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But longtime bar and restaurant worker Danielle Strang found an opportunity to turn her dream of bar ownership into a reality and grabbed the reins.
A Warren native with decades of experience working at area bars, Strang transformed a vintage horse trailer into a mobile bar: Red’s.
It all started when Strang, of Stirling, decided that she needed a creative outlet to channel her passion, she said.
“I've done many private home parties for people and they're always setting up a makeshift bar, so this just seemed like a no-brainer,” said Strang, who you may recognize from Black Horse Tavern in Mendham, Q Lounge, Barton's, and Chimney Rock.
Strang toyed with the ideas of a food truck or coffee truck before the notion of a mobile bar struck her. But it wouldn't be just any mobile bar. Hers had to be different.
“I just love the look of the horse trailer,” she says. “I love the shape of the nose of the older models. It's not as big as a landscape trailer so it's not obtrusive.”
After starting a tedious Internet search for something that would fit Strang’s exact vision in October 2022, even joining several horse groups on Facebook, she finally found one with the exact shape and look she was hoping for.
And so, she ventured out to Central Pennsylvania to buy it.
Renovations started in the middle of March and involved reworking the metal, rebuilding walls, cutting out a hole for the window, sandblasting, and a fresh coat of paint to “make it look brand new on the outside.”
Strang then had new flooring and custom cabinetry installed, got the trailer hooked up with electricity and plumbing, and had its interior painted — all with help from her boyfriend, Pat Faccia, her ex-husband, Jeremy Strang, of Strang & Sons, LLC, and Jeremy’s girlfriend, Ondrea Corsie of NJ Dustless, LLC.
From there, Red’s Mobile Bar was off to the races, completing renovations just one day before Strang’s first official job in early July.
“It was truly a maiden voyage,” she says. “Our first party was a huge success down in Normandy Beach with the nicest family.”
Now, Red’s Mobile Bar travels across the Garden State to provide just about all of the quick and classy conveniences of an upscale brick-and-mortar spot.
So, how, exactly, does Red’s Mobile Bar work? It’s simple: Customers bring the booze, and Strang and her team create customized cocktails, ensure proper quantities, bring glassware and supplies, and facilitate everything else — they even cover the tedious task of cleanup.
“No setup, no cleanup for the host. We just roll up with everything except the alcohol,” she says. “And roll out with the garbage in tow. It takes the stress and work off the host.”
Red’s can even help coordinate flower arrangements, photographers, catering, and music.
The mobile bar’s string of successes — and countless satisfied customers — has Strang booking events into 2024 already, she says as she reflects on her new adventure. But it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges.
“It has been such a great experience so far,” she says. “There is definitely a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Answering emails and returning phone calls from the time I wake up until late into the evenings…My biggest goal is to respond in a timely manner.”
Above all else, Strang says she values the day-to-day experiences that come with bringing the upscale bar atmosphere to so many different gatherings, as well as forming connections with the variety of guests who attend them.
Strang is already looking ahead at ways to manage Red’s rapid development, like more bartenders, a satellite bar for smaller events, or multiple trailers.
In the meantime, Strang is living out her dream by using Red’s to help customers plan and execute events guaranteed to go off without a hitch.
“I truly love my job. Even if I won the lottery I'd still do what I do. And I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to make money doing what I love.”
Follow Red’s Mobile Bar on Instagram for more updates.
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