Photograph courtesy New Riff Distilling
In the sepia-toned hues of old TV shows, nostalgic movies, and songs like indie rock band Wednesday’s “Elderberry Wine,” bar-going folks of yesteryear who worked up an appetite found themselves faced with an unappealing prospect: a large jar of pink-liquid-suspended eggs. These days when drinkers’ appetites rumble to life, the offerings generally transcend hard-boiled buoyancy. It’s true that plenty of bars and breweries find success with full-service kitchen offerings and others invite guests to bring in outside food of their own choosing, but a new breed of bar operator is embracing more curated food offerings via pop-ups— ephemeral dining experiences that answer the question of “What’s for dinner?” with limited menus from the area’s up-and-coming chefs.
“One of the main pillars of HomeMakers Bar has always been a celebration of community and collaboration,” says Julia Petiprin, owner of HomeMakers Bar and its sister establishment, Fifty Fifty Gin Club, both of which are quite familiar with pop-ups. “From day one, we’ve hosted local chefs. I’m very proud to say a lot of our pop-up partners got their start at HomeMakers Bar. Personally, nothing brings me more joy than being able to give people a platform to test their passions.” She points to early collaborations with Dunch Provisions and Wildweed as examples of the promotional power of pop-up collaborations.
Photograph courtesy HomeMakers Bar
A successful pop-up, according to Catherine Manabat, New Riff Distilling’s director of hospitality, requires the insight and inspiration to seek out like-minded vendors. The distillery hosts pop-ups in its Aquifer Tasting Room, welcoming the likes of Kayla Robison, Fire On High Food Truck, Jay’s Nyam & Jam, and Los Cuñados Taco Truck. “There are so many talented food entrepreneurs out there who make amazing food,” she explains. “Working with other local businesses and sharing space to highlight the talent and passion of the folks who work hard on their businesses here is truly something we feel lucky to be able to do.”
Photograph courtesy New Riff Distilling
And while extending and supporting a city’s culinary community is a cornerstone of the pop-up concept, hosting burgeoning chefs also makes sound business sense.
“It adds partnership with marketing and collaborating on social media,” says Josh Lively, general manager at Northern Row Brewery, Distillery & Taproom. “That’s the true beauty of pop-ups—the collaboration and getting content in front of each other’s audiences that may otherwise not see it.”
There is, however, something of a delicate business dance required to pull off a successful pop-up event, especially when it comes to establishments that have a dedicated kitchen. Northern Row, for its part, offers a robust in-house menu, serving up small bites, salads, and a wide variety of sandwiches. So how does it make sense to invite direct competition inside to feed hungry patrons? “That is always a pressure point that we think about when it comes to pop-ups,” Lively admits. “It needs to exist in the same space, being mutually beneficial without drawing sales away from ourselves.”
Photograph courtesy Northern Row Brewery, Distillery & Taproom
Diversity is key, he adds, as a successful pop-up event in the space will offer diners choices not covered by Northern Row’s regular menu. “The Oyster Happy Hour has brought us a fair amount of success here,” he says, referring to a regularly occurring collaboration with Sen by Kiki. “It allows our fans to enjoy our atmosphere and our products with other products we will never offer within our operations here. We have all these lovely cocktails that we make in-house, but we’re never going to shuck oysters.”
Petiprin concurs that the competitive risk is far outweighed by the benefit of hosting talented chefs. “Bringing in chefs and makers into our experience is about building up our community,” she says. “Instead of seeing others as competition, we aim to highlight Cincinnati and all the incredible people doing incredible things.”
While HomeMakers and Fifty Fifty do offer light bites during standard hours, these menu items are also sourced from beloved vendors, such as Covington’s The Empanada’s Box. “We absolutely love them and so do our guests,” she notes. “It’s a way to highlight one of our favorite makers and give our guests more variety on our food menu.”
Photograph courtesy HomeMakers Bar
The concept of pop-up collaborations is an evolving one, and experimentation with form is part of the fun. “The pop-up program has definitely changed throughout the years,” says Lively. “In the last year, we focused on more randomized pop-ups and then ongoing pop-ups.” He points to the monthly Oyster Happy Hour as an ongoing partnership, while last year’s Low & Slow barbecue competition was a one-off event that invited three vendors in to share their products.
At HomeMakers, though, recurring events such as the annual Margarita Week offer guests a more event-based way to enjoy a curated culinary experience. “We try to fill up our week with all the best taco makers in town, because what’s better than a margarita? A margarita with a taco,” Petiprin says. The bar also hosts its annual Mardi Gras celebration, Fat-Washed Tuesday, where bartenders infuse fats into all of the classic New Orleans cocktails and invite a local chef to provide food.
In the end, pop-up collaborations allow bars to provide exciting culinary experiences that highlight the tastes and talents in our region. “We hope it solidifies the pride of place that we feel when we support other local businesses,” Manabat says.
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