Partner Pivot: how Rye on the Road made cocktail magic in 2020
In November, we celebrated some outstanding partners that Grae’s teams have worked with over the years. As we all know, 2020 asked the events industry to reinvent itself. This Feburary we are taking it a step further and sharing how our partners have evolved in response to these challenges - in their own words.
Rye on the Road began as a mobile bar, serving the Bay Area event scene, from corporate gatherings and brand activations to weddings and holiday parties, bringing quality and style to every experience. When the pandemic shut down gatherings, Rye found a new way to bring that same quality and style in their branded and themed cocktail kits.
Below the Rye on the Road team shares more on their products and pivots in 2020, and what they are most excited for in the year to come.
Q: Let’s go way back to 2019 and early 2020.. what were you up to then?
A: As a boutique bar service company in the San Francisco Bay Area, in 2019 we were serving a broad spectrum of events from Off The Grid (a weekly food truck gathering) to private parties, to corporate gatherings. In any given week, we could be found on the Ohana Floor at the top of Salesforce tower, in a restored church in SOMA, as well as homes and backyards around SF.
Q: How did that evolve in 2020?
A: Like everyone in the live events world, we saw cancellations build up in the months of March and April 2020, and we needed to alter our operations to adjust to COVID. While we are able to do some of the in-person services following COVID safety guidelines, we put most of our energy into becoming a product company in addition to a service company. We operate a handful of brick and mortar bars, and we worked quickly to create an online store where customers could order cocktails for pickup and delivery while sheltering in place. We took our product model a step farther by offering fast personalization and custom design for our customers.
Q: What was Rye on the Road’s thorn and rose of 2020?
A: 2020/COVID kicked a lot of hospitality and events businesses in the shins. We did not foresee something like a virus that could cause such a prolonged cessation of our ability to produce value the way we did before. On the bright side, we were working for years with some of the companies that have been doing well due to the nature of how work has changed to remote. Our spirits have been regularly lifted by these companies that find ways to use food and beverage resources like Rye on the Road.
Q: What do you hope the future holds?
A: Locally in the San Francisco area, I hope we turn to a collective mixture of pragmatism and optimism about everything. Rebound and recovery of the parts of the economy that have been hit hardest will be a multi-year endeavor. I hope everyone emerges on the other side with a desire to gather around each other with food, drink, and entertainment.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in 2021?
A: We are looking forward to safely putting more people to work, and contributing to the vitality and fun of living in a happy and healthy society.
In partnership with Rye on the Road, Grae has helped clients make virtual meetings and events exceptional with the perfect drink for each occasion. Drop us a line if you’re interested in adding some liquid magic to your next event.