At the end of January this year, PepsiCo announced its intention to launch their first-ever restaurant which would focus on honouring the kola nut. The experimental kola bar, characteristically labelled Kola House, opened up in New York City’s bustling Meatpacking District and will serve as a restaurant, lounge and an event space. Its flagship location will serve as a transformative event space for pop culture moments in music, art, style, film, sports and more.
PepsiCo, whose product portfolio includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales, aims to test a unique angle (a kola nut-inspired menu) to a restaurant which bears no resemblance to their most distinct drink, Pepsi, and will NOT even be selling (and thus promoting) any of their products in the trendy restaurant’s menu, including their “kraft” cola, Caleb’s. Also as the restaurant doesn’t intend to make their sodas “upscale”, but aims to produce quality food and service, it gives Pepsi’s customers a new way to talk about the company.
Back in January, Seth Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo North America Beverages explained that they: “want to create a modern hub for consumers to share social and immersive experiences that were anchored in the exploration of our cola’s artisanal craft and flavor. The Kola House represents a new space for us to support our consumer-first approach to drive authenticity and innovation around our beverage offerings and ideals.”
Kola House’s experimental and elemental themes glorifying the kola nut are brought to life through resident cocktail curator Alex Ott. A full culinary menu of American shareables with global influence from a resident executive chef, Jon Feshan, will also offer specialty plates inspired by the kola nut. To achieve the aesthetic look of the venue, PepsiCo Design, led by Mauro Porcini, partnered with interior design firm, Kravitz Design Inc., and their president Lenny Kravitz added that: “Kravitz Design worked closely with the Pepsi team to create a space that brings the Kola House vision to life as a multifaceted culinary and culturally exciting experience.”
Pepsi also partnered with Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, to help build out a special music series, Live at the Kola House, which will complement the venue, bring another edge to it and will to bring fans up-close to the artists both visually and acoustically for the once-in-a-lifetime shows. Darin Wolf, Live Nation’s Executive Vice President, suggests that: “through curating and producing the live music series for Pepsi, guests at Kola House will enjoy distinctive engagements by not-to-be-missed artists.”
You can get more information on Kola House’s Facebook page and see more pictures on their Instagram.
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