The team behind the restaurant - Tim Entwistle and James Hoole, the co-creators of the custom-made pizza concept Go Food, and friend Jez Hall, a former director of the Lucky Pig cocktail bar in Fitzrovia – are now planning to open a different concept on the earmarked site on Earlham Street.
Earlham Street Clubhouse, an East Coast beach club-themed pizza and cocktail venue, will open in the basement of the property next month.
A spokesperson for the business told BigHospitality: “Chuck's Clubhouse didn't work at that particular site because the specifications were wrong for the building and the design didn't work in the basement venue as some of the structure couldn't be changed.
“The owners wanted to do the Chuck's Clubhouse theme as was originally imagined, so they decided to keep it on hold and move it to another site. They have found another site and will hopefully have everything signed up ready to open in 2014.
“In the meantime, as they had already earmarked the Earlham Street site, the same owners decided to come up with a new concept for the space, still American, but with a different cocktail menu, interior design and overarching theme, and decided to call it Earlham Street Clubhouse.”
On the menu
The 160-capacity venue will combine ‘classic clubhouse interiors with vintage boardwalk glamour’. The extensive cocktail list has been designed by expert drinks consultants, Soul Shakers, with inventive twists on the American classics and a selection of punches, coolers, sea-breezes, and margaritas on offer. Cocktails are priced from £7.50 whilst a schooner of beer and a glass of wine start at £4.
Accompanying the drink offering will be a selection of New York thin crust pizzas, wood-fired and created by ‘Chef Toni’. The pizzas will be made with a healthy, sourdough base and feature toppings such as pulled pork, salmon, fennel sausage and baby kale. Sold by the slice, and in 12” and 20” sizes, the pizzas will range from £3.50 - £18.
“The pizzas and the cocktails served will be the main stars of the venue and the owners hope to attract a mix of media professionals, lunchtime local businesses, and London's passionate foodies, cocktail lovers and trendsetters,” added the spokesperson.
Secret DJ
Male staff will be kitted out in blazers and slacks and females in pleated tartan skirts and silk blouses. Guests will also be able to choose the music they want to hear from the Clubhouse jukebox by selecting their favourite songs using a new ‘secret DJ’ app on their Smartphone.
The bar stretching along one side of the venue will be clad Victorian mahogany doors and a bespoke copper top, and fitted with retractable cocktail menus attached to the ceiling. Booths hidden down secret passages are fitted out with their own phones and boast a vintage gas pump serving ice cold beer directly to the table.
Designed by Matt Rawlinson of the award-winning Raw Design, Earlham Street Clubhouse will also feature reclaimed wood panelling, exposed brick and battered suede seating alongside recycled tin advertising signs and Coney Island fairground lights.
Earlham Street Clubhouse will open at 35 Earlham Street next month. The specific location and opening date of Chuck’s Clubhouse has not yet been confirmed.