Down the Hatch

Staying Competitive

It would take a looooong while to visit each of Oklahoma’s bars, breweries and distilleries. After all, Marshall Brewing Company founder Eric Marshall watched his sector go from roughly 1,500 breweries nationwide to 10,000 in just a few years. 

So how do entrepreneurs keep their establishments relevant? Lindsey Hogan, brand manager for OKC’s Stonecloud Brewing Company, says she and her colleagues keep their eyes on the trend forecasts.

“Beer trends continue for barrel-aged stouts and big IPAs, and people are gravitating to easy-drinking lagers with lower ABVs,” she says. “And we predict a sour beers resurgence.”

Along with looking ahead, another way to remain relevant in a crowded market is looking back, says Noah Bush, owner of Tulsa’s Hodges Bend. 

“What’s old will always become new again; classics get rediscovered,” he says. “But trends will always change, so the key is to makes sure the drink you make is made with care and quality ingredients.”

Some watering holes remain popular by their service and long-standing reputations. 

Ashley Sutton, the food and beverage manager at Summit Club, says this long-time Tulsa favorite thrives through “providing the utmost service to our guests. Our staff know members by name and can usually have their drink ready as soon as they walk in the door.”

Edna’s, an OKC bar that offers the famous Lunchbox, existed long before anyone checked social media for cool quotients. Tammy Lucas, owner and daughter of the eponymous founder, says trends don’t impact this longtime favorite unfettered by fads. But in today’s digital world, social media is a must for most. 

“We use social media to provide a glimpse of what your experience will be like at our location, and [it] lets our customers know what we have available on draft and in cans to-go,” says Hogan.

But even excellent service and mouthwatering drinks didn’t stand a chance against the pandemic.

“It has been devastating to the industry as a whole,” says Lucas. “It breaks my heart. Being shut down was awful, but on the positive side, it gave us the opportunity to focus on our expansion project, which is nearing completion.”  

Stonecloud re-opened in January, and Hogan says the pandemic forced the crew to think outside the box. This resulted in the release of new one-off beers and a collaboration with designer Kenzie McFeely to create unique artwork for each can.

Despite a tough 2020, Oklahomans pulled through for small businesses in many respects.

“We are so grateful for the support we have received during these tough times and hope people will continue to support other local small businesses as we move forward and try to recover,” says Marshall. “I am hopeful that people will spend the extra dollar or so to support local knowing how much that means to their community and the people struggling to survive the aftermath of this unprecedented situation.”

Life Behind Bars

Sunrise and sunset bookend a bartender’s life. They’re awake to see both, after all, with some midday sleep time before 10-12 hours of, oftentimes, pure chaos and a lot of multi-tasking, says Christopher Andrukaitis, bartender at Tulsa’s Hodges Bend. 

“I always liked playing bartender in college,” he says. “I knew I wanted to work in the craft cocktail movement, in high-end hospitality service at the best venues.” 

The key to a happy life as a bartender includes cherishing regular customers, being open to meeting new people and forging strong friendships with “other comrades also working until 5 a.m.,” he says. “To make it as a bartender, you have to keep a lot going and you have to love it; no sane person would do it otherwise. I’ve been a bartender for seven years and learned to make it priority to take care and eat healthy, or your body will fail you.”