Inspiring Conversations with Travis Montgomery of Waystone Traveling Bar Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Montgomery.

Hi Travis , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The story of Waystone is quite long and definitely not without its ups and downs, but I’ll try to keep it as concise as I can. It all started in 2022 shortly after my wife, Deb, and I moved back to Georgia to help provide support for family that was going through some medical hardship at the time. During this time I saw a horse trailer bar online and was introduced to the idea of mobile bartending as a legitimate business model. I was obsessed. I saw, and still see, the mobile bar model as a way for people like myself to go from hourly employee in the hospitality industry to fulltime business owner. As a career hospitality guy, I’ve got 16 years of experience behind the bar and over the course of my career I’ve learned that many folks love the idea of one day owning a bar or restaurant but they lack the resources required to start one. And therein lies the beauty of the mobile bar. There’s a low barrier to entry but the sky is the limit. You can do backyard shindigs for friends and family as a hobby or you can scale it all the way up to a massive operation with warehouses full of equipment and a fleet of fulltime employees (and everything in between.) But at it’s core, the mobile bar is a reflection of the owner and their values. It’s like a microcosm of your personality. So in that way, its a really cool way to express yourself.

But I digress, I should get back to the story. So in 2022 I was dead set on buying a horse trailer and converting it to a mobile bar. After months of research I bought one and started renovating it immediately. Then, in December 2022, Deb and I were blessed with the news that she was pregnant with a baby girl. I was managing a craft cocktail bar here in Marietta and Deb was working as a pediatric occupational therapist as well as helping me out with Waystone events. And this is where things go off the rails a bit. Without getting into all the details, Between pregnancy and postpartum, our lives were turned completely upside down. We had new schedules, new priorities, and new responsibilities as parents. And as much of a blessing as our daughter was, we were not blessed with a good sleeper. So on top of everything, we were also chronically sleep deprived for well over an entire year (as many new parents are.) So all of that to say, we basically had to put Waystone on hold indefinitely. We went completely under the radar and would only take on gigs that came from personal inquires through friends and families. I decided that there was no way I’d have the time needed to build out and convert the horse trailer into a mobile bar and I didn’t have the money to have someone else do it for me. So I sold the trailer. But as time went on and I slowly regained bandwidth and time and energy, I was able to pour more of myself back into the business.

Fast forward to 2024 and we had essentially relaunched the business. New website, new social media presence, etc. At this point we were fully back into the swing of things doing weddings, celebrations, and cocktail classes. Instead of using a horse trailer, I built a beautiful wooden portable bar on wheels with my dad. The fact that he and I built it together makes the bar really special to me. The craftsmanship and beauty of that handmade / family made, bar is evident at every event that we bring it to. Eventually that first bar will be pulled out of rotation and just live on at my house as a family heirloom, but for now it is still the centerpiece at most of our events.

We have since partnered with a local craft carpentry studio, All Custom Carpentry, to help us build out our show stopping “Garden Bar,” The Garden Bar is our one of a kind, fully realized vision of not just bringing a bar to your event, but bringing *a whole bar* to your event. Barstools, bar top, atmosphere, and all. We deck it out with an assortment of plants and live foliage that is grown by Deb’s family who own a greenhouse up in Tennessee. Shout out to Country Gardens Greenhouse!

We’re moving full steam ahead into our busiest year yet with new venue partners and several events already on the books.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I already touched on some of the struggles in regards to the early days of parenthood but I can expand on it a bit. One of the biggest struggles was and in some ways still is time and energy management. We moved back to Georgia to be closer to family and to help support them through a difficult period. Then we started a family of our own. Meanwhile I’m working a full time job and building this business during the narrow slivers of time I can carve out during the week. You’re trying to be a good dad and a good husband. You’re trying to stay fit and take care of your body. You’re trying to show up for the family that you moved down here for. It’s just a lot to juggle and each one of those balls is very important. You can’t afford to drop one. So you really have to be intentional about how you show up every day and who / what you’re going to give your energy to but ultimately, there are only so many hours in a day. If you try to do everything all the time, you’re going to fail. It’s not a skill that I have mastered, but it’s always something I’m always thinking about and trying to improve.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What you should know:

You should know that we exist! Mobile bars, while more common these days, are still relatively niche. Every time we pull up to a client’s home or at a venue, their guests are absolutely blown away by our setup. We hear it over and over again – “Omg, this is so cool! I didn’t even know this was a thing!” Most people expect a black table cloth in the back yard with some wine and a cooler full of beer at best. So when they see a professional bartender expertly mixing delicious craft cocktails on a beautiful handmade mobile bar, it never fails to make the night memorable for the client and their guests.

You should also know about our secret weapon.. my wife, Deb. She is now a pediatric occupational therapist, but in another life she was a wedding planner and an event planner in Nashville and Atlanta. She knows the events business inside and out and with that being the case, she has helped me build a mobile bar company that understands what venues and planners want / need. Her insight and experience has been absolutely invaluable. If you’re a planner, a venue owner, or a potential client reading this.. just know that our entire business model was built on a foundation of “do things that make the lives easier for the hosts, planners, and venues.”

What do we do / specialize in? / What are you known for?

We are a mobile bar service that specializes in creating bespoke and seamless bar experiences for events of all shapes and sizes.​ That includes, (but is not limited to) private events, weddings, corporate happy hours, celebrations, brand activations, cocktail classes, and more. We are known for our stunning handmade bars, our best in class cocktails, our one of a kind “Garden Bar.” Another thing to note is that our staff is absolutely stacked with some of the best bartenders in the city. So instead of getting some 21 year old kid that doesn’t know the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan, you’re getting award winning bartenders that have worked in some of the best and highest profile bars in the city.

What sets you apart from others?

Let’s be honest.. Everyone is going to say they have the best drinks and the best service, etc. (We actually do have the best drinks and the best service but I digress.) I think something that sets us apart is our attention to detail. I am absolutely obsessed with “line of sight.” What does that mean for a mobile bar company? It means that we’ve gone through quite a lot of trouble to implement systems to help us stay clean and organized and are very intentional about containing any visual mess or clutter. I’m sure everyone can picture an event they went to where it looked like a bomb went off behind the bar. There’s empty cardboard boxes everywhere. Wine bottles strewn about haphazardly. There’s a random half empty Starbucks iced latte sitting right next to the bartender’s iPhone. That’s not us. We want you to feel like you’re getting the same quality of service you would expect at a high end cocktail bar.

What are you most proud of brand-wise?

I’m proud of not being afraid to be myself. Its really hard to not get sucked into pandering and saying the things and doing the things that you think people in this space want to you to do and say. In some ways, it has made my life more difficult, but in other more meaningful ways it has allowed me to work with clients that want to work with us. There’s a vibe check element here that I think is really important and if someone doesn’t vibe with what we’re doing and doesn’t understand the value that we bring, that’s okay. We might not have been the right fit for them. But I think we’ve done a good job at presenting ourselves in a certain way that allows us to connect with clients that really appreciate what we’re doing.

What do you want the readers to know?

I just want them to just check us out! Give us a follow on IG to stay tuned to what we’ve got going on and if you’re curious to learn more about what we do, don’t be too shy to send us a DM or an email!

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I’ve learned to be patient and to just keep showing up. Everyone’s life and everyone’s journey is different. I’m really proud of what I’ve built but I’m even prouder that I’m not as far along as I’d like to be because instead of going to networking events on Fridays, I choose to go on adventures with my 2 year old instead and its the best part of my week.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.waystonetravelingbar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waystonetravelingbar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573641253112
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-montgomery-b215b230b/

Image Credits
Dom Reilly