New Blacksburg Cocktail Bar Ready for First Summer
by Tyler Ennis
After their grand opening in October, Twisted Liquid is ready for their first summer in Blacksburg.
The first few weeks of summer can be rough on local bars in Blacksburg as Virginia Tech students head home. Many bars rely on student business and employment during school months. The owner of the popular student bar, The Maroon Door, explained that the first week or so after graduation can be tough as they start replacing student employees, according to a report from Kelsey Jean-Bapise of WFXR.
Lindsey Park, who owns Twisted Liquid with her husband Glenn, seems confident that she has prepared Twisted Liquid for this challenge.
“I have found the most amazing talented staff. All the people I hire are industry people. I don’t hire someone just looking for a part-time job while they wait for their full-time job to start paying them well. I actually choose people who are choosing serving and bartending as a career. So, really the restaurant has been self-sufficient from day one,” said Lindsey Park.
Lindsey said she has always been super passionate about the food industry, especially growing up with a foodie dad. She is always seeking out new food adventures. This is her passion and that is what she looks for in her employees too. They are not students, they are dedicated to the job. This hiring practice will help shield Twisted Liquid from the quick staff turnover other local bars face after graduation.
To top it off, Lindsey said that students are not the primary customer base for Twisted Liquid. In fact, her target market was just basically anybody but the students. With most local bars catering to students, she wanted to provide a place for young adults all the way up to seniors to hang out.
“We want people to come in with an open mind and have an amazing experience trying things they never have before. We want people to ask questions,” said Lorien Helm, a Front of House Manager at Twisted Liquid.
Lorien said that the Twisted Liquid team wants to push people to question why certain foods and drinks are associated together and give them opportunities to enjoy new innovative combinations. The cocktail bar is pushing to provide a new kind of food and beverage experience for Blacksburg locals.
During the summer in Blacksburg, Lindsey said she expects locals to come out of hiding and get a little bit busier without the worry of students.
“We actually get a lot of the locals in here already. People who just want to come in to have a cocktail and a really nice dinner. Couples coming in for dates. So, we are not really worried for summer because our community is going to still be here,” said Lorien.
Lindsey and her team at Twisted Liquid are confident that they will have plenty of locals stopping by over the summer months. According to Lindsey, the main challenge for Twisted Liquid now is to continue to get the word out about the bar because they have only been open five months.
Lindsey said they expect plenty of out-of-town visitors during the summer months too. In fact, visitors to Montgomery County spent $87.9 million dollars in 2021 on food and beverages, more than any other county in Southwest Virginia, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation. As the only cocktail bar in town, Twisted Liquid provides something new for these visitors to spend their time and money on this summer.
