The Carolina Ale House on Glenwood South will be replaced by a pingpong bar
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The Carolina Ale House in downtown Raleigh during a Carolina Hurricane game. Photo: LM Restaurants
The Carolina Ale House in Raleigh's Glenwood South neighborhood has closed after its owner decided to transition the location into a pingpong bar and nightclub.
Why it matters: The Carolina Ale House, a longtime neighborhood haunt that hosted many Carolina Hurricanes watch parties, will close immediately, according to the owner.
Driving the news: Raleigh-based LM Restaurants, which operates restaurant brands including Carolina Ale House, Vidrio and Taverna Agora, will replace the sports bar with a new concept called Smash Ping Pong Bar.
What they're saying: Katherine Goldfaden, LM Restaurant's vice president of brand strategy, said the restaurant group decided to close Carolina Ale House after the NCAA championship game so that it could complete construction before N.C. State returns for its fall semester.
- Goldfaden said LM had been playing with the idea of creating a more entertainment-focused bar brand and viewed Glenwood South — Raleigh's main nightclub district — as the best place to test it.
- "When you're incubating a brand, you don't want to take on more investment," Goldfaden told Axios. "So we looked at our own portfolio of restaurants and our portfolio of real estate and said, 'Where it fits is downtown Raleigh.'"
What to expect: While Smash plans to have a kitchen, the focus will be to position it as a bar and club with pingpong tables at the center of it.
- LM hopes to appeal to customers who want to have a game to play with friends or are looking for an upscale bar and nightlife experience on Glenwood
- Smash will offer handcrafted cocktails, shareable plates and entrees — though a final menu has not been revealed.
State of play: Goldfaden said the decision doesn't mean the Carolina Ale House brand, which has six other locations in the Triangle, was doing poorly.
- She said the company continues to look for ways to grow the brand.
- "The six locations that remain are strong," she said. "We are still in growth mode with Caroline Ale House."
What's next: The goal is for Smash to open in August, Goldfaden said.