Dining + entertainment center coming to South End — with food, duckpin bowling, live music
SupperClub SouthEnd is slated to open in Lower South End on Friday, Oct. 13, offering wood-fired food paired with craft cocktails, plus duckpin bowling, pool and other games.
Charlotte restaurant industry veterans Brad Byrd and Andrea Nivens are the owners behind the the new dining and entertainment concept, which will sit nearby Gilde, Weathered Souls, Red Clay Ciderworks and State of Confusion.
“Unlike most gaming venues, SupperClub SouthEnd will focus on its culinary and beverage offerings with games being an added amenity,” Byrd said. “We also wanted the location to be in an area that was easily accessible to the entire city and visitors, yet had strong, vibrant neighborhoods surrounding it and the South End was the perfect location.”
SupperClub’s menu is heavily influenced by French and Italian cuisine, and the new spot has artistic features including statues that tie in to Paris. Another thing you can’t miss: a Sistine Chapel inspired painting that hangs from the ceiling.
“It was just stuff I liked, that I kind of threw together and hoped it worked,” Byrd said
The entertainment: SupperClub’s gaming area will house eight duckpin lanes, two pool tables, shuffleboard, air hockey and a selection of board games.
Expect live music nightly, featuring local and regional artists.
The food: Executive chef Blake Nolen will lead the kitchen. The Charlotte native has worked at restaurants including the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond Sea Island Resort in Sea Island, Ga., and at North Italia in Charlotte.
Nolen worked closely with local and regional food purveyors and farms to curate a menu that focused on both seasonal ingredients and international flavors.
Byrd said, “I’m from the South, clearly. We’re in the South. So, the ingredients that we can get during the summer and during the winter are Southern ingredients, so it was just really taking that and adding some French and Italian influences.”
Look for a menu that features the use of a wood-fired oven and wood-burning grill, with entrees such as Cheerwine Pork Belly with Popcorn Grits, Beet “Tagliatelle” and Roasted Oysters with Collard Kimchi. Later on in the fall, the restaurant will add lunch service.
The beverages: Plans call for an extensive craft cocktail menu, along with a beer and wine program led by Frank Caceres.
The space: The warehouse-style 15,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor entertainment complex will hold up to 500 people.
The restaurant will seat 100, with an additional 60-seat lounge, 30-seat bar and 60-seat outdoor dining and lounge space. The open layout can be sectioned off for private events.
The vibe: The space will feature gold chandeliers and a marble-topped bar with open glass shelving. You’ll find local artwork on display, along with colorful LondonArt murals and the giant framed canvas of the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling. The décor includes faux finishing from local artist Leigh Jones.
“The painting — that I thought was gonna be pretty simple. I was like, ‘Oh, they can just put a canvas on the ceiling and we’ll just put the crown molding around it,’ and that would be easy. It’s very easy when you’re not actually doing the work — so it was a nightmare. We had probably 20 different handymen come in and look at it and say, ‘No, I cannot do that.’ Really, I just wanted to look like a hung a painting on the ceiling,” Byrd said.
Byrd shared that a social media company is behind SupperClub’s Beyoncé-coded Renaissance Instagram theme, but he really wanted to work in a disco ‘80s vibe, too. “So, Beyonce tying Donna Summer — it worked in that aspect,” Byrd said.
“I think that Beyonce just had our back and knew that we were gonna put the Renaissance stuff out there,” Byrd joked.
Byrd said he was also inspired by the famed former New York disco nightclub Studio 54.
“The feel should be, for me, kind of a Studio 54. So, upscale night club, French bistro and kind of whatever happens in between,” Byrd said.
SupperClub SouthEnd
Location: 3521 Dewitt Lane, Charlotte, NC 28217
Cuisine: Southern, wood-fired
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-midnight; and Sunday, 4-10 p.m.
Instagram: @gotosupperclub
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 10:35 AM.
