Balancing Act Ashley Sayler of CASK Southern Kitchen & Bar

ACT Balancing

Ashley Sayler of CASK Southern Kitchen & Bar

Like so many

local restaurant owners in 2020, Ashley Sayler made the strategic decision to pivot and rebrand her “New American soul food” restaurant as CASK Southern Kitchen & Bar. In keeping with Louisville diners’ wants and needs at a crucial time, she created a family-friendly environment with more reasonable prices, hoping to produce more volume sales to keep the business afloat, all while expecting her first child. The revised affordable restaurant concept proved to be a big hit, from carryout and curbside pointof-sale to indoor and outdoor dining with TVs, patio, and picnic tables.

by Dawn Anderson photos by Dick Arnspiger

CASK is a from-scratch kitchen serving authentic Southern cuisine, handcrafted cocktails, and a wide bourbon assortment. Sales have quadrupled since the rebranding. The restaurant generated revenue of $1.2 million in 2021. Ashley Sayler is driving this tremendous success as an entrepreneur, wife, and mother of three children aged two and under. How does she do it?!

Ashley is a former athlete whose competitive spirit has not diminished over the years. Her father influenced her work ethic. “He set an example of working all the time to build something from nothing. He taught me that working hands-on if there is a problem, you figure it out.” That includes maintenance on the restaurant roof if need be.

Striving to lead by example, greeting guests, bussing tables, doing dishes, and cleaning bathrooms, Ashley does whatever it takes so her team knows she is “in it with them.” Her food and beverage experience comes from her previous work with Sullivan University and Churchill Downs. Ashley was still managing food and beverage programs at Churchill Downs as she planned her original restaurant concept. At CASK, Ashley is learning to rely more on her team, co-led by General Manager Chastity Owens. Until she had her twin daughters last August, Ashley worked 14-hour days. “Now, I try to set boundaries and trust my people in place.” She still handles all payroll, onboarding, costing, marketing, social media, and content. Her husband’s CFO skills come in handy for budgeting. Ashley’s family and friends are an invaluable support system. But it’s also not uncommon to see all three kids at the restaurant. Son Colin turned 2 in April, and fraternal twin girls London and Phoenix celebrate their first birthday on August 3. Husband Travis, an engineer licensed in eleven states, also cares for their children every evening. London’s blue and Phoenix’s brown eyes help him tell the girls apart. Phoenix was so-named after being delivered breech thirty minutes after London.

Ashley’s mother helps at home and at the restaurant, and Ashley’s friends know to come to her at work to spend more time together. “For restaurants, being short-staffed is the new pandemic.” As busy as she is with work, Ashley never knows when the daycare will call that one of the kids is sick. “You learn how to pivot, which is hard for me because I am super OCD. Just ask my husband and staff. They know the rule: If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.”

Alone or personal time may seem a luxury for Sayler but absolutely necessary, if only in small doses. “I prefer silence in the car, no music, nothing. It’s my own little getaway. At home, my husband is really good about knowing when I need to chill out by myself with quiet time upstairs. I try to work out when I can and step outside for walks to clear my head. And when I need to talk something out, I can rely on my friends, the squad I don’t deserve.” As for the future, Ashley hopes to spend more time with her children. “The older they get, the more they realize how much you’re not around. I could be a stay-at-home mom if I wanted, but I would be really bad at it.” She plans to continue as an excellent example for her team, doing what needs to be done for the restaurant. A second CASK location is in the works. And who knows what surprises await to keep things interesting. “We plan, God laughs.” And so does Ashley Sayler. •