The Usual Turns 15
“It’s one of those wild things where it feels like yesterday, and it feels like a lifetime ago,” said Jason Pollard, reflecting on the past 15 years that North Texas’s first craft cocktail bar has been in business.
On Wednesday, November 20, The Usual turns 15. In a business environment where cocktail bars are lucky to make it three years, The Usual has become a local institution. The anniversary bash will have a DJ, a special cocktail menu featuring long-time favorites at the bar, celebrity bartenders, tequila snow cones, free tattoos, limited edition T-shirts, and more.
So, what’s the bar’s secret to success?
“Stubbornness,” Pollard said with a laugh. “I think our focus on the cocktail behind the scenes has allowed us to focus on the guests in the moment. That’s a concept that other people have grasped, but it’s hard to pull off and do consistently. I really think that we’re incredibly fortunate to have been in this neighborhood from the beginning.”
The bar’s co-founder Brad Hensarling developed the concept after noticing the dearth of local bars that offered Old Fashioneds and classic cocktails. The original co-owners Jon Carney, Juan Solis, and Hensarling opened The Usual in late 2009. Pollard said Fort Worth wasn’t sure what to make of the bar that mimicked the types of craft cocktail bars opening on the East and West Coasts at the time. Over the years, Hensarling and Solis left ownership, while Pollard and Irish Huddleston became new co-owners.
After moving to Portland in 2012 and returning in 2014, Pollard brought his newfound insights to daily operations at The Usual plus a renewed commitment to taking care of his bar staff.
“We are trying to focus on our employees as people rather than vehicles to drive revenue,” Pollard said. “Wages are a part of that, but it’s also an understanding and willingness to meet people where they are. If you kid has their once-a-year Christmas recital, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you can be at that even if there’s no one else to cover your shift.”
A lot has changed over the past 15 years, but Pollard said the bar’s past owners have worked to keep the quality of the cocktails at the highest standards while keeping the craft cocktail bar’s long standing vibe.
“We’ve kept the ethos of, ya know, ‘dive bar people open a craft cocktail spot’ in the sense that you can come in a T-shirt and jeans. Or you can come in a three-piece suit, and we’re going to serve you just the same.”
November 20 will be a time for long-time customers and bartenders to enjoy a major milestone, he added.
“I want our staff and guests to have a chance to hang out and celebrate and enjoy the fact that somehow we made it 15 years,” he said.
