Nick Brandreth

Position »

RITz Sports Zone Bartender

Reason for Nomination »

Always willing to lend an ear or offer a kind word of advice, he is hands down the students’ favorite bartender on campus.

Do you like being a bartender?
Well, I like working at RIT...bar tending is secondary. I enjoy the company of the kids. I see them when they come in as freshmen and I see them when they’re seniors.

What is your favorite event held at the RITz so far?
It’s so hard to answer, there are so many... I don’t know.

Do you have a top five?
I like our “Zone Hour” on Thursdays from four to six, where we watch movies on the big screen.

Anything random or crazy happen while you’ve been working here?
No, except on Senior Nights. They come through and take things off the wall. Last year, a jersey was taken from behind the bar, and the hockey jersey was taken from the wall.

What is your favorite beer?
Heineken.

Heineken?
Yeah, I’m a Heineken drinker.

And what is your favorite sport?
Track and field.

Track and field?
Yeah. As a matter of fact, I used to do track in the ‘70s. I still have the track record for high jump here. (Editor’s Note: Barkley’s high jump record is six feet eight inches, or 2.03 meters).

When did you go here?
From ’75-’79...a long, long time ago.

Do you have a favorite sports team?
As far as football, the Giants; baseball, the Yankees; basketball, the Lakers!

So you go all New York and then you go L.A.
Kobe. It’s a Kobe thing.

What is your most embarrassing moment at the bar?
When I got flashed for Mardi Gras.

When was this?
February of this past year.

Wow.
Yeah, [it was] for the beads. I had a couple of girls come in and flash — you know because I had beads back there. So they flashed and they got their beads.

Why do you think you’re so popular here?
Because I communicate with the kids. I ask them how their classes are going, and if they need help with anything, I steer them in the right direction...[If I know] someone in the same major who’s a 4.0 student or a 3.5 or whatever, I’m like, “Here’s someone who can help you.”

And what do you think makes you popular?
Friendliness... umm, but I don’t know. I treat them with respect, you know? I ask them things, and I show interest in them. In the first year they’re on the brink, and then you go from there. They’re good kids.