Sarah DePasquale combined her love of horses growing up and her career as a bartender to begin Unbridled Bar, which is a horse trailer turned mobile bar business. It has been quite the ride, but she has enjoyed developing a client base and a reputation within the local event world since opening in 2019. She can modify the mobile bar for any occasion and offers a unique edition to events throughout the Northeast Florida area.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
My name is Sarah DePasquale, and I grew up in New Hampshire, so I’m from up north, but went to high school in Sarasota and college at UF, which is also where I met my husband.
We’ve moved the Jacksonville and have been here for about 13 years now.
Where did the idea to start Unbridled Bar come from?
Once we moved to Jacksonville, after a while I had just reached the point where I knew I wanted to work for myself and be my own boss.
I had always been a bartender but started branching out and doing wedding photography on the side.
I started to really get into that world and began making connections and getting to know people in the wedding business.
I had seen the horse trailer idea in another market and thought about trying it here in Jacksonville.
So, we bought a horse trailer, and then a second one, and the business got its start.
We got our first trailer in 2019 and were able to serve cocktail drink mixes during COVID, which kept us in business during that time when big events were not taking place.
What goes into turning a horse trailer into a mobile bar?
There’s a lot that goes in to make it happen and convert it.
Luckily, I had a really good bar regular that was able to really help in the construction and creation process for the trailer.
I was the first trailer on the market in Jacksonville, which was great but it also meant that it took some time to convince people and venues that the horse trailer mobile bar concept was just what they were looking for.
However, although it took a little bit of convincing, once they realized what we had to offer it really took off from there.
How has the reception been to the idea within the community?
It has been very rewarding, and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to partner up with the local community and with organizations for their events.
We have really done a lot with K9s For Warriors and the fundraising events they have. It’s always nice to get your name out there some more while also helping out a great cause like that.
We’ve definitely developed a client base, especially when it comes to the holidays, such as Christmas parties and other events that take place often or annually.
The more events we do also help us spread the word about our business and all that we do.
It does tend to get easier over time and the longer we’re around, we’ve begun to develop a reputation we can lean on.
Word of mouth has helped us a lot. That and Instagram is where potential clients can best find us by searching The Unbridled Bar.
Where did the name “Unbridled Bar” come from for the business?
I was a horse girl and grew up riding horses with my grandfather, so they have always been special to me.
Our trailer is a vintage 1970 trailer, and we knew we wanted to keep true to its tradition of being a horse trailer.
So, one day, unbridled came to me and it just seemed to fit perfectly with our horse theme and the fact that weddings are still a major part of our business.
What do you enjoy most about living in the Northeast Florida area?
My husband and I don’t have kids, so we foster kittens.
We also enjoy surfing, gardening and just being outside in the beautiful weather this area has to offer.
