By Ebony L. Morman

Amanda Britton still remembers the moment everything made sense. Working a shift at a TGI Fridays in New Jersey, she realized the hospitality industry wasn’t just another gig. To her, it was something more. 

“It just clicked,” she says. “Not only how everything works behind the scenes, but how people want to be treated.” 

At that moment, something sparked, igniting a 20-year career that’s taken her from flair bartending and beer repping to managing some of the city’s most notable bar programs at places like Vana and Bardo. Now, she’s the executive bar director at Spaghett, Charlotte’s newest Italian-inspired food and cocktail destination.

While Spaghett opened earlier this summer inside the historic Young-Morrison House, Britton’s vision began last fall. She joined Irreverently Refined Hospitality (Counter-, Maneki) in October and got right to work building a bar program that feels both personal and elevated, one that prioritizes approachability over pretentiousness.  

A Jersey girl at heart, Britton’s approach to mixology is all about combining familiar and unique flavor profiles that hopefully surprises and encourages people to get out of their comfort zone. 

“I want to build that confidence,” she says. “And I want them to have the confidence in me that what I’m talking about convinces them to give something new a shot.” 

Her method starts with curiosity. If someone tells her they love margaritas, she asks why. It could be the citrus, the salt, the tequila, or another aspect. From there, she sees it as her job to guide them toward something fresh that still hits those same notes. 

“It’s not just what you like,” she says. “It’s why you like it.”

That philosophy drives the way she builds the cocktail menu for the 12-seat bar area at Spaghett. It’s thoughtful, approachable, and full of her own twists that spark conversation. One drink might use passionfruit, rosemary, and Cappeletti (which she describes as a wine-based version of Aperol). Another might feature local vodka, an espresso liqueur, and housemade almond-biscotti cold foam.

While Britton writes the Spaghett menu in simple terms, using only flavor profiles and eliminating words people can’t pronounce , there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Britton’s drinks might sound casual when you read the menu, but the craft behind them is anything but. 

“You may taste the drink and think, ‘Wow, this is incredible,’” she says. “But there’s a lot of background work and techniques being put into it.” That includes everything from infusions to clarified milk punches to fat-washing (infusing fat into a spirit to add flavor), like her current experiment using Nutella to create a riff on another local bartender’s creation, which was a riff itself. 

One of her favorite creations on the current menu is the Big Dom, named after the head of security for Britton’s favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles. But it’s more than just a sports nod. Big Dom, who was honored last year by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), is a first-generation American, and the drink pays tribute to his Italian heritage. It’s bourbon, Strega (an Italian liqueur), thyme, grapefruit, and lemon. 

“I try to keep the description super simple,” she says. “It’s not really going to go into depth about the technique. Instead, we can share that story with guests over the bar or at a table.” 

Britton’s just as intentional with non-alcoholic options. They aren’t just for people who are sober or avoiding alcohol, she says. A lot of younger people are just drinking less. And with that in mind, she’s built a zero-proof menu that includes housemade Italian sodas (like elderflower-citrus and strawberries-and-cream), and the Pathfinder, a hemp-and root-based amaro alternative. Popular among guests is the Go Your Own Way NA drink, which mixes Pathfinder with strawberry, cucumber, ginger, and lemon, creating a similar profile to a mule. 

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to challenge myself to make something just as delicious as a normal cocktail would be,” she says. “That’s something we’ll always continue to do and push  here.”

It’s been decades since Britton’s first days at TGI Fridays and she’s still pushing, still drawing on those experiences today. Any bartender who has ever worked for her knows she’s constantly implementing tidbits learned from her time at TGI Fridays into her own bar programs. 

“I have a color coding system behind the bar for speed of service,” she says. “Efficiency is my big thing, efficiency over energy. I think if you’re efficient, you don’t have to waste a lot of energy.” 

That energy saved can be used for creating the innovative cocktails that she describes as Italian, local, and playful. 

“At Spaghett, it’s local Italian because we’re North Carolinian first,” she says. “The kitchen showcases about 95 percent Carolina-sourced products.” 

Behind the bar, she wants to reflect that, too. And it starts with using North Carolina and South Carolina spirits, which is most of what they carry. 

The cocktail program also gets a little touch of Italian, similar to what chef Kendall Moore does in the kitchen. Even the restaurant’s name is a nod to the viral “spaghett” cocktail (a light lager topped with Aperol and a twist of lemon). That same spirit of playfulness is part of the brand’s DNA.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Britton adds. “Even the menu has a little hand gesture on it. You put all your fingers together and wiggle your hand at your wrist and you’re like, ‘Hey, come on!’ Everything we do has that little playful element as well.”