KERB Social Club
KERB have officially added “competitive socialising operator” to their already stacked CV and as expected, they’ve done a great job. Ken Higman & I were invited to explore their latest venture, KERB Social Club, before it officially opens its doors so here’s what we saw (and who we met 😉 Simon Stenning)
KERB Social Club sits on the upper level of Old Spitalfields Market. It’s a bold use of space as downstairs and upstairs are not connected internally. Guests have to exit the unit (not ideal typically) to go up to the terrace overlooking the market. With a bar, kitchen and seating below, upstairs hosts arcade games, another bar and 5 private rooms for karaoke, pool, games, etc - all wrapped in retro-inspired décor with warm tones, great patterns, vintage sports prints and disco balls. hashtag#funky
Rather than follow the food hall formula, this venue has only one kitchen (like Corner Corner), one menu, and one team behind it. For food, KERB’s drew from across their awesome vendor ecosystem and the line-up includes:
🍗 Only Jerkin’: Crispy, triple-dipped jerk chicken with a punch. Careful spicy!
🌭 Oh My Dog!: Loaded hot dogs with outrageous toppings & zero subtlety
🍕 Cutie Pies: Detroit-style deep dish pizza with deliciously gooey hot honey that should probably come with a warning label. If you manage to eat just one slice, you’re stronger than we are.
Events is where this space will really shine: Live screenings of everything from the Super Bowl to Six Nations, themed quizzes, DJ sets, karaoke, Mario Kart marathons, and the occasional food challenge. It’s built for casual group hangs and to enjoy a hashtag#lagerita or two.
What we find really exciting is the move away from the Food Hall model. It’s one we have seen signs off with Kerb’s Corner Corner events venue and it’s a really clever pivot (we would put money on a similar pivot coming from Arcade in their recently acquired Leicester Square unit). Ultimately, there are only so many locations where a Food Hall works in any city. There are a lot of different moving parts in a Food Hall and we are spending a lot of time at the moment working with landlords, investors and operators to help them understand the right mix of elements for a space to have the potential to deliver as a Food Hall. Whilst Kerb have also been a multi format brand with Food Halls, markets and venues all within their scope, it wouldn’t surprise us to see other pure Food Hall operators take a similar approach to utilising their brand strength and operational skills to provide a similar offering in a slightly different format. It is a great way of extending your brand and developing your portfolio by moving into great spaces that don’t quite fit the Food Hall model.
Congratulations Simon Mitchell, Andrew Stones and the wider team KERB on another great venue. Do you ever sleep?!
Curious? The soft launch runs from 4 – 8 August, and the team are offering 100 free meals or cocktails each evening... Just saying.
