ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It doesn’t take much to pack a bar in Rochester during the weekend, but at 11 a.m., this is saying something.

You think they would be here for the booze, but there is none.

“This was a big demand,” Altbar co-owner Meg Hartman said. “We had customers who came in who said, ‘Oh, my God, I just feel so included now. I haven’t had a chance to like to go out and socialize with people without being worried about being around alcohol’.”

Patrons were out to celebrate the grand opening of Altbar, a new non-alcoholic bar and bottle shop.

Owners Meg and Bob Hartman say this has been in the works for three years.

“We have customers who also say, ‘I’m only sober because I’ve got these like great non-alcohol alternatives’,” Meg said. “I also do not want to be a stumbling block or a trigger for anyone’s sobriety journey. So we’re really clear on our menu. We have mocktails that don’t use any non-alcoholic spirits in case that is triggering for anyone.”

Catering to those who are sober, sober-curious, or simply choosing not to drink, offering a unique space for the community and most importantly Bob Hartman himself.

“This is for people who are health conscious,” Bob said. “For supporters of other people. For people who would never do it. For people who are taking the night off. And for me.”

“My husband quit drinking five years ago and we really missed a place to go and socialize and have a good adult cocktail without the booze,” Meg said. “And there weren’t a lot of places that had great quality non-alcoholic cocktails. So we started doing pop-ups and we started seeing that people really wanted this.”

Adding something new to the already thriving hospitality scene, the Hartman family creates a space for everyone.

“I just want people to come and see how many great options there are that don’t include booze, that don’t require booze so they can come,” Meg said. “They have a great time. They can socialize and they don’t need the alcohol to do it.”