In the late Seventies I was an aspiring musician living in San Francisco on Ashbury, a half block North of Haight Street (two blocks from the “Grateful Dead House”); you can’t get much closer to the famous intersection than that. But the musician had to earn a living, so what was a, quite literally, poor boy going to do?

My childhood friends, Chris and Greg Cunningham, were working at Lord Jim’s, at the corner of Broadway and Polk in San Francisco. They set-up an interview for me there, and I was hired as a barback (they called us bar boys in those days). This was the “Fern Bar” era and Lord Jim’s, along with Henry Africa’s were it.

I was lucky to have trained there, as Spyros Tampourantzis the owner was a “classic old school bartender”. I did leave Lord Jim’s however, because, well let’s just say, certain of the conduct there wasn’t quite in keeping with my “idealistic” viewpoint.

Now what? A couple of stints tending bar in The City and in Palo Alto that didn’t work out for me. Now what? So, I had a fortuitous meeting with Bill S., the owner of a commercial/residential building on Haight Street, who just so happened to want to open a fern bar there on the ground floor. Pinch me!

I began helping him develop the bar project, and was promised to be the opening bar manager. In the meantime, B.S. introduced me to Nick Grecousis, who owned A&A Liquors on Haight Street. He had actually sold his liquor store but was forced to take it back due to unforeseen circumstances.

Nick hired me after reopening the store. He and I couldn’t have been more different, but we got along great. He taught me a lot, opened my eyes to many things (just working at a liquor store on Haight Street in the seventies opened my eyes, yikes!), and helped me out when I needed it; what a guy!

On the other hand, my relationship with B.S. was heading south rapidly, because amongst other unusual things, there was a collaborative disconnect. So I left the project because, well let’s just say, certain of his conduct wasn’t quite in keeping with my “idealistic” viewpoint.

So I’m chatting it up with a new customer at the liquor store, who wanted to open a café, and was interested in the vacant space next door. He had also recently started a catering company. I told him what I had been doing, and he invited me to tend bar at his catered events; I accepted.

That customer, Gregg Patyk, opened Bon Appétit Café and Catering further up Haight Street nearer Golden Gate Park. Gregg eventually sold his business, which evolved into Bon Appétit Management Company, currently providing on-site food services across the country.

I was handed a hodge-podge of supplies at my first catered event, and left to my own devices to pull it together. I made it happen, but I couldn’t believe that Gregg actually got paid for this, as I knew that I could provide something better; a lot better. Can’t you just see those wheels turning?

At some point I was reading an article in, I believe, San Francisco Focus (which later became San Francisco Magazine). The article was, in part, about these women who were tending bar at parties in New York City, calling themselves Bartenders Ltd. Ding Ding Ding!

“Bartenders Unlimited”; why not? This was just going to be a way to earn some extra money, after all, I was going to become a rock star, remember? So I placed a listing under Caterers in the SF Yellow Pages, as there was no Bartending category. No PCs, internet or cell phones yet either!

The year was 1979. Gregg was using me, and he later introduced me to Susan Gentry of Talk of the Town, one of the few Party and Wedding Planning companies of the time; they started using me as well. I also moved to Marin County where Bartenders Unlimited has been headquartered ever since.

But did I waste money on that Yellow Pages listing? Nope! Two initial inquiry calls were from The San Francisco Symphony and Lia Belli, the then wife of the gregarious barrister, the late Melvin Belli. Can you believe it, and I was hired for the events too. Pinch me! (Pacific Bell eventually created a Bartending category because of us.)

Let’s fast forward a little. Sometime in 1980, I get this call from chef and author Hallie Donnelly. She was writing a book on the 50 best Caterers in the SF Bay Area, and wanted to include me, but said I wasn’t a Caterer…think fast John… Yes I am, I’m a “Beverage Caterer”. Yep, got into the book!

So there you have it, a brief timeline of the origin of Bartenders Unlimited and of Beverage Catering. Little did I know that I was creating my pivotal vocational destiny, and spawning an entire industry. As of this writing, it’s 2019, Forty Years after the inception of this company. Actually somewhat difficult for me to fathom.

And what about that musician? I did play bass in a soul band (the token white guy) that opened for the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band at Fillmore Auditorium. I know you’re scratching your head, but remember the song “Express Yourself”? That’s them.

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Well, in 2020, just a few short months after I wrote the foregoing, you know what happened. BU went from an average of servicing about 100 events per month to quite literally 0. We are fortunate to have withstood this global catastrophe but not without unprecedented challenges.

Now, in 2026, our Forty-Seventh Year in business, we are progressing with a passion. Under the current direction of my daughter Tasha, it is clear that BU will thrive better than ever. Her enthusiasm and dedication to advancing the craft of beverage catering and to customer-centric service is resolute.

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I am eternally grateful as to the success of our company, and to all who have supported us over the years, family, friends, staff and clients, if it weren’t for you there would be no BU!

– John Radovich