Meet Chelsea Schnyer | Mobile Bar Owner & Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Schnyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, what inspires you?
I own a mobile bar, which we roll around and serve clients for their events, such as: weddings, birthdays, graduations, fundraisers, corporate events, etc. Though alcohol is a part of our identity, we’re inspired by the dry community.

We acknowledge that there is a large amount of people that don’t drink at events, for personal, medical, religious, historical, family, or other reasons. Traditionally, their options are limited to sodas, juice boxes or water at events, which immediately singles them out to the rest of those in attendance. Because of that, we wanted to create an inclusive drinking atmosphere every place we serve, so we started featuring upscale mocktails, non-alcoholic spirits and wines, and having open conversations about the mocktail movement. Not only was the response overwhelmingly positive, but we found a renewed sense of pride in what we do.

There’s zero shame in being sober, sober-curious or not drinking. Thank to the dry community, we’re challenging the status-quo drinking culture, and it’s been a blast.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business partner, Kenny, and I were deployed to Iraq in 2020. While there, I mentioned that I was looking for change and wanted to be my own boss when we got back home. I had a crazy idea, but wasn’t ready to take it on alone: a mobile bar (bartend from a renovated trailer). I’ve bartended on the side and always had a dream of opening a food truck, so this merged the two and seemed crazy and exciting. After some thought, he wanted in, and we decided to go for it. We spent about two months researching, writing a business plan, lining up finances, deciding on timelines, and lining things up for when we got home. Once we got back, we drove to Virginia to purchase our 1966 Shasta trailer, and started working on it. We listened to business podcasts, watched hundreds of YouTube videos, read through every regulation related to the business.

Fast forward, we opened for business in March 2021, and now, I look back and think how blessed we’ve been this year. We grew from nothing to one of the most well known mobile bars in the entire country. That would have never happened without the power of local networking, social media and our community. We approached the bar scene with a passion for non-alcoholic beverages and creating an inclusive drinking space for all our guests, and it’s been amazing how cocktails and mocktails have changed the way we do business. So much so, that we launched mocktail kits for people to enjoy together, virtually and for team happy hour.

We saw our online following skyrocket from posting about the process of building the business. To the point where we received thousands of comments, emails, phone calls, messages and tags from people all over the country asking for more information. We saw an opportunity to be transparent and bring others along. So, we ran with it! We built an online course and started 1:1 coaching, and since, over 600 people have taken part.

This business is blast, but such hard work behind the scenes. Being a first time business owner, I’m constantly learning and finding ways to automate processes, getting feedback from my team, finding ways to be more efficient, and learning from failures. One of the biggest challenges starting out was the lack of information available for mobile bars. We went back and forth between agencies multiple times, and it took months to finally get the clear regulations, licenses and permits needed. We learned so much about what it really takes on the back end of the business to even become operational.

Plus, we’ve gotten significant backlash from other bars, business owners and anonymous folks saying we were idiots for sharing our secrets, creating our own competitors, misleading others, trying to create a silly mocktail movement, to name a few. However, for me, that’s the biggest success of our business so far, knowing that I gave back and helped people get started. There will always be critics, but they don’t define our brand. We’re here for our clients and serving their guests.

At the end of the day, we’re here to serve our clients and guests and watch the industry grow. It’s been equally challenging and rewarding. My team has some great stories from events they’ve worked, and without them, we wouldn’t be where we’re at.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It’s funny this is a questions, because this is actually happening for me soon! Since I’ve lived here, I keep a ranked list of restaurants and things to do on my phone, just for this reason.

Starting in Fort Worth, here’s my favorite restaurants
1. Sweetie Pie’s (The best ribeye and buns around).
2. Salsa Limon (Everything is good here).
3. Pho District
4. Rodeo Goat
5. Birreria y Taqueria Cortez
6. Saginaw Switchyard
7. Game Theory Restaurant + Bar

Fort Worth things to do:
1. Stockyards
2. Water gardens
3. Marion Sansom Park (Great for mountain biking and hiking).
4. Panther Island Pavilion (Love going to concerts here).
5. Coyote Drive-In
6. 7th Ave District (It’s always poppin’ over there).

Dallas restaurants:
1. Cris and John (Pho + burrito = delicious!)
2. Gen Korean BBQ House
3. 85C Bakery Café – Carrollton (This is the biggest hidden secret around, because the pastries are amazing).
4. Chelsea Corner (Chic brunch spot)
5. Bread Winner (One of my favorite brunch spots)
6. Happiest Hour (A local favorite)

Dallas things to do:
1. Jade & Clover (Make your own succulent-perfect for plant lovers).
2. Klyde Warren Park (There’s always food trucks, activities and events going on here).
3. Texas State Fair

Other things to do:
1. House of Shine (This is a nonprofit self-discovery museum, and super cool)!
2. AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, Ballpark at Arlington
3. Cowboy Red River (Fun country bar).

What I love about living here is the mix of the well known places and hole-in-the-wall businesses.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s a few people that I’d like to shoutout!

First, I’d love to recognize my partner, Kenny Mercado, for his unconditional support, ideas and keeping me grounded when things get stressful for the business. I appreciate him knowing so many people here and bringing in business for us!

Second, I’d like to give a shoutout to Peyton Moseley, of PenWithPey, for the nomination. She has an incredible vision and a beautiful handletting style.

Lastly, I’d love to recognize my right-hand woman, Cass Clements. She has been one of the biggest blessings for our team. Her connections, passion, bartending skills and decorating vision has elevated us to the next level.

Website: www.thirstmobilebar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirstmobilebar/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thirstmobilebar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirstmobilebarllc

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/thirstmobilebar

Image Credits
Cristy Angulo Photography