Balancing college life and managing one of Athens’ most popular Greek life bars is not easy, but for 21-year-old University of North Georgia student Jack Friedman, the challenge is part of the fun. The senior communications major transfer student arrived at UNG after graduating from Commerce High School and swimming at a junior college. He has quickly worked his way up the ranks to become general manager of City Bar in downtown Athens.
For Friedman, success behind the bar is not about charm or showmanship. It’s about leadership.
“I’m confrontational,” he says. “I don’t let people walk over me either. Yes, it’s a bar worked by mainly college kids who I’m only a couple of years older than, but they need some direction, especially since most of them have never had a true service industry experience.”
Despite his blunt honesty, it’s clear Friedman has an abundance of passion and purpose. His rise from door guy to general manager in under two years is proof of his drive and work ethic. He remembers beginning roughly a year and a half ago at City Bar, where he immediately took the opportunity to learn.
“I took advantage of the fact that the GM at the time was brand new to City Bar and became good friends with her and pretty much put myself in a position where my work was valued,” Friedman says. “I picked up any shift I could, I watched and observed bartenders and bar-backs and floor managers — especially on what to do and what not to do.”
That drive paid off. After excelling behind the bar, even outperforming seasoned bartenders during a major football weekend, Friedman moved up the ranks in short order. Within months, he was promoted to assistant general manager and not long after, was offered the top job.
“Instead of my district manager and the owner of the bar wanting to hire someone outside of the company, they decided to give me a shot and now I’m the GM of a bar in Athens, Georgia,” — Jack Friedman, Senior Communications Major
Now managing a full staff while commuting from Athens to the Gainesville campus twice a week, Friedman admits the schedule can be grueling. Quitting, however, is not an option.
“I really don’t have a choice,” he says. “I can choose to not go to college and not finish my degree, which I would probably regret for the rest of my life, or I can get a degree in journalism, maybe a master’s in marketing or political science, and try to make something of myself while I have a pretty kick-ass service industry job that pays the bills and lets me have fun.”
At the age of 21, Friedman’s story is one full of ambition as he searches for opportunities. He’s quick to express gratitude to the mentors who gave him a chance and even quicker to note that he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
“I’m forever in their debt and will be forever thankful for what’s going on in my life right now,” he says. “Especially for this to happen at the age of 21.”
From swimming laps to managing late nights, Friedman has traded one kind of endurance for another. He’s proving that discipline, whether in the pool or behind the bar, can take you a long way.
