Today we’d like to introduce you to PJ Dortone.
Hi PJ, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In childhood I used to mix different flavored sodas together and my grandparents house during sunday dinner and hand out to all of my cousins. I went on to work in restaurants and bars in college to pay my way through at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
I had a friend call me to do her uncles party when he was hosting for The U.S Open Golf Outting at Merion in 2013 and had a blast doing it. I made a lot of connects at that party. I ended up bartending a wedding for a friend of someone I met at the party, got in with a wedding venue, and then started to grow. The following year I started hiring in people I used to bartend with at restaurants I worked in the past. We now of 80 professional bartenders and cover 9 states and are a household name in the Philadelphia Tri-state area.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Anybody that tells you running a business is a smooth road is either lying to you or not a real business owner. The issues with a growing business go from being a master of your craft and sales to coaching your team to be at your level. I have been blessed with great people over these 13 years in business, but there were plenty of bartenders we tried out along the way that did not work out. COVID also created lots of wannabe knock off companies that have come and gone but created small speed bumps along the way to our company growth. The struggles have made us a stronger business as we’ve had to grow larger to push out the start-up companies that came after us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PJ Bartending LLC?
We are the original mobile bartending business PJ Bartending LLC (TM). Established in 2013 we now have over 80 professional bartenders in staff and cover 9 states. We specialize in bartending weddings but are also very well known for our house parties, theme parties, tailgates, fundraisers and office parties. We have a sister company The Mobile Bar Trailer (TM) which features a 6 by 12 Trailer Bar that we bring to larger events. A social media web show called The Philly Bartender, and a trademarked slogan “Hire a bartender, not a pre-tender”. We offer a full service bartending experience for clients and guests, and were the first of our kind in this area before it became trendy. 13 years in business.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Grace under pressure and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pjbartending.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/PJBartending
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/pjbartending
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pj-bartending-llc
- Other: https://www.phillybartender.com
