Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. has a simple promise that plays big at crowded, all-day events: pay once, refill as often as you like and carry a keepsake you’ll actually use again. The setup is easy to spot on a midway or convention floor — a Wild West-style wagon, a neat row of taps and stacks of stainless-steel mugs gleaming under the lights. It photographs well, but it works because the value is obvious and the experience is smooth.
“For those who don’t know, we have a big Wild West mobile soda saloon that we bring to fairs, festivals and comic cons, and we do an unlimited soda offering at live events,” said Chief Growth Officer Michael Russo. “You buy one of these big, beautiful mugs and get unlimited craft soda.”
The taps are always flowing with a rotating lineup of Wild Bill’s nostalgic craft sodas — Sarsaparilla, Black Cherry, Vanilla Cream, Birch Beer, Strawberry Cream — plus seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice and Apple Pie in the fall and Rocket Pop in the summer. They even serve up officially licensed Ring Pop® flavors, giving fans a reason to keep coming back for something new and unforgettable. Because the product is nonalcoholic, the stop works for families, friend groups and anyone looking for something cold between panels, rides or sets. Unlimited refills take the friction out of choice; guests can try a bold flavor at lunch, switch to something crisper in the afternoon heat and top off on the way out.
The stainless-steel mug is more than packaging. Designs refresh and event art pops, which pulls in collectors, but casual buyers hang on to it because it’s durable and useful. During the event, it becomes part of the outfit — clipped to a backpack, looped on a wrist in photos, recognized by other fans who already found the wagon. Afterward, it sits on a shelf or desk, a small reminder that travels to the next fair or con.
Wild Bill’s is an event brand first and an omnichannel brand by design. “We really believe in Wild Bills as a brand, as an omni-channel brand beyond franchising and the canned soda,” Russo said. “We have a very cult following from these events, and it’s amazing with 23 years of history what’s become of Wild Bills, beyond the 400 events we service every year.”
Presence matters. The company works with promoters and concessionaires nationwide — “We always say ‘almost 100’ — almost 100 convention centers, expo centers and arenas across the country,” Russo said — and shows up in niche communities as readily as the big stages: street fairs, food truck festivals, renaissance faires, cultural gatherings, and hometown celebrations where the line forms early.
Wild Bill’s mission includes meaningful employment for military veterans, and that service mindset shows up at the stand: move the line, keep the taps flowing, treat guests well. “I’ve just been really focused on this — finding, training, hiring, engaging veterans and turning them into successful entrepreneurs,” CEO Mike Quilty said. The result is a team that knows how to run hard during the season and deliver consistently.
Competition at events is everywhere, from lemonade to novelty treats, and the team acts accordingly. “Everybody’s your competition … you have to position yourself in all these ways to produce outsized value,” Quilty said. “We work really hard for what we get and don’t take any of it for granted.”
Wild Bill’s turns a basic need — staying refreshed — into a small tradition that punctuates the day without slowing it down. The wagon draws a crowd because the deal makes sense, the flavors are fun and the mug turns a purchase into a memory. Or as Russo put it from the event floor: “You got to try a birch beer. Everyone has to have one once.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://drinkwildbills.com/pages/franchise-opportunity.
Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Company
SPONSORED
A Wild West-style wagon, rotating craft soda taps and a stainless-steel keepsake turn long days at fairs and cons into an easy, memorable ritual grounded in real value.
Wild Bill’s Craft Beverage Co. has a simple promise that plays big at crowded, all-day events: pay once, refill as often as you like and carry a keepsake you’ll actually use again. The setup is easy to spot on a midway or convention floor — a Wild West-style wagon, a neat row of taps and stacks of stainless-steel mugs gleaming under the lights. It photographs well, but it works because the value is obvious and the experience is smooth.
“For those who don’t know, we have a big Wild West mobile soda saloon that we bring to fairs, festivals and comic cons, and we do an unlimited soda offering at live events,” said Chief Growth Officer Michael Russo. “You buy one of these big, beautiful mugs and get unlimited craft soda.”
The taps are always flowing with a rotating lineup of Wild Bill’s nostalgic craft sodas — Sarsaparilla, Black Cherry, Vanilla Cream, Birch Beer, Strawberry Cream — plus seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice and Apple Pie in the fall and Rocket Pop in the summer. They even serve up officially licensed Ring Pop® flavors, giving fans a reason to keep coming back for something new and unforgettable. Because the product is nonalcoholic, the stop works for families, friend groups and anyone looking for something cold between panels, rides or sets. Unlimited refills take the friction out of choice; guests can try a bold flavor at lunch, switch to something crisper in the afternoon heat and top off on the way out.
The stainless-steel mug is more than packaging. Designs refresh and event art pops, which pulls in collectors, but casual buyers hang on to it because it’s durable and useful. During the event, it becomes part of the outfit — clipped to a backpack, looped on a wrist in photos, recognized by other fans who already found the wagon. Afterward, it sits on a shelf or desk, a small reminder that travels to the next fair or con.
Wild Bill’s is an event brand first and an omnichannel brand by design. “We really believe in Wild Bills as a brand, as an omni-channel brand beyond franchising and the canned soda,” Russo said. “We have a very cult following from these events, and it’s amazing with 23 years of history what’s become of Wild Bills, beyond the 400 events we service every year.”
Presence matters. The company works with promoters and concessionaires nationwide — “We always say ‘almost 100’ — almost 100 convention centers, expo centers and arenas across the country,” Russo said — and shows up in niche communities as readily as the big stages: street fairs, food truck festivals, renaissance faires, cultural gatherings, and hometown celebrations where the line forms early.
Wild Bill’s mission includes meaningful employment for military veterans, and that service mindset shows up at the stand: move the line, keep the taps flowing, treat guests well. “I’ve just been really focused on this — finding, training, hiring, engaging veterans and turning them into successful entrepreneurs,” CEO Mike Quilty said. The result is a team that knows how to run hard during the season and deliver consistently.
Competition at events is everywhere, from lemonade to novelty treats, and the team acts accordingly. “Everybody’s your competition … you have to position yourself in all these ways to produce outsized value,” Quilty said. “We work really hard for what we get and don’t take any of it for granted.”
Wild Bill’s turns a basic need — staying refreshed — into a small tradition that punctuates the day without slowing it down. The wagon draws a crowd because the deal makes sense, the flavors are fun and the mug turns a purchase into a memory. Or as Russo put it from the event floor: “You got to try a birch beer. Everyone has to have one once.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://drinkwildbills.com/pages/franchise-opportunity.
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