Meet Nancy Sanders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Sanders and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy, how does your business help the community?
Golden Gopher helps our DTLA community in so many ways. We’re here for everybody. We pride ourselves in being the most accepting and hospitable. We also put out a yearly pamphlet of all of our favorite places in DTLA, called “The Gopher Guide”, that advertises for and creates a sense of community among our fellow restaurant and bar owners of DTLA.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I guess you could say my career started as a bar fly. I was a preschool teacher and hung out at 4100 bar on my evenings and days off. They were looking for a barback and I was looking for a change so I took the job and the rest is history. I barbacked for about a year and a half, then moved up to bartending. My manager at the time told me that the best way to learn was to work at as many different places as possible, so I started working at another sister bar, Golden Gopher. I then picked up a couple of shifts at another bar called Crawfords. I bartended 6 days a week, two days at each bar, for who knows how many years. When the pandemic hit, all of that was put on hold and when things started opening back up, PWH was looking for a GM for Golden Gopher. I was a fairly new mom and I didn’t have any experience with management but they took a chance on me and I’ve been loving it ever since. I love coaching and learning, it’s been so hard and so rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well to start we’d visit Gopher and grab a copy of the current Gopher Guide! Our favorite DTLA spots are all in there. You can check that out on Goldengopherla.com as well.

DTLA spots: zFalafel mediterannean, Burger shop, Glory Burger, Braazo Pizza, Grand central Market (They have everything), Beelmans (the steak crunchwrap with a pliny the elder – chefs kiss), La Cita – great for dancing and a perfect chill afternoon beer, Sonoratown – agua frescas are to die for, Uncle Johns – Get the spicy pork chops, Hatch, wake&late. And our sister bars – Coles french dip, seven grand, las perlas, bar CDMX, Cana rum bar.

other spots we’d hit: Griffith park, Elysian park – both great for hiking.

Echo park: The douglas, Low boy, bar flores, little joy, Rodeo Grill

There are so many more but these are just off the top of my head.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutouts are 10 fold.

Shoutout to Cedd Moses for creating Pouring With heart, a company that has facilitated my success over the last 10 years. This company isn’t perfect but strives to be. They continue to listen and fail forward until we all get it right together.

Shoutout to Ralph Ditucci, who took a chance on a bar fly, gave me a job, and taught me the ropes.

Shoutout Brian Lenzo, who took a chance and hired me as GM after the pandemic. He recognized potential in me that I never would’ve pursued had he not given me the opportunity.

Shoutout to Chad Owen, who jumped in the deep end with me and challenged me, daily, to be the best.

and last but not least, Shoutout to Gopher crew! Managers, Bartenders, Security hosts and Barbacks. They have ALL allowed me to coach, teach, and train them while learning the same things alongside them. They are all MVPs. They allow me to have a home life AND a work life and they put up with me while I balance it all. There is truly no better crew in the world.

Website: https://Goldengopherla.com

Instagram: @goldengopherla, @thegopherguide