An occasional series where we meet the team and unearth a few fun facts about our Bottleneck family. Kicking off 2016: Maggie Mikula.
Maggie Mikula
Where are you from?
Chicago, Portage Park neighborhood, and later Glenview IL. Now U.I.C area.
What is your role at Bottleneck?
I’m part of the finance team at Bottleneck Management. I manage the full cycle accounting process for The Boundary and Sweetwater, and handle paying the bills for all eight current locations.
What do you enjoy about your job?
Accounting is assumed to be dull but instead each day is as exciting as it is at the restaurant level.
What do you do when you are not at work?
My newest joy is farming at a local urban community plot. I see a ton of live music but lately have enjoyed just staying home and cooking up a feast. I try to get on a plane to somewhere new whenever possible.
How did you discover Bottleneck Management?
When I moved to Chicago after the housing market crash and recession hit the suburbs really hard I received a great education in beer from working at Old Town Social. I saw an open-call for Old Town Pour House and after meeting the team and interviewing at that open-call I knew I wanted to work for this company.
What do you enjoy about working with the team/company?
I work with a strong group of people and being part of a team where everyone gives it their all to get the job done well and have fun too is refreshing. Our store level service crew are truly great people who are knowledgeable and passionate about beer, service and their work. Every month and year with Bottleneck brings new change, especially growth which is beyond exciting.
Current favorite drink?
Kombucha Beer! Unity Vibrations – a husband/wife team in Ypsilanti, Michigan hand-ferment their socially-conscious product in small, open-air batches with tremendous love and care. The product is so unique and that’s what I look for in my beer. It’s tart, sweet, a little funky and has great depth of flavor your mouth has never experienced.
What is something that people probably don’t know about you?
My ultimate dream in life is to farm my own food and live a sustainable, off-grid lifestyle in a tiny house… a really nice tiny house though!
Favorite TV/Movie Quote?
“What’s the other thing that scares you?…..Carnies, circus folk, you know, smell like cabbage, small hands” –Austin Powers
“Always look on the bright side of life” (song) -Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Biggest party foul?
Not contributing. Always contribute to the fun. Bring a dish. BYO 6 pack. Bring a joke, a laugh, a game. Oh, and don’t be “that guy.” Never be “that guy.” You always know “that guy” because he is acting a fool!
Favorites food(s)?
ALL! Every single one of them! I love foodie food like Girl & the Goat, or Longman & Eagle. They offer flavors you don’t experience every day, and are put together so well. And The Angry Crab for seafood is a must!
Share a moment of personal triumph:
Definitely when I was hit by the economic crisis of 2008 really hard and life forces its way upon you with layoffs, lost investments and crises and things are completely out of your control. I kept swimming, stayed strong and made the best choices available at that moment. Sometimes in life you just have to start over and it takes courage. That’s what I did and came out of it better than before!