The front of house at Bliss is co-managed by Brittany Hill and Mary Swiger, who alternate weekly between managing and serving. This unique balance allows them both to see and evaluate the front-of-house flow from two distinct perspectives and work collaboratively on all aspects of management. Coincidentally, Brittany and Mary both moved to San Antonio from out of state in order to be closer to family.

Biography

Brittany Hill

Born in Virginia, Brittany relocated to San Antonio in 2015 to be closer to her grandparents. After a five-year stint at Chef Bruce Auden’s Biga on the Banks, Brittany joined the Bliss team in 2020 as a server and assistant manager.

Thanks to her husband — Bliss Sous Chef Zachariah Hill, whom she met on a blind date at Bliss — Brittany’s also got a virtual bird’s-eye view of the kitchen. “It’s fun because I get a sneak peak into that world,” she says. “But the best part is that we have the same schedule and we get all the holidays off together.” Making the most of that time off might entail a weekend crab boil or a getaway planned around destination restaurants.

Reflecting on her experience at Bliss, Brittany admits, “It’s the best job I’ve ever had. The staff is committed to the restaurant — it’s not just a side job. These are people who really enjoy this industry. We’re all lifers, so we take pride in it. And that makes it really special.”

Mary Swiger

Mary’s career in the hospitality industry took her from her home state of Michigan all the way to Hawaii — where she spent three years on Oahu and almost 27 on Maui. After nearly three decades in the Aloha State, she moved to San Antonio in 2018 to be closer to her niece. That same year, she briefly returned to Maui to help with a staffing issue at her longtime job at the renowned Lahaina Grill. As luck would have it, Bliss proprietors Mark and Lisa Bliss were visiting Maui at the same time and ended up sitting in Mary’s section.

“I’d always ask, ‘Are you visiting Maui? Where are you from?’ And Mark and Lisa replied ‘San Antonio.’ I said, ‘I know this probably sounds silly, but I live in San Antonio now too.’ And Mark said, ‘Well, when you get back to San Antonio, look me up.’”

As she was accustomed to working in an independently owned, guest-centered restaurant with a close-knit staff, Mary’s transition to working at Bliss was a smooth one. “It felt a lot like home,” she says.

A dog lover who enjoys gardening and working on home improvement projects, Mary echoes Brittany’s sentiments about the Bliss team and work environment: “Mark and Lisa are amazing to work for. They genuinely care about their staff. And the staff definitely takes an ownership in the restaurant. That usually happens when you have a restaurant with a great reputation, a great product and great guests. You want to take ownership of it, because you want to be a part of something like that.”