![]() ![]() The suit alleges Pine tasked Millette in April to purchase the domain of “Instabar,” giving him the company credit card. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the restaurant in late March, Pine tasked Millette with helping design and develop the outdoor patio as a new bar.Īccording to Pine’s lawsuit, a “team approach” was used to develop the concept of the outdoor space and its name Instabar. Pine said Millette played a role in that “but that’s what I hired him to do.” Pine said he hired his longtime friend Millette in December 2019 to help rebrand the restaurant from a barbeque pit to a Tex-Mex eatery, paying him $600 a week. Angel wings, southwestern desert scenes, brightly colored hearts and other “Instagramable” scenes were painted on the outdoor wall panels to encourage selfie-taking. The outdoor bar’s name draws from the social media platform Instagram, where manager Alyssa Pine, daughter of owner Shane, said their intention was to have guests post their pictures while enjoying cocktails at the bar. Pine opened Instabar, billed as the “Happiest Place in Hampton,” May 27 in the back yard of Shane’s Texas Pit at 61 High St. “It’s my mark, my creation and it was brought to life with the help of some talented friends that I brought on to help me see it through,” Millette said. Millette, who has hired his own attorney, denies Pine’s claims and said Instabar is his artistic creation. Shane’s Texas Pit owner Shane Pine recently filed a civil lawsuit at Rockingham Superior Court against his former friend and consultant Scott Millette, accusing him of trademark infringement, breach of contract, and fraud. He said Millette, of Portsmouth, attempted to steal the “Instabar” name and concept by trademarking it for himself. We will be OK.HAMPTON – A battle is brewing over the name Instabar, which pits the owner of the popular outdoor patio at Shane’s Texas Pit against a former consultant hired to help rebrand the restaurant. “Working on Instabar was almost like the light at the end of the tunnel,” Alyssa Pine said. They launched Instabar with a social media campaign promoting the restaurant as a secret new location, initially only revealed to guests upon making an online reservation. They recruited local artists Carmen Fernández and Kendall Vocca to create the panels and help with design. Millette bought a broken-down Winnebago for $250 and dragged it behind Shane’s to be repainted and converted into a private hangout. With outdoor seating becoming crucial, the Pines said Instabar became a more expansive project, and one that gave them hope in tough times. “When it first happened, it was crushing,” Shane said. Shane Pine’s restaurants, which include the Community Oven, fell into a financial crisis that saw 100 layoffs. ![]() Work on Instabar was underway when the coronavirus pandemic caused restaurants to halt dine-in service per the governor’s March 16 order. He also advised street-style tacos become more heavily emphasized, as tacos are a staple of Austin. “I was like, ‘This would crush in Portsmouth,’” Millette said, adding he realized Hampton would be his location when he saw Shane’s backyard space earlier this year. He was inspired by Instagram innovators like Happy Place, a traveling museum of exhibits in which guests can pose for pictures. ![]() Millette moved back from Austin six months ago with the idea of fusing Instagram with hospitality. in 2018, said Instabar came about as a part of a rebranding effort with the help of Millette, a longtime friend. Shane Pine, who opened Shane’s at 61 High St. Pine said other events are in the works, including comedy nights and live screenings of popular television shows like “The Bachelor.” Instabar opened May 27 and features live music seven days a week. “That’s what I was hoping Instabar would be,” said Pine. ![]() Pine said she and consultant Scott Millette worked to make the back of Shane’s feel like Austin’s Rainey Street, where historic homes have been converted into backyard bars and patrons play with their dogs and hula-hoops in the grass. The panels are painted with the help of local artists, as well as the colorful walkway welcoming guests to a space inspired by Austin’s cultural hotspots. The new patio’s name draws from the social media platform Instagram, where manager Alyssa Pine, daughter of owner Shane, hopes guests will go to post their pictures from Instabar. HAMPTON – Downtown Hampton has a new Austin-style patio hangout in the back of Shane’s BBQ, decked out with highly “Gramable” painted walls and a menu of street-style tacos.Īngel wings, southwestern desert scenes and brightly colored hearts and peace signs are painted on the wall panels inside Instabar, primed for selfie-taking. ![]()
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