Bar without borders

Three entrepreneurs want to bring their upscale bar to you

Three gentlemen sat around a table, presumably while consuming libations, when they hatched a plan. With five decades of extensive restaurant, bartending and catering experience among them, the men recognized a need in Tulsa’s private event scene. Of all the catered events and parties they attended, the bar service seemed to be consistently below par. Party planners coordinate everything with such attention, but the contents of the bar and the bartender’s abilities often seem to be an afterthought. 

“We noticed a lot of these functions had mediocre bar service,” said Josh Ozaras, owner of The Chalkboard restaurant. “We want guests to be able to get a great drink like you can get from one of the craft cocktail bars in Tulsa.”

So last fall, Ozaras, along with Tracey Sudberry, general manager of The Chalkboard, and Jared Jordan, owner of MixCo, set out to revolutionize bar service at private events with their bartending and management catering service, Barstream. 

“We all still have our primary focuses at our restaurants, but we thought we could fill this in on the side,” Sudberry said.

Armed with their point-of-sale system–which takes the “cash” out of “cash bar”–bartending expertise, product knowledge and a few events under their belt, they are about to unveil phase two of their endeavor: going mobile. 

“With our bar management service, we can set up a bar virtually anywhere our clients need, and that will still be our main business,” Ozaras said. “but now, we have the option of bringing a whole bar to you.” 

The guys felt the look of the classic Airstream, a brand of sleek silver midcentury motorhomes, best fit their vision for a mobile bar. After a couple months of research, they found a gentleman in Kansas who had several Airstreams from the 1950s. Among all the Airstreams, one straight out of their dreams stood out: a 1955 22-foot Flying Cloud with dramatic 13-panel “whale tail” end caps. This model was only manufactured in California and is considered rare. But there it was, rusting away in the middle of a pasture in Kansas. 

“This one fit our needs perfectly,” Sudberry said. “The trailer is longer and it sits a little lower, so the bar is eye level to guests. And the inside was already gutted.”

The group soon discovered that finding and purchasing this Airstream was the easiest part.

“This was a complete frame-off restoration, and there were five different coats of latex paint to remove to get through to the metal,” continued Sudberry, who was the most hands-on with the restoration. “It was pretty rough. My fabricator, Kyle Jamar, can tell you first-hand. But when you’re dealing with sixty-year-old trailers, they don’t come out cookie cutter and ready to go.”

Over the past six months, the shiny vessel has been transformed. Holes were cut on either side of the trailer where shutters are lifted and a custom-built wooden bar top fits underneath. The interior is just as polished, with pin-striping by Wizard Artworks emblazoned on each whale tail panel. 

But The Barstream is more than just a pretty face. It has its own generator, water and air conditioning, plus everything a bar needs–two speed wells on either side of the trailer to hold the liquors and garnishes, an ice bin, a refrigerated compartment that can hold four barrel kegs or one large keg, a cooler for wine and beer and the three sink compartment required by the health department. 

“It’s ready to go as soon as we park it,” Sudberry said. 

But just because The Barstream is almost road-ready doesn’t mean you’ll be seeing it at Food Truck Wednesdays. 

“This isn’t something we will drive around town and park on a corner and start serving cocktails,” Ozaras said. “This is centered on private events and we definitely have to stay within the parameters and legalities with ABLE Commission.” 

With Oklahoma’s tricky liquor laws, the group has had to work closely with ABLE, which also found itself in new territory.

“The ABLE commission has been very pleasant to deal with,” said Ozaras. “They think it’s cool, but they want to keep it legal.” 

The Barstream is still getting some final touches, but it’s already generated a lot of buzz. And after six months of nail-biting, the guys appreciate the good feedback.

“It’s been a labor of love on all of our parts,” Sudberry said. “You have to have vision. You have to be able to see past the rust and tarnish and bad paint the see the potential.”

For more from Angela, read her article on Candace Conley's cooking studio, The Girl Can Cook!