own bar. And finally in 2018, I chose to return to San Diego to open my mobile bartending/ mobile mixology service because this city has always felt like home over Las Vegas.

UPDATE 2/2022:

Due to the coronavirus, all business plans had been on hold. I have been working at Urban Mo’s Bar & Grill for close to three years, I am hoping this spring/summer (2022) will be the right time to rededicate myself to this venture.