In a troubled economy, many restaurateurs say the most important thing is just to get people through their doors. Heathe St. Claire, chef-owner of The Sunburnt Cow and Bondi Road restaurants, both in New York, is taking the direct approach: He’s going to get them.
On Jan. 1, he unveiled the “Moo Mobile,” a van painted like a cow with a sunburn, which will shuttle guests to and from his restaurants.
What is the Moo Mobile?
The Moo Mobile is a wagon of love. It’s a 1984 Dodge Ram Scooby-Doo mobile that’s painted like the Sunburnt Cow. We’ve just added horns. But some idiot ran into me on New Year’s Eve, so it’s got to go back to the shop, so the launch is a little bit delayed.
We’ll pick people up in the Moo Mobile and bring them to the bar. And if the timing is right, we’ll take them home—as long as they’re in the Lower East Side or East Village area—or to any subway station around that area.
Where did this idea come from?
I’ve had the idea for a while. I finally found the van I was looking for, and slowly but surely it’s been coming together. It cost about $8,000 to have it painted like a cow.
We just launched our new happy hour, which is $20 for two hours of drinking. So basically the Moo Mobile is a booze wagon that will pick you up and take you home so you’re safe. That’s the concept behind it.
How will people arrange to be picked up by the Moo Mobile?
There’s a cell phone for it. You just call the Moo Mobile phone and say, “I want to be picked up.” In my experience with these things, they just sort of take shape themselves. You’ll see what becomes feasible over time. Now we have a cell phone, and we’re looking for a full-time driver.
Why is it worth it to launch something expensive like the Moo Mobile when the economy is in such trouble?
I’ve been wanting to do this for years. You can’t let the economy dictate how you run things. The economy will change. It goes up, it goes down. It’s always something. We’ve been in and out of recessions as long as I’ve been alive. There’s a recession, then there’s a boom, then there’s a recession, then there’s a boom. I just try to stay under the radar.
