Dancing on bars and raising spirits: meet this outstanding bar manager
HereisOregon.com - December 4, 2023 - In the heart of Portland’s Old Town is one of the neighborhood's most thriving businesses, Dixie Tavern. Opened in 2005, Dixie Tavern is a place that prides itself on welcoming everyone and encourages patrons to experience their rock-n-roll nights and country themed line dancing. The draw for many is their Dixie Dolls evening, a coyote-ugly style show that brings its servers and performers up on top of the bar to raise spirits and pour drinks. Leading the charge for many of Dixie Tavern’s entertainment endeavors is Crystal Brenneman, a manager for the tavern who was recently named Team Leader of the Year by Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA).
The fast-paced environment is not for the faint of heart. Crystal is known for expertly navigating hard-to-handle customers, split-second decision-making and very late nights. For Crystal’s team members, the guiding principle that leads to surviving and thriving at the Dixie Tavern is her positive attitude.
“She’s always smiling, she’s always friendly, she’s always upbeat. If she thinks there’s a problem, she handles it professionally. She’s just a great manager, all the way around,” said fellow General Manager Jason Row when reflecting on why he thought Crystal received the award. Crystal began working at Dixie Tavern in 2012. Before she was employed by the bar, she was a patron, visiting with friends during one of the bar’s coveted Dixie Doll performances.
When thinking back to the first time Crystal walked into Dixie Tavern she shared, “The energy and attitude that they delivered was nothing like I had ever seen before! After watching them perform, I told my friend ‘I am going to get a job here and do that!’” Now, more than ten years later, Crystal is a manager — a responsibility she does not take lightly. “We are exhausted in every which way a human can be at the end of a busy shift, and yet we return to do it all over again the next day! With how much work it is, it is also so much fun, rewarding and I'll say addicting! We literally bleed, sweat, and tear up at times together. From the nature of our business, it made us resilient. The Dixie Crew is definitely a big family,” she noted. Crystal has held every position at Dixie Tavern, from collecting cover charges at the door and cocktail waitressing to learning the ropes of bar maintenance.
She is referred to as “the backbone of Dixie” and enjoys the title of being the unofficial ambassador of the establishment. One effort she’s especially proud of is cultivating an environment where everyone feels invited and supported, by staff and patrons alike. Her unyielding support of her coworkers helped her gain the title of Team Leader of the Year. Beyond the barroom doors, she likes to extend what she can offer to the community through a series of non-profit partnerships geared towards raising visibility and funds for a variety of causes.
Dixie Tavern has partnered with The Cupcake Girls, The Pink Lemonade Project, Oasis Advocacy and Shelter, UKANDU and more. Her team deeply appreciates Dixie’s ability to use her platform —quite literally a bar top at times — to inspire people with compassion and lead with care. She notes that all Jello-shot proceeds and BottleDrop reimbursements go to community partners and customers can donate through the QR code displayed on Dixie Tavern’s TVs.
When asked why Crystal believes she won the Team Leader of the Year award, she noted that she loves checking in on her coworkers each shift. “I let them know that I am here and in their corner, and will do whatever I have to do to support them and make their job easier goes a long way,” she said.
About Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) ORLA is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon. A not-for-profit trade organization, ORLA represents over 3,000 member units and advocates for over 10,000 foodservice locations and over 2,400 lodging establishments in Oregon. The hospitality industry is the second largest business sector behind healthcare. In 2022, our industry provided over 197,000 jobs to working Oregonians and brought in over $10.9 billion in annual sales for Oregon.