Krowne & Bad Birdy Collaborate to Raise the Bar
After spending roughly two decades working in the hospitality industry, Bad Birdy knows what it takes to succeed behind the bar. Now, she's sharing that knowledge with Krowne clients by collaborating with business owners to design and build custom, commercial workspaces for their bar staff. KaTom spoke with Bad Birdy to learn more about this unique program and how it can help business owners optimize their bar's output from the very first night.
What is a "Brand Ambassador," Anyway?
Krowne understands that a one-size-fits-all philosophy just doesn't work when it comes to building bars and kitchens. That's where Bad Birdy comes in. Applying her years of hands-on experience as a bartender, she molds bar workspaces into sleek, seamless workflow stations for optimized performance during the busiest hours. Bridging the gap between planning and reality, she helps business owners make the most of their available space (and in the service industry, every square foot counts) while ensuring countless details work together in the real world the way they were intended during planning sessions. In short, her job is to foresee and eliminate the often painful "Lessons Learned" stage of any building project concerning the bar area.
According to Bad Birdy, working closely with subject matter experts such as herself can be crucial to determining the success of a bar or nightclub once the doors open and guests begin flooding in.
"I've worked in some bars where it's just difficult to work and it's hard to be efficient, and you reach a plateau on how much output you can put out, because you just can't work fast enough," she explains. "Having a station that's seamless and functional is very important, and I think this program that Krowne offers is something that people should have thought of long ago."
Bad Birdy's involvement as a consultant stretches from the initial planning stages all the way to opening night and beyond. From brainstorming a beverage menu to training staff and working in the bar on opening night, she says these projects can last several months before the work is completed – and there's plenty for her to do in that time.
The Consulting Lifecycle
What can business owners expect when working with Bad Birdy and Krowne to design and launch their bar? The short answer is: nearly everything. Below, we'll share some more details on common facets of the consulting lifecycle with Krowne and their brand ambassadors.
Creating a Custom Cocktail Menu
Cocktail research and development often begins as soon as a project gets greenlighted, providing ample time for Bad Birdy to create a polished, unique beverage program for each bar's individual needs. No two establishments are exactly alike, and all Krowne ambassadors strive to deliver one-of-a-kind results. For someone whose career has involved pushing the boundaries of the traditional cocktail experience, this gives Bad Birdy an opportunity to really show off her skills.
"I would say I'm innately just a passionate person. Everything I do, I want to do it perfectly," says Bad Birdy. "That's why I love consulting so much, because I really do take on the responsibility as if it was my bar. I'm not going to cut corners anywhere and I really want whoever I'm working with to be proud of what we created together."
Bar Design & Planning
Most restaurant owners have ideas for how they want their bar to be built, but not all of them have experience working behind the bar. Even if they do, collaborating with a seasoned professional who's designed dozens of workspaces is always a good option. Bad Birdy takes extra care to ensure she uses her skills to enhance the client's objectives, not overshadow them. She says potential clients sometimes have reservations about working with an outsider, citing concerns over their personal vision for their establishment being met.
"I'm 100 percent respectful of that," she says. "I want there to be a collaboration effort. I get excited about this. I know what it is to put the blood, sweat, and tears into a bar and restaurant, because it is not an easy industry. When people want to own a restaurant and bar, I know it's no small task, so I want to help [clients] any way that I can."
Krowne partnered with Bad Birdy to make this custom mobile bar station for her own business
The ultimate goal is to create a bar setup that blends seamlessly with the business aesthetic while optimizing output and performance potential. Along the way, the consultant provides valuable insight into nearly every aspect, from choosing equipment and placing it where it needs to go, to ensuring a comfortable, intuitive workflow for bartending staff.
"Who better to help you design a bar than an actual bartender?" says Bad Birdy. "I think it is such a unique opportunity and I don't see any other company doing what Krowne does, so kudos to them for evolving."
Staff Training
Once the bar is in place and the menu is completed, it's time to impart a deeper understanding and appreciation of the beverage crafting process to staff members. Employees who understand beer, wine, and spirits inspire confidence in patrons and are well-prepared to deliver an outstanding beverage experience for every visitor. This additional staff training also ensures that none of the new bar's features are overlooked or underused.
"[When] I'm training their staff, the first week is usually just spirits knowledge," explains Bad Birdy. "You're going to know how they're made, we're going to talk about wine and beer, do tastings… it's not until the following two weeks where we actually do hands-on, creating cocktails. So, it is a three-week course."
Opening Night & Beyond
The project doesn't end when the equipment is installed. Consultants often stay involved through the venue's opening night, ensuring everything goes as planned. Due to the hands-on nature of the consultation, Bad Birdy often becomes deeply involved in the projects she works on, and says she sometimes hesitates when it's time to walk away and let businesses she's worked with move forward alone. She details her participation throughout the project and beyond, describing her commitment to helping Krowne clients achieve success once the bar's built.
Training staff to use each part of the bar, such as this glass chiller, ensures seamless service
"Because I have that sense of ownership when I start a project, it's hard for me to leave," she says. "I just finished a consultation project in Washington… as soon as they reached out and told me what kind of restaurant they were, I was already thinking about it, doing R&D, working on recipes. Then I was out there with them for three weeks total where I was training the staff. I was there for the grand opening; I did a shift with them."
"We went all the way from sitting down, talking about spirits to behind the bar, working together. Even now, I just checked up on them a couple days ago to make sure everything's running smoothly, so… even after I leave and fly back home, I'm available to them. Whatever they need help with, if there's something that's not working, we fix it."
Krowne x Bad Birdy Collab
Although it may seem strange for a commercial equipment manufacturer to employ brand ambassadors and offer such extensive consultations, the program is delivering excellent results for clients, consultants, and Krowne. By taking additional steps to ensure restaurant owners' successes, the company positions itself favorably in an increasingly experience-driven retail market.
With consumer feedback and reviews widely available at the click of a mouse, taking steps to streamline the client experience and add unexpected value to the buyer/seller relationship makes sense. For Bad Birdy, the collaboration feels totally natural.
"I've never been a brand ambassador for a company, but with Krowne it just seemed like, 'this is the right fit for me,' " she says. "I'm so grateful to them for the opportunity, and I'm proud to be representing such a great company because their products are beautiful."
To demonstrate the power of mindful design, Bad Birdy and Krowne partnered to create the mobile bar for her own business, KUDUOWL.
"Krowne did create a beautiful station for me, and it's fully equipped with everything I need to execute cocktails quickly," she says, explaining how the mobile bar is featured in shared content across the two brands' social media pages. "We do speed rounds and I make cocktails so you can see how each part is utilized and how everything is at arm's length… it's beautiful, it's a nicer station than some of the bars I've worked in."
Bad Birdy & BarFlex3D
BarFlex3D, one of Krowne's newest bar planning tools, is also slated to be featured in upcoming pictures and videos. Using real-time 3D rendering, this tool allows restaurateurs to hop on the Krowne website, enter some preliminary information about their needs, and start mixing and matching bar components instantly. There are also pre-made options for owners who want to keep it simple.
Viewing the plans in 3D is typically much easier for users than looking at traditional CAD drawings that are designed for and by engineers, and soon clients may even be able to purchase a VR headset and view their bar design in augmented reality.
Interested in these programs? Promotional material featuring Bad Birdy working with Krowne tools and equipment is published on the Bad Birdy, KUDUOWL, and Krowne Instagram accounts. Additional information about Krowne's bar design process, BarFlex3D, and the consultancy program is available on the company's website.
New Bad Birdy Mobile Bar by Krowne
Crafted in collaboration with Krowne, the Bad Birdy Mobile Bar is now available to bartenders across the nation. The equipment was designed by Bad Birdy herself, and includes everything you need to start serving delicious drinks in record time. With an exterior featuring subtle contrast between silvery pepper planked alona laminate and black vinyl trimming, this mobile bar is right at home in upscale venues and hole-in-the-wall nightclubs alike.
The bar sits on 4-inch locking casters for easy, controlled movement, and boasts a 5-step liquor display to hold all your bottles within easy reach. It comes with a built-in steel drip tray and pre-connected plumbing lines for seamless setup. On one end, a 12-inch dump sink and 6-inch trash chute provide instant waste management for busy bartenders, and dual ice bins streamline sanitary operation.
Want to see it for yourself? The Bad Birdy x Krowne Mobile Bar can be found on our website, along with many other portable bars.
