The bar and entertainment scene is changing these days, just like many industries have done since the pandemic.
The latest change is catering to people who choose to consume less alcohol.
“I choose mocktails, honestly, because I'd rather be more intentional with my friends hanging out,” Makayla Fox said. “I don't need any kind of other substance to … improve the evening.”
Fox recently visited Good Company Taps and Spirits for a birthday celebration with friends.
She’s among the customers who bar owners are noticing don’t want to drink alcohol when they go out, which is creating a change in the industry, according to Nathan Thurnau with Good Company.
“It's a cocktail bar. So like, typically, spirits are how you're going to do that,” he said. “But it doesn't have to be.
“Like, there's no real rule for what tastes good, and what doesn't; you just kind of find what works and roll with that.”
Good Company in Revolutsia is attached to Pennant Coffee and Fox & Ash barbershop. It was one of the first bars in Wichita to begin offering nonalcoholic drinks on its menu, along with its other cocktails.
Employees see it as a creative way to make drinks with depths of flavors – just without the alcohol.
“It's a really fun challenge for me and the rest of our bartenders coming up with ways to do nonalcoholic drinks that aren't just juice and syrup and some soda water, like every other nonalcoholic option everywhere,” Thurnau said.
Other bars are also adapting to the change so visitors who choose not to drink can feel included, too.
Kirby’s Beer Store, a hole-in-the-wall bar that hosts live music and a pinball arcade near Wichita State University, says it’s also noticed the shift.
It began offering more nonalcoholic drinks like kombucha, seltzer waters, mocktails in a can and coffee.
That provides more options for people who choose not to drink, including those in recovery.
“We’re just noticing that it was kind of a trend,” co-owner Ryan Bell said. “People are stepping away and doing healthier options. And the younger crowd tends to not drink as much either.”
Bell is right in his observations about younger people and their alcohol consumption. A recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows that younger people aren’t as interested in drinking as older generations.
So now some bar owners, like Bell, are looking for ways to make sure people who don’t want to drink alcohol still feel welcome.
“I want people to … mainly be able to support their local musicians that they care about,” Bell said, “and not be … afraid or uncomfortable to come out to a bar.”
Younger people not drinking as much can be good news for places like Good Company, which caters to a younger crowd and already serves non-alcoholic options.
“I know there's a lot of appreciation for the fact that … you can come in to hang out with your friends, and still have fun, still feel like you're participating,” Thurnau said.
People who choose not to drink are noticing the change – and appreciate the growing variety of options that many bars offer.
“Once you know they're there, then you frequent them pretty often just because you do have some choices,” Fox said.
