Today we’d like to introduce you to Kearstine / Tyler Ayala / Bearden.
Hi Kearstine / Tyler, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Like a lot of bartenders and servers, our story didn’t start with investors, fancy titles, or a perfectly written business plan. It started with late nights, sore feet, learning on the fly, and falling in love with the chaos of hospitality. We came up through the ranks the same way so many do; working doubles, managing closing shifts, jumping behind the bar when someone called out, and slowly realizing that we cared just as much about how a place ran as we did about the people it served.
Tyler Bearden built her career from the ground up, taking every role seriously because each one taught her something new. From bar manager to food and beverage director, from high-volume entertainment venues to luxury resorts and college athletics, she learned what works—and what breaks a team. Over more than a decade in the industry, she led crews of all sizes, opened concepts, fixed broken systems, and learned the hard truths about margins, compliance, food safety, and leadership. Today, as the owner of Lucy’s Icehouse in Salado, she runs the kind of place she once dreamed of working in: welcoming, well-run, and built to last. She knows the pressure of being on the floor and the weight of being responsible for everyone else’s paycheck and she wouldn’t trade that perspective for anything.
Kearstine Ayala’s path is one many service industry pros will recognize: mastering the guest experience first, then stepping into leadership because the operation mattered. With over a decade in hospitality and operations, she’s managed restaurants, led event teams, handled inventory and budgets, and kept businesses running smoothly behind the scenes. From Austin to Salado, Kearstine has worn just about every hat – dishwasher, server, manager, operator, marketer—while learning how structure and consistency turn good intentions into real success. Her strength is creating systems that support people, so teams can show up confident and guests feel it the moment they walk in.
Together, we represent what’s possible when you stay curious, work hard, and refuse to burn out or burn bridges. We’re proud to be women in a male-dominated industry, but even prouder to be proof that bartenders and servers can build something of their own without losing their soul in the process.
Our story is for anyone still behind the bar, closing down the night and wondering if there’s more. There is. It’s not easy, it’s not glamorous, and it takes grit but it’s possible. And if we can do it, so can you.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening a bar as a female in a male-dominated industry comes with a unique set of challenges, many of which have less to do with the business itself and more to do with perception and credibility.
Early on, one of the biggest obstacles is being taken seriously. Whether it’s vendors, contractors, or even customers, there can be an assumption that you’re not the decision-maker. We’ve had situations where people directed operational or financial conversations elsewhere, and we have had to quickly establish that we were the owners and the one responsible for the business.
Another challenge is leadership dynamics. In hospitality, especially behind the bar and in the kitchen, there’s traditionally been a strong male presence. As female owners, you have to be very clear, consistent, and confident in your expectations. Respect comes from competence, consistency, and accountability, and once your team sees that you operate with those standards, that barrier disappears.
There’s also a different level of scrutiny. Your decisions, your presence, and your leadership style can be judged more critically. What might be seen as assertive in a male owner can sometimes be labeled differently in a female owner. Learning to stay focused on results and not internalize those perceptions is important.
Safety and personal boundaries can also be a factor, especially in an environment that involves alcohol and late hours. Maintaining professionalism while also ensuring a safe and respectful environment for both yourself and your staff is essential.
That said, these challenges have ultimately made us a stronger operator. They’ve forced us to be highly knowledgeable about every aspect of the business, from financial management to staff leadership to customer experience. Over time, consistent performance builds credibility. When people see a well-run, profitable, and respected establishment, the focus shifts from who you are to how well you run your business.
Ultimately, success in this industry comes down to discipline, leadership, and execution. Those qualities aren’t defined by gender; they’re defined by how you show up every day and run your operation.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Uncle Davids is a well-liked, local bar and restaurant in Salado, Texas, known for its great casual American fare, lively social vibe and the only pool table in town. It’s the kind of place where people go for solid burgers, drinks, and a relaxed community atmosphere rather than upscale dining, a comfortable stop on Main Street with a neighborhood feel. Locals often highlight the burgers and cheeky staff as staples, and the bar is popular for its friendly energy and social setting even if you’re from out of town.
What sets Uncle Davids apart from other bars & restaurants is:
•Casual, approachable menu. Guests often rave about flavorful, classic items like burgers that feel like comfort food done right.
• Social and welcoming atmosphere, It’s not just a place to eat it’s a place to hang out with friends, have meaningful conversation, or enjoy a drink in a relaxed setting.
•Local character, Rather than feeling corporate or generic, it reflects our personalities, lending itself to community gatherings, local events, and regulars who make it part of their routine.
In short, Uncle Davids stands out for its friendly vibe, easygoing menu, and feel-good social spot appeal, like, we have your drink ready before you walk in the door.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risk is such an interesting word in hospitality because from the outside it looks glamorous; packed bars, cocktails flying, music up but behind the scenes it’s calculated courage every single day.
For us, risk wasn’t jumping off a cliff blindly. It was standing behind a bar for 15 years, pouring into other people’s visions, helping build their brands, train their staff, grow their sales… and quietly asking myself, “When do we bet on ourselves?”
That was the real risk.
When you’re a bartender, you live in controlled chaos. You learn to read people, pivot quickly, manage inventory in your head, de-escalate situations, and create an experience that keeps guests coming back. But ownership? That’s a different level of vulnerability. It’s your name on the lease. Your credit on the line. Your reputation. Your sleepless nights.
Stepping out on faith to open our first bar meant walking away from security. No guaranteed paycheck. No safety net. Just belief, work ethic, and a dream that refused to die. We went bar after bar, concept after concept, tweaking, refining, learning. There were moments that would have been easier to quit — financially, emotionally, physically. But we’ve always believed risk isn’t about recklessness; it’s about conviction.
And now, fast forward we have two bars under our belt that are entirely ours. Built from blood, sweat, tears, and more than a few 3 a.m. inventory counts. Those risks didn’t just build businesses. They built resilience, leadership, and confidence.
Our perspective on risk today is this:
You don’t eliminate risk, you prepare for it. You study it. You respect it. And then, when the moment comes, you move anyway.
Because the biggest risk of all would have been spending our lives building everyone else’s dream and never giving our own a chance.
And that’s a risk we were no longer willing to take.
All in all, scared money don’t make money! (explicit)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncledavidsalado?igsh=cnp0eDNuNGhvN214&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578770859258&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Cass Brooke Photo
