Downtown Minneapolis is in typical Friday night form. Dolled-up women and the men trying to impress them step out of expensive cars outside the popular Seven nightspot and restaurant. After handing their keys to a valet driver, they wade through heavy foot traffic to assume their place in line. But before their party starts, they have to get through Bryant Webster.
Granted, 99 percent of the time that's something to look forward to. The doorman in the black suit takes a break from checking IDs and discreetly sizing up people in line to embrace a departing patron and crack jokes with another. But don't think he takes his job lightly.
"My No. 1 thing is to ensure a fun and safe environment," Webster explains later in an interview.
Webster is a weekend fixture on the bustling corner of 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue in front of the swanky steak-and-sushi lounge. With a trim mustache that Tom Selleck would applaud, the security veteran has become one of the more familiar faces in downtown nightlife over the past decade. Dispelling stereotypes of mean-mugging "bouncers," the gregarious courier-by-day seemingly knows everyone passing through his sidewalk turf. He is one of the best in the biz.
"Customer service, to me, it's not a department. It's an attitude," Webster said in his distinctive baritone. "With me being the first person you see, the last person you see, my customer service has to be a point for me to enjoy what I'm doing."
That customer service instinct dates back to his days as a limo driver and suit salesman (the latter explains his sense of style). While keeping order at the upscale three-level bar and restaurant's front lines, Webster also plays facilitator — gauging guests' wants and needs, and trying to answer questions before they're asked.
"It's kind of like matchmaking suits with a tie," the Missouri native said. "You've got the guy's hair, skin tone down. You know he's got earth-tone suit colors, he needs this kind of shirt. Same thing in the hospitality business. You have to find out what makes them happy to be here."
Seven's greeter-in-chief started working security in 2003 after a fateful run as a chauffeur. Following orders, he grabbed a bottle of Champagne and a dozen roses before picking up two Edina businessmen, who happened to be Keyvan and Kam Talebi, now of Crave and Union restaurants. The brothers were then closing on the Block E spaces for Escape Ultra Lounge and Bellanotte in downtown Minneapolis and by the end of the trip they invited Webster to interview.
