Josh and Toni Barnes say The Wandering Tavern, their Jefferson City mobile bartending business, is building a following for its mocktails as they plan a three-day tabletop gaming convention for November 10–12, 2028.
They are connecting the business to interactive gaming adventures and a longer-term goal of supporting military members.
The couple discussed their plans during an October 22 interview on Wake Up Jeff City.
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A mobile bartending business with an unexpected beginning
The Wandering Tavern didn’t begin with a plan to sell mocktails at festivals.
The Barneses wanted to organize a gaming convention. Both had experience managing conventions, but getting a new event off the ground would require money.
Toni said she came across an advertisement for mobile bartending while scrolling online and mentioned the idea to Josh.
He wasn’t immediately convinced.
“He just kept walking,” she recalled.
But he returned the following day, wanting to hear more.
The couple launched The Wandering Tavern as a way to build a business while working toward their larger convention plans.
The service provides bartenders, equipment, setup, cleanup and customized drink menus for weddings and other private events. It operates as a dry-hire bartending service, meaning customers purchase the alcohol themselves rather than buying it from the company.
At public festivals and fairs, the Barneses found another opportunity: handcrafted mocktails.
The Wandering Tavern mocktails became a bigger attraction than expected
Josh said their original plan was to concentrate on weddings and use festivals to fill the weekends between private bookings.
Instead, the nonalcoholic drinks started developing their own following.
The couple tested recipes with friends and relatives, asking them to rate the drinks before adding them to the menu.
Among their creations are Siren’s Kiss, a watermelon-flavored drink, and Kraken’s Abyss, which Josh described as resembling a blue piña colada.
But a newer drink produced one of their biggest surprises.
At a recent event, the couple introduced Captain’s Grog, a nonalcoholic drink inspired by the flavor of apple pie moonshine.
According to the Barneses, demand was so strong that they exhausted their initial supply by noon.
Toni recalled running through a grocery store in her barmaid costume to purchase more ingredients while customers waited for another batch.
The couple said they had also begun hearing something they hadn’t expected from customers.
“We came to this event just for you all,” Toni recalled people telling them.
For a business originally intended to help fund a separate project, that kind of customer interest has changed what’s possible.
The Wandering Tavern is turning customers into participants
The fantasy theme isn’t limited to pirate costumes.
Josh said The Wandering Tavern and the couple’s planned gaming convention are connected through an original fictional world he developed years ago.
Clues, puzzles and hidden messages connect their websites and public appearances.
At the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival on October 24–25, the couple said they plan to hide promotional treasure bottles containing rewards and riddles. Some participants will be able to solve a cipher for a chance to win prizes.
Toni said the interactive experiences are designed to make customers part of the adventure rather than simply spectators.
The project has also brought relatives and volunteers into the effort. Josh’s mother helps with website development, family members work events, and volunteers have assisted with convention-related activities and elaborate props.
For a recent parade, Toni said volunteers even constructed a wooden boat for the business’s pirate-themed appearance.
A Jefferson City gaming convention is planned for 2028
The Barneses announced plans for Newt Con, a tabletop gaming convention in Jefferson City scheduled for November 10–12, 2028.
The event is intended to feature board games, role-playing games and other interactive experiences.
They are also targeting June 5, 2027, for an introductory event that would give the public a preview of the larger convention.
Those plans are still developing. A venue for the introductory event has not been announced, and additional event details remain to be finalized.
Other local projects are adding event capacity in Jefferson City. The Missouri Chamber’s East Capitol Avenue headquarters renovation is planned to include an event center for more than 230 people.
Josh said Jefferson City gaming business Mimics JC had agreed to become a sponsor of the project.
The couple hopes their traveling bartending operation and convention will continue to support one another, giving customers new ways to participate between major events.
A goal of giving back to military members
The couple also wants their convention project to serve a purpose beyond entertainment.
Josh said he has seen how gaming helped friends and family members in the military maintain connections, including during deployments.
Both Josh and Toni have military connections in their families.
Their longer-term goal is to find ways to send gaming materials to military personnel overseas and highlight how tabletop gaming can help people maintain friendships and community.
That effort remains a developing goal, rather than an established donation program.
The couple also announced plans to offer free drinks to veterans at an upcoming winter-market appearance in Columbia.
For Josh, the veterans initiative connects directly to the interests that brought the business together in the first place.
He believes their love of gaming can offer a distinctive way to give something back.
What’s next for The Wandering Tavern?
The Barneses say they are booking appearances across Missouri while continuing to develop their mocktail menu, interactive adventures and convention plans.
Their immediate focus includes the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival this weekend, where they plan to introduce a sugar-free mocktail alongside their other drinks.
Customers can find business information and upcoming appearances at The Wandering Tavern’s website.
The bigger convention is still two years away, and much of the work remains ahead.
But the business that began as a practical way to raise startup money is already becoming an attraction of its own.
And for Josh and Toni Barnes, that’s another part of the adventure.
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