Beyond exploring the natural beauty, historical and cultural attractions of any resort town, I find the best way to delve into its indigenous culture and understand its true colors is by finding a great local restaurant, settling in at the bar with a cocktail and making friends with the bartender. Almost without fail, the folks behind the stick at these bubbling establishments are the key to a great time. They know where to go and what to avoid. They make you laugh. They are artists and creators, surfers, students, teachers and dreamers, grinding it out to make a living like the rest of us, either as supplementary income for a plan in progress, as a stop gap before the leap to another life chapter, or as a steppingstone to a full-on career in hospitality. Welcome to part two of our continuing exploration of the new league of Newport bartenders taking the helm at some of Aquidneck Island’s hottest spots.
The younger crew are talented, funny, hospitable and cool, none more than the charming, bearded, shaggy-haired Bennet Coogan. He’s that dude, that bro, the kid you’d be proud to have as your own. With his baseball cap, shades, and million-dollar dimple, he’s always ready to greet you with a grin and pour you a cold one. Find him at two opposing spots: the hyperlocal, dark and cozy, quintessential pub, Pour Judgement, and the airy outdoor, harbor front and sometimes frenzied The Landing.
Tending bar on an island like Newport is not as easy as it looks. People on vacation are demanding and entitled, while regulars wave their local status around like flags. Add alcohol; you know the rest. But Coogan, who grew up in Middletown, says he takes it all in stride thanks to the elder statesmen, the general managers of Pour Judgement, The Lobster Bar and The Landing, and Tyler Bernadin, former bartender at Midtown Oyster Bar, who showed him the ropes over the past decade and taught him to maintain his cool when the bar gets a little hot.
“It is a challenge at times,” Coogan said, “But to be honest, it doesn’t bother me. I love it, and the busier I am the better I am at it. It goes back to the senior bartenders I worked with who reminded me: ‘What’s the worst thing that could happen? Be you, be cool, and be nice to people … you’re not performing heart surgery.’ You gotta have that mindset or you’ll go crazy.”
Coogan’s entry into the local bar scene may have been pre-determined. The industry is in his DNA; his father owned the Franklin Spa until he was three years old. In middle school, he worked as a busser at Flo’s Clam Shack and at The Black Pearl. Two of his siblings had delved into the business by the time he jumped in, both working at The Lobster Bar for five years. Still, “When I went to University of Tampa in 2012, I said I was never coming back to this island,” he said.
But he did, in 2016, and jobs with McGrath Clambakes and Tavern on Broadway, where he learned to both bartend and shuck oysters, led to a gig at The Lobster Bar, courtesy of the Kilroy family, owners of five restaurants in Newport, including The Landing, to which he matriculated in 2021. His attitude is a breath of fresh air in a scene that can sometimes consider itself a little too cool for service.
“I was the youngest bartender at Tavern and The Lobster Bar when I first started, and just trying to be a sponge and absorb everything I (observed). I give everyone I worked with and for a lot of credit for my style of bartending. I slowly honed it into my way of doing it, but other people’s successes, how they treat people and talk to people and how they operate had a big impact.”
When The Landing closes up for winter, Coogan picks up extra shifts at Pour Judgement. The duality works for him. “It’s the best of both worlds. I know 80 percent of the people I see at Pour Judgement every night, but it’s also become a sought-out spot for out of towners looking for a place that feels like their hometown bar. The Landing can be insane but it’s awesome being right on the water, listening to live music. I know less people down there, but there’s still a local following, and people are always in a good mood,” he said.
When he’s not tending bar, Coogan said he loves to go boating and to the beach. An all- around athlete in High School whose main sports were lacrosse and hockey, he continues to hit the ice in a men’s hockey league. “And this summer, me and my Pop started golfing again,” he added.
Whether he decides to stay in the bar biz is up in the air, Coogan says. “It’s my career for right now, maybe not forever, but if the opportunity to make it a career comes along … never say never.”
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