It’s all a matter of timing and fate. When he turned 21 years old, Mark Childers got a second job as a barback to earn some extra money. One night while on the job at the Charlotte, N.C., sports bar he worked at, he was sort of thrown into the bartender position. He’s never looked back. He worked as a bartender and manager in Charlotte for about a decade, then in 2014 he sent his resume to Tao Group for a position he thought was in New York.
“As fate would have it, it was actually for a job at Lavo in Las Vegas,” he says. “So I got the chance to actually move out to the city that I had fallen in love with long ago.” Early on in his career, Childers visited Vegas many times. “I saw the mecca and I saw it right as I was getting into the industry, so I always had a love for Las Vegas,” he says.
Childers moved here for the job at Lavo at The Palazzo, where he spent five years. Today, you can find him at Kassi Beach House at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, where he helps run the joint as the assistant general manager. “Kassi—it’s like experiencing a beach house party on the Mediterranean coast,” Childers says. “Beach house vibes with great Italian cuisine.”
As one of the managers, Childers says, jokingly, “My job is to make the GM look good. But seriously, it’s about meeting new people and taking care of them. I know that sounds cliché, but if you don’t enjoy people, you’re in the wrong industry.
“To be a good manager you have to be patient, self-driven, self-motivated,” he added. “My biggest fear is succumbing to mediocrity. You must have that drive, that passion, that competitive spirit and be better than you were the day before. That fuses with my love and passion for the hospitality industry that has made it a symbiotic relationship. I’m a big believer that if you love what you do, then you never work a day in your life.”
Libation: The Kassi
It’s a choose-your-own-booze cocktail! Order The Kassi, a popular specialty cocktail, and choose what spirit to mix in: gin, vodka, rum or tequila. This writer had it with vodka, and man, was it good! It’s then mixed with made-in-house watermelon syrup and a Calabrian chili tincture, also made in-house, and lime juice. The glass is then rimmed with a housemade watermelon Tajin. The cocktail is both sweet and spicy, and is simply delicious (you’re going to want a second round). The menu also offers slushies, draft cocktails and sangrias.
Benefit: Every Wednesday at 9 p.m. join the Kassi House Party and get 50% off pastas and featured cocktails.
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