ANOTHER ROUND, PLEASE!

After nearly 30 years in finance and accounting, Vincent Vasquez was ready for a change. 

In 2019, Vasquez decided to make the transition from finance and accounting to bartending with his business: V&V Bartending.

The choice paid off. 

What started in New Jersey with just Vasquez and his wife, Dawn, has grown to more than 20 bartenders on staff. 

Since its first year, the business has continued to be recognized as the top revenue producing bartending company on “The Bash,” a premier party-planning service where people can look for vendors and entertainers to help celebrate their special occasion.

Now, the Baldwin Park residents are working to continue to spread their passion for creating memories through event service with their expanding business in Florida. 

“As much as a negative review hurts me — although that’s something we rarely receive — when we get a five-star review and I read how happy people are with our services, it really fills me up with joy,” Vincent Vasquez says. “That’s what we shoot for every time. I love that feeling for our business and I love it for our staff.”

Photo by Annabelle Sikes

MAKE IT A DOUBLE

V&V Bartending is a small-event, local bartending business serving a multitude of special occasions, including weddings, corporate gatherings, birthday parties, graduations and backyard events.

The business provides personal attention to clients with drinks, shopping list guides, customized menus and portable bar rentals. 

The company will travel up to a 60-mile radius for events.

The partners met in New York where they both worked at H&R Block. The pair hit it off immediately and have been together since 2012. 

V&V Bartending launched in 2019, but Vincent Vasquez says he formed the idea in his head even before.

“I got a little tired of the rat race, and I wanted to do something different,” he says. “When I was leaving H&R Block, Dawn had asked me what I wanted to do (because) I was planning on retiring. I decided I wanted to start a bartending business.”

The pair enjoyed hanging out at bars, and Vincent Vasquez was fascinated by the skill and movement of bartenders.

“I wanted to be a bartender to learn, but I also had interest in putting together our own business where we could visit people’s homes and create memories,” he says. “That was the vision I had. I knew I had the personality to do it, but first I had to develop the confidence and the skill set. I had to learn how to make drinks. I went to a bartending school that really helped me in a lot of different ways.”

V&V Bartending joined The Bash in 2021.

The couple was married the same year in Key Largo, which is when they knew they wanted to make a move to Florida in the future. 

The two were working on a few-year plan to make the move when Dawn Vasquez’s job offered her a promotion to come to Florida.

She stumbled upon Baldwin Park by chance and instantly felt at-home in the area.

She made the move by herself in July 2022. Vincent Vasquez finished organizing the bartending business in New Jersey before joining her in October 2022. 

Photo by Annabelle Sikes

I’LL HAVE THE USUAL

Vincent and Dawn Vasquez currently are working on expanding their business in Florida.

Although having and developing a small business is a lot of work, Vincent Vasquez says it also has its perks in terms of the high level of customer service the company can offer. 

He speaks to each client individually and tailors every party to what the client desires.

If a client happens to have a bad experience, Vincent Vasquez takes it to heart. He always tries to make it up to the client by going above and beyond.

In terms of his staff, Vincent Vasquez says he pays his employees more than the average bartender would make. He wants good, personable, quality people who can connect with clients. He looks for skill when hiring, but says personality matters more than anything.

With the staff continuing to expand, the business is able to handle larger parties.

Some of Vincent Vasquez’s earlier staff members now bartend parties on their own or receive special requests through the business, and he is more than happy to help them build their craft.

“It warms my heart to see them grow,” he says. “I will never hold anyone back. If they make an impact on a client and the client loves them, I encourage them to do it. They deserve it. If they earn it, then it’s all theirs. That’s the type of team and culture that I want to create. … We appreciate our team back home in New Jersey so much. They’ve helped us to get where we are today.”

Vincent and Dawn Vasquez both recognize each other’s strengths as they pertain to the business.

“I would not be as successful in this business without everything Dawn does,” Vincent Vasquez says. “She takes everything to the next level with design, planning and aesthetics. I don’t think either of us could do it without each other. … We always have such a good time when we get the opportunity to work together.”

Dawn Vasquez is known for never saying, “No,” and taking on any challenge that comes her way. 

She says they have been developing new skills with the business that they are continuing to refine.

“Sometimes, we get new requests for events that we’ve never received before,” she says. “There have been times where we’ve gotten these types of requests, and I’ve just decided I would figure out how to do it. I learn, and I research. For example, we had a party that requested an oyster shucker for a wedding, as well as help serving. We went to the store and brought some oysters home to help practice. … We ended up making people really happy and receiving an excellent review.”

DON’T LET ME GET DRY

Although the business is doing well, Vincent Vasquez says it’s not yet at the level he aspires it to be. 

He flies back to New Jersey every few months for meetings and to help out the staff. 

In addition, he works at a local Hilton hotel pool bar part-time during the spring and summer season, while Dawn Vasquez works in marketing and sales. 

The pair says the holiday and summer seasons are generally the busiest times for the business.

Vincent Vasquez says his ultimate goal is to have a presence in different markets while still maintaining the individualized, high-quality experience for clients. Dawn Vasquez hopes the couple can turn the business into a full-time gig and continue to pour their passion into it.

“Seeing people during the event just having a blast and having fun with different creations we’ve come up with is so rewarding to us,”she says. “We love adding to somebody else’s already special occasion.” 

As far as drinks that would describe their personalities, Vincent Vasquez says he would be a smoked old fashioned, while Dawn Vasquez says she would be an empress gin and tonic. These were the couple’s “his and her drinks” at their wedding.

When they’re not busy working, the Vasquezes enjoy visiting the local theme parks and the beach.