[Mike] What If... an entrepreneur refurbished old vehicles to serve drinks?

(bright upbeat music) Every day is take your family to work day for Abby Miller.

Today it's Pat the Pickup at a UNL event.

Other times it's Dot or Inez.

We'll meet them later.

Put them all together and you have Abby's business, Pat on Tap.

We're very similar to any other food catering business, except we only do things that are liquid.

And then we have really cool, instead of five gallon igloo coolers, we have trucks.

[Mike] Like Pat, a restored 1957 Chevy pickup.

(bright upbeat music) Tonight she'll serve 1,500 drinks in less than three hours.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

The only other way you're gonna do that is if you're handing out cans.

And even if you have a really nice bartender, I mean, there's no other experience quite like it, where you could walk up to a truck you've never seen before with a drink maybe you've never had, or at least tastes better 'cause you think it does 'cause it's coming from a cool truck.

This one is really good.

[Abby] That's just an experience unlike any other.

It is, it's good.

-It's good.

-It's good.

(bright upbeat music) (air whooshing) [Mike] Abby's been starting businesses since she was a kid in a family of entrepreneurs.

The first day I think I understood what entrepreneurship was, my best friend knocked on my front door and she said, "Hey Abby, we're selling rocks."

And I said, "Who would buy the rocks?"

And she's like, "Well, here's our plan.

We're stealing them from their own yards, so they have to buy 'em back."

So I say that's how I learned supply and demand, was my best friend getting me on this rock business.

That was number one, kind of borderline on ethics.

Did you sell rocks?

I think it was a one day venture.

[Mike] Other ventures were less sketchy.

Selling rabbits and duct tape wallets, lemonade stands, dog walking.

An interest in hospitality led to a photography business, and a non-profit recycling flower arrangements from large events to give out to people in hospitals or senior living.

Abby did all this before graduating from high school.

(bright upbeat music) All right, Mike, let's put you to work.

All right, happy to help.

All right, just spray wherever.

(Abby mumbling) [Mike] All that background, plus being a part of UNL's Engler Entrepreneurship program, led to an idea.

Buy old vehicles and refurbish them to serve drinks at weddings, graduation parties, corporate events.

So with Inez here, how long did it take you to build this?

So it was a six month turnaround, I think that would be.

Like, I did all of the kind of prep work, so like sanding... I mean, it can take half an hour to get one bolt off.

-You did it.

-Okay, thank you.

You could be hired.

What do you pay?

That's to be discussed.

(both laughing) -Enough.

-Enough, okay.

Fair, fair.

(light instrumental music) Abby's more useful Pat on Tap workers are all named for people important to her, including two grandmothers.

I think all three of those ladies are way tougher than me.

So when I have a really hard day I'm like, "You know what?

Pat, Inez, and Dot all could have got through this.

Since Abby says each has its own personality, we decided to let them tell us.

What's your name?

[Voiceover 1] My name's Pat, Pat The pickup Is this hard work for somebody that's this old?

[Voiceover 1] Well, first I would say wise and, second, shouldn't you know this, Mike?

Why are you called Dot?

[Voiceover 2] Well, my full name is Dorothy, but some people like to say I'm pretty dangerous on tap.

Abby calls you rustic, do you agree with that?

[Voiceover 2] What's with the air quotes around rustic, Mike?

Abby seems to think you're the polished girl.

[Voiceover 3] Oh, that might be right, Mike, but I think I'm just a ray of sunshine.

Isn't it super cool to be on "What If..."?

[Voiceover 3] Oh, it's what I was made for, Mike.

I think it's cooler that you get to hang out with me.

What's Abby like to work for?

[Voiceover 4] Well, Mike, it'd be a lot better if I got a raise.

(upbeat bouncy music) -(air whooshing) -(truck engine rumbling) (upbeat whimsical music) [Mike] There's lots of long hours, hard work, and troubleshooting, running a business like this.

(upbeat whimsical music) This is a little more involved than just drive up and turn on the taps, huh?

[Abby] Oh yeah, yeah.

(upbeat whimsical music) [Mike] Abby's goal is doing events 60 to 70 days a year.

It's lots of weekends, sometimes with trucks in different locations.

Dad sometimes helps with transportation.

Serving everything from beer and wine, to hot apple cider and lemonade.

Mixing craft drinks herself.

(upbeat whimsical music) It's Homecoming 2025 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

[Mike] Hey look, it's D-Wayne from a different "What If" story.

♪ Mike will Mike will rock you ♪ [Mike] All right, back to Pat on Tap.

Are you ready?

(bright upbeat music) (transitions to gentle music) Abby Miller has big dreams.

Where's this business gonna be in 10 years?

My number one goal is to be the ultimate beverage caterer in Nebraska.

I want it to be a household name, I want people to say, "Hey, have you invited Pat yet?"

Meaning, the truck, and everyone knows it means the truck not your cousin Pat.

[Mike] Getting there could include franchising with other budding entrepreneurs owning trucks, led and coached by Abby.

-Thank you.

-If you post it, tag Pat on Tap.

Okay.

Thank you.

(students chattering) [Abby] My passions are seeing people happy.

It sounds so simple, but we're on this earth for such a short time so why can't we spend as many moments as we can just living our lives happily.

-(light instrumental music) -(liquid gurgling)