Fun on wheels, the safe way: Where to find mobile coffee and cocktail bars in Columbia
With mobile bars, your event planning becomes totally customizable, from venues — have your wedding in the middle of a field — to menus.
And if it’s Instagram-worthy, even better. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have been flooded with videos showcasing cutesy mobile bars and their spread of cocktails and wines.
Everything from school buses to vintage campers and Airstreams can be transformed into a bar on wheels. Here’s where you can find options like these in Columbia.
72 Co.
72 Co. got its start in 2017 after its owner, Brittany Koester, lost her mother from cancer. After that, Koester realized that life is too short to pursue a job you don’t enjoy, she said on her company’s website, and she immediately began getting to work to start a mobile coffee shop. Eventually, the coffee shop began offering cocktail and wine services and evolved into the bar on wheels.
Today, 72 Co. offers a camper bar, bar cart and espresso cart that can be reserved for up to four hours of bar services for events. Besides their signature cocktails, event menus are customizable, and the espresso bar service can be reserved weekly for schools and businesses.
Queen’s Mobile Cafe
The female-owned mobile cafe is on a mission to offer healthier coffee and tea options to customers by using certified organic products. Bags of their organic coffee blends can be purchased from their on-the-go coffee truck, which also offers treats from pastries to charcuterie boxes. Queen’s Mobile Cafe can service up to 300 guests with its gold service level. The mobile coffee bar can be found at the Moncrief Army Medical Center every Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The Bubbly Bus
The Bubbly Bus operates two mobile bars. Its first bus is a 1947 International Harvester Metro that comes prepared with five taps that can be tailored to fit the needs of your event. It serves an array of alcohols including red and white wines, champagnes, sangria, hard seltzers and craft beers. The company’s second bus, deemed the Benton Bubbly Bus, is a 1961 Citroën HY van that comes with seven taps that serve craft cocktails.
Kombi Keg Columbia
Kombi Keg is an international mobile bar company that operates in places including Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, France and the United States. Its Columbia bar, a restored Volkswagen Kombi van, offers six beer taps that can serve your choice of beer from local brewers, cocktails, wines, water and soft drinks. The van comes equipped with a rooftop television to display photos, videos and event logos.
Craft and Draft
Craft and Draft operates out of Columbia and Irmo. Its lime green van can be easily recognized from afar and offers a variety of wines and beers — and even custom-brewed beer — for events. Its custom-brew package comes from a partnership with local breweries and requires a two-month notice. The mobile bar will serve a minimum of 50 guests for a minimum of three hours and offers decor, signs and bar linens as part of its event package.
