Pedro Alvarado ‘Papi’
General Manager @ BARRAGE Sign: Aquarius – Venezuelan
“I like to go to the movies a lot, theater, working out, I love to travel and get to know other cultures , listen to good music while walking around the streets of New York and of course spend time with friends. it’s always a fun thing to do.”
Tell us about how you got involved in working at Barrage and when?
It happened almost nine years ago, when Barrage was being remodeled. The bar was changed from head to toe, revamping not only the look and feel inside but the staff as well. Everything was going to be brand new. This is when I applied for a bartending position.
Once I had an interview the owner and the manager at the time, I was hired. From that day forward is when my journey with Barrage began.
Describe yourself based on what you like to do professionally.
I am a very optimistic guy. I love to see people smiling and achieving their goals. I have a few really good and close friends who I consider my family here in the U.S. Most rewarding is the feeling of meeting new people everyday; that is why I love to do what I do. Interacting with new patrons, creating theme parties for our guests to gain new experiences and to fall in love with our bar, is always pleasureful for me. My acting training from Venezuela has helped me a lot with how to be more creative and to develop new ideas. Casual interaction with the customers, suppliers and of course my employees comes so naturally for me. I continue my acting work here in the States, as well as doing print modeling, under the representation of CESD talent agency, as a side job. I love my creative side, but most fulfilling is the passion of life. Doing what you love to do is the best feeling anyone can posses.
Any advice to your followers, to your friends or to the managers of the clubs/bars in our gay community?
We as managers have to do what we do with passion and avoid any type of negativity. Even though we could create a competition amongst our businesses, we all do the same thing, which is working for the gay community! It has to be about the community having a great time and making the time they spend in our bars a great and memorable experience. For those who have never been to Barrage, come and enjoy our music videos while drinking one of our famous frozen margaritas or cosmopolitans. Hell’s Kitchen is the place to be, and Barrage is a very friendly lounge. I invite you all to stop in to have a drink or even a few.
Has it been easy or difficult to be a manager of your place?
I was given the opportunity to become a manager, I think, at the right moment. The manager before me returned to his hometown in Canada, and both him and the owner gave me the chance to take his position. They liked my job as a bartender, which I still do four times a week from Thursdays to Sundays, but they also saw my desire to go further. They talked to me about the idea of becoming manager. I was pleased with the fact that they saw the potential in me to create a new and fresh image for the bar and trusted me to lead this journey. It has been almost three years as manager of Barrage, and I can tell you so far, I love what I do!
AJ Moheeka
Bartender @ BARRAGE Sign: Gemini – Colombian
“In School for Internati onal Marketing and Economics, love working out, outdoor activities , cinema and languages.”
Barrage Bar
401 West 47th St. NYC
Instagram: BarrageBarNY and/or PedroAlvaradoNY
Facebook: Barrage Bar and/or Pedro Alvarado
