Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Pollard.
Hi Jason, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, I grew up in Fort Worth, and started working in the service industry at 17. About a year after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, a friend of mine who had fled the storm arranged a trip back to see what the city was like a year later and asked if I’d like to join him. While we were there he introduced me to this strange concoction called a Sazerac. My mind was blown. At that point in my 24 years of life I think the most complex cocktail I’d ever had was a gin & tonic. Not long after that The Usual opened, led by Brad Hensarling who had been reading cocktail books in his spare time behind the bar at the neighborhood dive The Chat Room, and became the first craft cocktail bar in D/FW. As soon as it opened I became a regular, and somehow convinced them to let me behind the bar. I soaked up as much knowledge as I could, and in 2010 my wife and I decided to move to Portland, OR, one of the major craft cocktail cities in the country. After a couple years there, we decided that growing our family meant we needed to be closer to home and moved back. The Usual was the only place I was interested in working. In 2016, I think, I was named Head Bartender, and then in 2018 I was invited to join the ownership team. Since 2019 I’ve been the managing partner, which basically means I’m the one running the day to day. The Usual celebrated it’s 16th anniversary in November of 2025, and I couldn’t be happier leading the way as we keep making “all manner of esoteric libation”.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel like COVID is the obvious answer. And honestly, we’re still not back to where we were in 2019/early 2020. Not that it’s unique to me or The Usual, but I think there’s a lot of change happening culturally and socially since then, and it seems like it’s a constant challenge to adapt and pivot with whatever those changes may be while keeping the soul of The Usual.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I hope that what I’m known for is leading with a people-first mentality honestly. After almost 15 years of crafting cocktails, competing in competitions, and getting the opportunity to visit some amazing places along the way, the creating part isn’t nearly as hard as it was starting out, the part that I keep working on is how can we treat people better, wether that’s guests or employees.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
There’s so many things I’m grateful for, and that I am so fortunate to have going for me. I’d consider myself pretty darn lucky. I’ve got an amazing wife who has supported me doing what I love even when it meant we’d only see each other in passing for days at a time, and two amazing kids. I’m also just so fortunate to have joined a team where I’ve been given the opportunity to grow and advance the way that I have. And the team that I’ve been fortunate enough to lead, both past and present, is nothing short of a blessing.
Pricing:
- Happy Hour 4-7 Tuesday-Friday and all night Sunday and Monday
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.theusual.bar
- Instagram: @theusualbar, @pollardjt
- Facebook: @theusualbar
Image Credits
Mariel Garza
