Hello World! We're finally starting to blog, something we’ve wanted to do for a while. This will mainly be a Vegas-focused blog, but of course we’ll also share updates about our bar here and there. For now, our goal is to publish one or two posts a month, and maybe more if we find our rhythm.
Behind the scenes, our journey to opening day in the Arts District started long before anyone saw a sign or a construction fence. Around March 2024 we began looking for a place, convinced at first that the Strip would be the natural home for our idea. In May 2024 we even toured a location on the Strip, but the process dragged on, the costs climbed higher than expected, and the whole thing started to feel like a mismatch.
While all of that was going on, we happened to spend more and more time in the Arts District, and one day we noticed 1561 S Commerce Street. Back then it wasn’t the stylish new destination it’s becoming now — it was basically a dusty, empty lot. Still, something about it stuck with us. We looked at a couple of other places in the Arts District as well and eventually had our first conversations with the landlord. A few options were available at that time, including another property on Las Vegas Boulevard near the Strat, also developed by the same owner. By November 2024 they began work on the site at Commerce, and by February 2025 we signed the lease. In March 2025 we started meeting with architects, hired a general manager, and felt like everything was finally moving forward.
In May 2025 we tested our Currywurst at the Great American Foodie Fest, which turned out to be a complete disaster. The festival was barely visited, and the whole experiment cost us around $10,000. With the financial pressure increasing with little development, we had to adjust our arrangement with our GM and offered him the option to work hourly instead of on a monthly salary. Unfortunately he declined. Around that same time our lease officially began, and since August 2025 we’ve been paying rent even though the park still isn’t open — a painful reminder that we should have negotiated better.
In June 2025 we ran into problems transferring money to the U.S., which forced us to switch to a temporary workaround for payments that we use until now. Around June 2025 we also hired a new GM who, as it turns out, has far more experience in the Arts District than our previous one, something that has helped us significantly so far.
On July 9, 2025 the architectual plans were finally finished. After submitting them, it took 1.5 months until the end of August 2025 before the architect pointed out that the grease interceptor requirement had been completely overlooked and is required by the City. That should have been flagged by the architect back in March during our very first meeting, but instead his response was basically: pay more. We ended up having the GI plans created by someone else, though we still had to pay the original architect for his part. Luckily then the architectural and mechanical plans have been already approved and electrical plans have been approved at the end of September 2025. So only plumbing (as of now) causes an issue.
Toward the end of August 2025, we began dealing with the plumbing plans again. Our goal was to get approval for an above-ground under-sink grease interceptor instead of an in-ground unit, using the Alternative Materials and Methods Request process. At first the city told us it would be a simple request, then suddenly it wasn’t and we had to submit full plans. Our new engineer took longer than expected and initially provided plans that weren’t usable. After two more weeks the corrected versions were finally ready and are now (November 13, 2025) back with the city for approval.
Since August we’ve paid roughly $10,000 in rent without generating a single dollar in revenue. We haven’t even started the interior buildout yet, and at this point we honestly don’t know when opening day will be. If everything goes perfectly, it might be late December 2025, but realistically it could also be March next year. The contractor tells us he only needs a month, but the architect also once told us planning would take three to four months — and we all know how that turned out.
It’s been frustrating, expensive, and far from easy. But it’s also been a journey shaped by persistence, learning, and a stubborn determination to bring something new to the Arts District. And that’s exactly why opening day is going to feel so rewarding — because nothing about getting here was simple.
We hope you enjoyed our small insight of our journey so far and rest assured we will open some day. Until then we will keep you updated about things going around the City and what you should or shouldn't keep an eye on.
Most of our articles are A.I. curated. Means: we let ChatGPT run through it and check spelling mistakes and grammar, sometimes we go through ideas with ChatGPT and let it word parts of an article to see if it is close. Obviously, we let ChatGPT do some pics here and there. Most of the articles are handwritten before letting ChatGPT do the finishes.
