Good Lion Hospitality Roars Through the 10-Year Mark

Good Lion Hospitality Roars
Through the 10-Year Mark

With Unique Outposts in
Santa Barbara, Ventura, and S.L.O., and a
New One Coming to Montecito,
This Beast of a Biz Crew is
Conquering the Central Coast

By George Yatchisin | July 31, 2024

When the Good Lion opened in December 2014, it not only reimagined the cocktail bar for Santa Barbara, but it also signaled the dawn of a Central Coast mini-empire. As they aptly put it on the Good Lion Hospitality (GLH) website, they have “a vision of exciting, comfortable, and dynamic eating, living, and drinking spaces featuring world-class hospitality.” That vision and hospitality begins with couple Brandon and Misty Orman Ristaino, curious, clever compadres in class and taste. 

If everything goes to plan (and all “trying to open a business in these parts” warnings must apply), by year’s end, GLH will include the bars Good Lion, Test Pilot, and Shaker Mill in Santa Barbara; an as-yet-unnamed project in the Montecito Inn; Strange Beast, Bank of Italy Cocktail Trust, and Jaguar Moon in Ventura; and the “bed-and-beverage” Petit Soleil in S.L.O.

Turns out expansion was always the plan. 

“Yep, we keep growing,” is how Brandon modestly puts it. “There are so many concepts and locations we want to do, and we want to continue to improve our operations, offerings, and hospitality in every way. We want to continue to provide opportunities for our team to grow in responsibility, equity, and compensation, and growth is the only way to accomplish this.” (We’ll get to their care and training of staff in a bit, as it’s a hallmark of what they do.) 

Ristaino also makes it clear there’s more to come: “There are parts of this magical industry that we’ve yet to experience, and there are concepts and models we want to explore, including on the spirit production side.” That’s particularly exciting for anyone who has sipped their delightful Rare Character single-barrel Good Lion Bourbon. 

Concocting Concepts

It’s striking how each of the GLH’s eight projects seem singular; it’s not like the elegant blue tile of the Good Lion downtown gets automatically grafted onto each succeeding property. The couple, who happily moved to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles to open their first business, have been, according to Brandon, “lucky enough to have traveled all over the world eating, lodging, and drinking at rad establishments, and we bring the creativity and inspiration from those travels to every space we walk through.”

Often, too, it’s timing and knowing their industry inside-out — Brandon had 17 years in the restaurant business before he even got here. In 2016, when they opened Test Pilot, tiki seemed to be trending. Putting such a bar in the Funk Zone, a mere stone’s throw from the Pacific, made sense. 

Designing new bar spaces, while working along with outstanding interior designers and architects, just happens to be one of Misty’s passions. “The most rewarding aspect of this creative process lies in the ability to blend aesthetics with functionality,” she explains, “crafting spaces that look gorgeous and timeless, but also enhance the overall experience and comfort of our guests.”

Take the buildout for Jaguar Moon, set to open this August in downtown Ventura. “We were coming out of the pandemic, so I wanted a bright, fun, and playful experience for our guests,” she said. “We went with a more-is-more maximalist theme. We describe the design like an acid trip in an agave field. Bright colors, wild textures, and big cats!” 

Throughout their projects, custom wallpaper and murals also help create unique designs — think of the wizard on the wall at the Bank of Italy, say. What’s more, Misty explains, “I then assist in choosing materials, furniture, and fixtures, and try to be as involved as possible in every element, from glassware to garnishes for cocktails, to bring the project to life.”

On top of that look, the substance delivers, too, often because GLH partners with some of the best food purveyors around. At Jaguar Moon, for instance, the agave-spirit-forward cocktail program will be paired with Baja-Mediterranean Mexican cuisine crafted by Chef Ramon Velasquez, the Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded chef/owner of the Corazón empire.

“Really, it’s about friendships and respect,” is how Brandon describes their ability to pair with brilliant partners.
In addition to Corazón, he singles out — and is careful to add it’s far from an exclusive list — a host of Central Coast restaurateurs: Sama Sama, Acme Hospitality, Secret Bao, Handlebar, Bettina, Silvers. “We’re lucky enough to call more than a few of them our friends,” he says, “and that combination of respect and admiration can and does lead to some really fun and rewarding collaborations.”

COVID Says, ‘Now Bleed for Me’

Alas, not every partnership succeeds, not even for the seemingly bullet-proof Ristainos. Their fall 2020 opening of natural wine bar Venus in Furs, with food from the Barbareño team, well, it was ahead of its time in a time of infection. “Venus in Furs had a rad design; an outstanding, dynamic, and inexpensive rotating no/low intervention wine list by a world-class somm (looking at you, Lenka Davis); a great team; perhaps our best cocktail program featuring wine-based cocktails; and really fantastic food,” Brandon gushes. 

And then he cautions, “None of that matters when you don’t have any indoor seating due to COVID business restrictions, receive no financial aid from the state or federal government though they closed us repeatedly via COVID mandates.” Even when they did get to reopen, seating rules severely limited the number of people allowed inside.

COVID business restrictions and mandates created enormous challenges, even with the new opportunity to sell bottled cocktails to-go. “We lost our life savings, lost one business, furloughed our entire staff of 45 (at the time) twice, and had five other businesses teeter on the precipice of closure multiple times,” said Brandon. “It was depressing, it was overwhelming, it was extremely and consistently stressful, and it was nonstop seven days a week of work to survive for a year and a half or so for Misty and I.”

If an establishment can be a success in every way but financially, that was Venus in Furs’ brief life. “We made it through, though, and we’re stronger for it,” is how he sums up COVID. “Steel sharpens steel. We made it with the support and hard work of a few key staff members and ourselves, and with old-fashioned grit, perseverance, and determination.”

The Staff That Stirs the Drinks

Sure, you can walk into the Good Lion, ignore all the specials on the seasonal list — the current warm weather 10th anniversary one has some locally named delights like an Islay St. Penicillin and a Bananapamu St. Boulevardier — ask for a semi-obscure Greenpoint, and have the server not bat an eye, throw you side-eye, or need to eye Google for directions. Somehow, they impress for their consideration to customers as much as their skills.

“In short, we try to hire on heart and work ethic first,” is how Brandon describes their process. “Skills can be taught, but being a kind person of integrity and having the ability to work hard day after day in a challenging industry are simply things that cannot be impressed upon someone. We also look for people with passion when it comes to food and drink, like Misty and me.”

Training at GLH locations occurs in a few phases, kicking off with three to five classes as a base upon hiring. Skills are further refined during monthly meetings, spirit/wine tastings, and via partial or full sponsoring of various educational endeavors. It’s not every California bar that takes a passel of its staff to professional development opportunities like the Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans. 

Ristaino is guided by his experience as a lifelong hospitality industry worker, manning every position in a bar or restaurant short of line chef. “I often realized a disconnect between ownership that had no experience in hospitality mandating various rules, procedures, and policies that didn’t sync with the day-to-day grind. I also did not see a clear path toward growth — in responsibility and in compensation — in the industry for bartenders and wanted to rectify that.” 

Thanks to taking the bartender’s view, providing paths toward advancement, and offering insurance to full-time employees — something nearly unheard of the industry — GLH has been able to create “an environment where staff stick around for longer periods than most of our competitors.”

Brandon is also quick to praise their directing team — especially as the geography of GLH stretches along the coast — that includes Jon Jarrett, Susie Reyes, Adam Sandroni, and Dom DiNapoli. Working across multiple venues, they work a range of jobs, from operations to assisting in beverage direction to human resources. He adds, “They are industry vets, kind folks, passionate, and excellent at what they do.” 

Expanding the Empire

It was February 2024 when Brandon and Misty got to do a ribbon-cutting on their sparkling renovation of San Luis Obispo’s Petit Soleil. The 17-room inn is inspired by the south of France — you practically expect Julia Child to show up. Each room has its own theme, from color to wallpaper — and a name, too, from the Rendezvous to the
 La Cage aux Folles. The charming courtyard is where guests enjoy aperitif hour, including Cal Poly cheeses, Alle-Pia cured meats, savory house-made baked goods, seasonal fruit, house-made spicy nut mix, and local and French ethically grown and minimal-intervention wines selected by Master Sommelier Lenka Davis (a Venus in Furs legacy).

“This was always part of our plan, and our passion with hotels stems from our passion to travel,” Brandon says. “We love the idea of being a part of someone’s vacation and adventures. We also just wanted an excuse to do a rad minibar.” (He really does use “rad” a lot.) Those minibars at the Petit Soleil feature bottled Good Lion cocktails crafted just for the property. Since you can’t bottle fresh-squeezed juice and keep it stabilized and fresh, it made developing the list a bit tricky. “I love the joys of limits, though,” Brandon admits. “I’m really proud of that cocktail list.” Think a zippy French petite white negroni made with gin, Cap Corse Blanc, Luxardo bianco, and orange bitters, for example.

“I won’t name names or disrespect brands,” Brandon begins, politic but still making his point, “but there are many discouraging minibar setups that show no respect or appreciation for the ‘terroir’ of a region or the artistry and nuance of alcohol production. I don’t want a macro-brand and diffuser-reliant tequila in my minibar, and you shouldn’t either.”

How to Respect and Reinvent at Once

In general, though, everything is about balance for the Ristainos. (Even if, personally, Brandon admits, “Working six or seven days a week most weeks makes it challenging to have any kind of normal life, but that’s what we signed up for.”) Take Test Pilot — while it sticks to the tiki canon, it also manages to correct the sticky sweetness of a piña colada, say. As Ristaino said when the bar opened in 2016, “We wanted to modernize the drinks, clean them up, dry them out.”

But that doesn’t mean chasing fashion willy-nilly, so every cocktail is IG-able first, drinkable maybe ninth. As one means of the continual improvement they hope for at every GLH spot, they’ve put the kibosh on “soft citruses.” (Come into the cocktail weeds with me: That’s any citrus higher than a three on a pH scale, such as pineapple juice and orange juice.) “We feel as though the inclusion of these juices leads to flabby-tasting cocktails, so we essentially turn the soft citruses into syrups,” Brandon explains. “These syrups offer all the amazing flavors of fresh juices (they are made in-house with fresh juice), are more shelf-stable, and offer a punchier, less diluted flavor hit. In our opinion, these syrups improve traditional cocktails like Blood & Sand or Jungle Bird immensely.”

But on the flip side, GLH doesn’t follow the trend of using acid-adjusted citrus, either. “I feel as though the taste of an acid-adjusted juice or syrup leans artificial, and I can pick up slight metallic flavors in them,” Ristaino notes. “Instead, we look to ‘natural’ forms of acid to help balance cocktails.”

Soon some of those forward-looking, tradition-respecting drinks will be enjoyed on Coast Village Road, in what old-timers probably still think of as the Montecito Café space. “We are not announcing much at this time,” Misty says, “but it will be the closest conceptually to The Good Lion of all our venues.” Food will be provided by their longtime neighbors/partners Sama Sama. Think swellegance, a true martini haven where one can sink deeply into a darkened room and a clear, cold drink.

“There is a limit, though, for Misty and me, as we don’t think it’s possible to push as hard as we do indefinitely,” Brandon admits, despite projects, projects everywhere. “We anticipate a point in time within the next 10 years where our incredible team assumes the mantle, and it will then be them that continues to push this hospitality group forward, while we continue to oversee operations.” 

See goodlionhospitality.com