Carl Radke’s Soft Bar + Cafe Aims For August Launch
Photo credit: Soft Bar + Cafe
The Greenpoint, Brooklyn, zero-proof lounge will provide a social space to enjoy “soft” cocktails and other NA drinks in an elevated environment.
Carl Radke is a well-known face to fans of the popular Bravo Network reality series, Summer House, which features a group of New York City professionals as they escape to a vacation house in the Hamptons each summer. Since its inception in 2017, the series has reached millions of fans around the world, and garnered several award nominations for its cast.
Over the course of the show’s nine season run (Season 10 is scheduled to begin filming shortly), Radke came to the conclusion he needed to give up alcohol, due in part to seeing the impact it was having on him personally through the series. Having previously teamed up with best friend and co-star Kyle Cooke to help with Cooke’s alcohol brand, Loverboy, he gave it up for good in 2021. While holding multiple roles for the company, including VP of Sales, Radke has been instrumental in launching the brand’s non-alcoholic offerings. Now, he’s doubling down on the burgeoning zero proof space, but with his own brand and team he has assembled to deliver on his vision. While celebrity-driven non-alcoholic brands have become commonplace, he is passionate in his belief that creating elevated spaces to enjoy these beverages is a far greater need than adding new drink options themselves.
“I wanted to lead with experience first,” explains Radke. “I didn’t want to just dangle a can in front of your face and say, hey, drink this. I don’t believe we need another canned product (right now). We need a place, and an experience where these products can come to life.”
Enter Soft Bar + Cafe. While a formal launch date has not been set pending completion of the build-out, current estimates call for a likely August opening in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn (200 Banker St.). Will there be future locations of Soft Bar + Cafe? While Radke says he is obviously focused on getting the doors opened in Brooklyn, there is a vision for more in the future, including a potential non-alcoholic sports bar concept that was closer to his original plans.
Interested to hear more about Carl’s entrepreneurial journey in beverage, as well as his thoughts on the non-alcoholic space? Listen above to our podcast interview where we touch on these topics and more. Also available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you consume your content.