Mobile Bar on the Move: Proper Pour Events

Will Combs is no stranger to fast-paced food and beverage service. After working in restaurants for years, primarily servicing the bar-side of the business, Will knew how to quickly customize a cocktail to near-perfection. The restaurant and bar where he worked, located on Spring Garden Street in Greensboro, eventually began providing on-site bar service for events and venues. And while Will enjoyed the pace of event management, he kept asking himself if there was a better way to do things.  

“There’s got to be a way to do this where we aren’t dragging everything in and out all the time,” Will said to his business partner at the time. One evening, around pizza and beer, Will began researching the hashtag, #mobilebar on Instagram and was inspired by what he found.  

Will Combs, owner of Proper Pour Events sits on his Ford truck that doubles as a tap system.

“The first one I saw was out of California,” Will remembers. “It was an Airstream.”  

Inspired by the idea of taking his passion for service and his experience out to his customers, Will was on a quest to find a camper of his own to convert to a mobile bar – until he ran into one tall problem. 

“The campers were neat but the problem is I’m 6’3,” Will laughs. This led him to continue his search until he found the perfect fit – both for his tall frame and his big idea – a horse trailer.  

Will – a former housing flipper – began transforming the trailer, adding copper to the ceiling, antique barnwood, and more, to turn the trailer into Pinterest-worthy dream! And in 2018, Proper Pour Events launched.  

While Proper Pour Events has become known in the Carolinas for its one-of-a-kind service at weddings, they have serviced everything from birthday parties, to baby and wedding showers, to corporate events, to non-alcoholic events.  

Proper Pour Events, a mobile bar in High Point, NC is made of a horse trailer.
The taps on the Proper Pour Events mobile bar Ford truck.

Because Proper Pour Events is much more than a mobile bar; it’s an experience. Now with 1946 Ford Truck complete with taps, a “tap trike,” and a soon-to-come 9-foot-tall Cushman vehicle, Proper Pour Events has a mobile bar that can fit any aesthetic and meet a wide variety of needs and price points. From serving on-tap beer and wine, to hand-crafting bespoke cocktails, Will and his team at Proper Pour Events know how to take an event to the next level.  

As a licensed bar-tender, Will’s specialty is in helping his clients hand-craft a menu perfect for their event. 

“I can create whatever type of cocktail you can imagine,” Will promises, providing taste tests to his customers, creating his own simple syrups, bitters, and more so each cocktail is completely custom. In fact, Will prefers it that way, as the true craft in bartending shines through.  

“I can only focus really on two signature cocktails,” Will says. “There’s no such thing as perfection in this business, but I can get them close to perfect."  

Not only does he bring his sage cocktail advice to his clients, but Will is also a shrewd events manager, reminding his wedding customers what really matters: their own needs. 

“Everybody's a little bit different in how they want to get married,” Will often assures his customers. “I tell everybody, ‘This is your wedding; this is your event. It's up to you. You can do whatever you want. You're doing this as a service to your guests.’”  

For Will and his staff at Proper Pour, the service is a key ingredient in not only their cocktails, but in the overall experience of Proper Pour.  

“You’re not paying for the service,” Will says. “You’re paying for the result.”   

And he makes sure that the result of every event with Proper Pour is one of satisfaction, inspiration, and celebration. That’s why Will doesn’t just serve drinks as part of his service with Proper Pour; he designs each detail surrounding the vehicle to the exact aesthetic of the wedding or party. From traditional to black tie, to boho, Proper Pour takes care of the floral arrangements, accessories, signage, and more surrounding their bar to make sure it is a seamless part of the event’s experience. 

“You want people to be like a moth to a flame,” Will says about his mobile bars.   

The pop up mobile bar for Proper Pour Events in High Point, NC.

He also believes that in the event planning world, it’s easy for things to become high-stress. Will wants to do what he can to take that stress level down. He recalls a story of a woman who called in a panic from South Carolina. Her son’s wedding was a few weeks away, and the mobile bar they had booked and paid for backed out. She had seen Proper Pour Events on Instagram and called Will to see if he could take the engagement. 

“I don’t like people getting taken advantage,” Will says simply, so he made a commitment to the woman to make her event happen. Now, Will’s clientele stretches across the Carolinas, as he represents High Point to an even larger demographic with Proper Pour Events.  

Glowing signs spelling our bar behind bespoke cocktails on the mobile bar for Proper Pour Events in High Point, NC.
Beer taps on the side of the mobile bar truck for Proper Pour Events in High Point, NC.

Since moving to High Point in 2014 for its central location, Will has continuously looked for ways to get involved in his adopted hometown.  

“I like to work with local breweries and wineries,” Will explains. Since Will doesn’t have a license to sell alcohol, he partners with local companies to fill his taps. He is also always on the lookout for ways for his business and other local businesses to maximize their impact by working together. He notes that at a lot of food truck festivals and other outdoor events, breweries usually have to set up a keg system under a tent.  

“Let's do it out of my truck,” Will suggests. With a full tap system, not only is the beer better, but the mobile bars often draw more attention to both businesses than a keg system would. 

But if four vehicles and a growing audience weren’t enough, Will is always looking for ways to expand Proper Pour Events. As a person who is always pushing himself to go above-and-beyond, Will is even considering owning his own venue in the future. 

And it’s not surprising, when the heart and soul of Proper Pour Events is to make the spaces where people congregate better – more communal, more conversational, more personal, and more fun.  

“Our mobile bars are a conversation piece and starter,” Will says. “Because, most conversations at a wedding happen at the bar.”  

Discover our High Points, 

The HPD Team

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