On Sunday, June 9, the bar is hosting a fourth-anniversary party for the Underdog Family (TUF), a nonprofit organization that assists local restaurants with their digital presence, and you're invited.
Show up at 3 p.m. (another bonus: You get to sleep in!) at Lustre Pearl, where you'll be able to taste some of the best wings in Denver from Genna Rae's Wings & More.
Genn Dickerson owns the takeout-only spot in Whittier, which has been serving seriously delicious comfort food for seriously affordable prices since 2016 and has worked with TUF since the nonprofit's inception in 2020. "[Genn's] wings are unbelievable, but he didn't have a website," notes Derrick Knudsen, TUF's vice president and board director. "There were a lot of opportunities for efficiencies."
The Underdog Family co-founder Chin Weerappuli and Genna Rae's owner Genn Dickerson.
Courtesy The Underdog Family
The Underdog Family launched with a heavy focus on volunteers providing technical services, Knudsen explains, but that's changed as COVID-related business restrictions have disappeared. "The team went from thirty to [co-founder] Chin [Weerappuli] and myself," he notes.
Recently, the two have brought on three employees to handle social media, a website redesign and events. It's a big change that has necessitated a shift in operations. "Now we’re more community-driven and bringing awareness to existing client businesses," Knudsen explains. Rather than having volunteers maintain client websites, "we do more of a tech workshop. Now we do it quarterly — bring clients in and do a two- to four-hour workshop and teach them to maintain it themselves.
"The volunteer model is ever-changing," he acknowledges. "It’s like a living organism, and every couple of months, it's like, 'What can we do differently?'"
Sunday's celebration will also serve as a kickoff of sorts for "this next chapter of the Underdog Family," he adds. No tickets or RSVPs are required: "Come one, come all," Knudsen says.
Guests will nosh on free wings and enjoy tunes from DJ Dill; the bar will be serving both boozy and N/A drink specials like $5 green tea shots. It's a great opportunity to enjoy some great bites and connect with folks at TUF about their new model, which Knudsen says will still utilize volunteers but on an event-specific basis.
To learn more about the organization, check out its Instagram page and newly redesigned website, which launches on June 8.
