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Carl Radke Explains the Meaning Behind the Name of His New Non-Alcoholic Hot Spot, Soft Bar
The Summer House entrepreneur shared the interesting inspiration behind the name of his new business venture.
Carl Radke just announced the name and location of his new non-alcoholic bar, Soft Bar + Cafe. Following his big reveal, the Summer House cast member clarified the meaning behind the bar's name.
While speaking to Page Six, Carl revealed that his European travels inspired the name, since several overseas bars called non-alcoholic beverages "soft cocktails" or "soft."
“While ‘Soft drinks’ is a term used in the US, it has a different connotation, typically representing soda,” he told the outlet. “I wanted to define a new — and much needed — category and space, having ‘soft drinks’ or ‘softs’ be seen as functional and high quality non [alcoholic] beverages for adults.”
He continued, ”I was sharing this thought during a conversation with my co-founder as we discussed raising the bar in the non-[alcoholic] space, ultimately leading us to the name ‘Soft Bar.’”
More Details About Carl Radke's Non-Alcoholic Bar, Soft
Carl announced his new brick-and-mortar bar venture on July 30. "It's officially happening!" he declared over Instagram Story photos from Soft Bar + Cafe's official Instagram account.
The bar's bio notes the business is "popping up around NY summer 2024" and will be "Brooklyn's first non-[alcoholic] bar + cafe for mindful consumption (coming soon)."
Though Carl hasn't yet revealed all the details about the bar, a July 30 post states, "From daily operations to ambiance to individual drinks, we do it all with much thought and the best intentions."
Carl first opened up about wanting to create a zero-proof bar on Season 8, Episode 3 of Summer House, "I'm proud to be a voice for things that I've been through and hopefully help other people," he shared on the show. "So I've been thinking about a sports bar, non-alcoholic. A sober sports bar."
Following his declaration, he revealed on the Summer House reunion that he was pursuing the project.
"I want to lean into non-alcoholic stuff, whether it's opening a cafe or sports bar, which, by the way, I'm about to," he shared. "I've got a team together, we've raised some money, and we're actually going to open something here in New York."
The entrepreneur added: "It feels like my calling. It's finally looking at me, and I want to go pursue that."
Is Carl Radke still working for Kyle Cooke's company, Loverboy?
Though Carl seems excited to focus on his latest venture, he confirmed earlier in 2024 that he still works for Kyle Cooke's beverage company, Loverboy, part-time after leaving in February 2023. (Carl announced at BravoCon in November 2023 that he was returning to focus on the brand's non-alcoholic products).
"It speaks to me personally, it speaks to my passion to help people who don’t drink feel more comfortable," Carl told The Daily Dish in February. "The fact that we're now offering a non-alcoholic version of Loverboy is just incredible."
