Many brands, even some local, such as Beyond Booze Beverage Co., are now celebrating Dry January all year with AF (alcohol-free) drinks. Participating in a sober nightlife has become more than a trend and almost a movement, and it's made us rethink why the communal aspects of going to bars ever had to involve drinking alcohol or dealing with drunk people.
Married couple Brea and Korey Griffith of the Nutrition Spot on Dalrock in Rowlett have taken their commitment to health a step further, creating a new type of bar scene. They throw parties centered on health, education and community.
“Kind of like Cheers, you can come in and someone will know your name,” says Brea Griffith. “We’ll remember you, we’ll know you’re new, we’ll welcome you into the family. It’s going to be a real inviting space.”
The Nutrition Spot bar provides a place for the community to network and socialize with like-minded people over healthy indulgences from HerbaLife and AF drinks such as sparkling cider.
“The bar is there to create a hangout community,” Brea says. “A place where you can chill, enjoy your drink, definitely like a ‘bar’ bar, but you know what’s in it and you’re still going to be on track when you get out.”
Like all bars, The Nutrition Spot has it regulars, who call themselves the “Morning Crew.” Among the Morning Crew, the most common thread, other than health-seeking individuals, is mothers — stay-at-home, single moms, entrepreneur moms, empty nesters and new mothers.
“Because of childbirth your bodies change, so you’re trying to find yourself again,” says Brea of the party regulars. “And so you’re in search of looking for that tribe that’s trying to do the same thing.”
This is what brought Brea to the nutrition scene in the first place. She had battled to returned to a healthy weight after giving birth to twins, which led to finding out she was pre-diabetic. She has a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a masters in sports management, and her husband, Korey, is a former college athlete, so she was accustomed to staying fit, but her understanding of nutrition came later.
“I was trying to lose weight, and I really got stuck and wasn’t able to progress in results,” says Brea. "So I went into a bar similar to mine and got on a meal plan and was able to stay clear of going into diabetic numbers and that spoke volumes to me because I did not want to be that person who needed insulin, so I took control of it nutrition-wise.”
“One big thing about our bar is that we leave politics and religion out of everything. We talk health, exercise, current events, from Beyoncé to LeBron ... " – Brea Griffith
tweet this
Brea’s success with her own body and health after discovering a new world of knowledge involving nutrition sparked an even bigger interest centered on educating others.
“Through that process I was able to obtain my nutrition certification, but a big part of my journey came from being completely enthralled with helping people,” she says, “and the passion to help others achieve their goals along the way has been most amazing to me.”
Seeing the benefit that nutrition brought to those who visited her bar, Brea began to bring together other aspects of community to the Nutrition Spot bar scene, playing music constantly, throwing education-based mixers and hosting themed parties for their regulars and others looking for a night out, without all the alcohol and potential drama involved in the typical nightlife scene.
“Our big thing is to always center parties around nutrition,” she says. “So, how can we learn and grow? Did you know you can make food like this? Like our Super Bowl party, we had a fruit tray with a different way to make a healthy dip. So you leave with a recipe you could share with others that won’t sabotage your health progress.”
Some of the couple's other parties have included making vision boards for the New Year and a Galentine’s party with games centered on self-love. The attire usually changes depending on the theme. And though the main focus of this bar might be different from a regular one, there are still goals and guidelines much like any bar. Take out the alcohol, and it all seems to work better.
“When we have parties, we want people to come relax, socialize, connect to strangers,” says Brea. “One big thing about our bar is that we leave politics and religion out of everything. We talk health, exercise, current events, from Beyoncé to LeBron, all that, but we keep politics and religion out of it. Because we all want to stay friends in a loving way. We’re just trying to figure out how to lose weight or gain energy, or stay on the right track to live as long as we can.”
