Meet Seth Cordell and Lauren Williams! Seth and Lauren are bartenders at Downtown Drafts on the square. The craft beer bar and growler store is owned by Nick and Amy Hoecker.
Lauren said she has been hanging out on the square since she was 16, worked at Atlas Pizza for five years and has now been at Downtown Drafts for the last two.
She said her favorite part about working on the square is meeting new people.
Seth, has been a fulltime bartender at Downtown Drafts for two years and loves the service industry.
“This is my first service industry job…I’ve done everything from building docks to working in warehouses but I wanted to do something to interact with people and serve beer and learn more about beer,” he said.
When Seth isn’t working, he plays in a band named Virgil, who will play a show at Mule Camp Tavern (just off the downtown Gainesville square) on May 5.
We want to thank Seth and Lauren for spending some time with us recently to tell us about their lives and love of Hall County.
Question: What do you love about being a bartender?
Answer: Lauren: “I love all the people I get to meet, from all walks of life, we are one of the only places like this on the square and we get lots of travelers and locals.”
Seth: “The community is cool, my band is here…another bartender left about two years ago and I came in and told them they should hire me. I’ve learned so much about beer and I think I’m going to stay in that industry…I’ve gotten to taste beers that many people won’t get to try. It’s awesome to sample new things and I’ve decided this is my career path.”
Q: What is your specialty?
A: Lauren: “I’m well versed in our beers and I make all the sangrias and all the wine ordering. I know my wine more so than beer.”
Seth: “My specialty here is making people laugh at stupid jokes and keeping people smiling.”
Q: Do you have a favorite bartender or bar in Hall County?
A: Lauren: “That’s such a hard question…my favorite bar is Recess for sure. Eric Baehr and Dorcy Danielson. Eric works at Recess and Dorcy works at Mule Camp.”
Seth: “I agree with her, Eric Baehr and Dorcy. I love them.”
Q: What is your favorite memory from being a bartender?
A: Lauren: “I have so many wonderful memories here…Nick and Amy really make sure we are not only happy at work but happy in our personal lives.
“I was barely 22 when I started working her and they promoted me to manager, I never had an employer put their faith in me being that young…they’ve made me feel appreciated and it makes me work harder.”
Seth: “That is a hard question, they do birthdays really well here.”
Q: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
A: Lauren: “I go to a lot of shows, of the metal variety. I hike a lot. I go to breweries. I do jiu jitsu. I’ve only been doing it for a month and a half but I’m really into it.”
Seth: “I’m trying to write music for Virgil, I like hiking but not as much as I’d like. Camping, breweries. I like being at home and hanging out.”
Q: What is your favorite part about Hall County?
A: Lauren: “I’d have to say the square in general, I was born and raised here…the sense of community on the square, it’s like a family. I didn’t realize that until I started working here.”
Seth: “When I first moved here and I started hanging out on the square and people were very accepting. We are close to the mountains….two hour drive and I’m out. I’ve made lots of great friends here.”
