Carl Radke introduced his product to the Summer House cast on the most recent episode. His non-alcoholic bar was a concept that has been around since Lindsay Hubbard was in the picture. She shot the idea of a dry sports bar down, but Carl refined it and turned it into more of a sober experience. Currently, he’s selling out of a Sprinter van, but Carl is working to open a physical location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
In Episode 8 of Season 9, Carl launched the Soft Bar with his Summer House costars as guests. The reality TV star had another reason to celebrate, with four years of sobriety under his belt. But the realities of running a business are daunting, and Carl has put a tremendous amount of his own money in to realize his dream.
Carl Radke has invested “over $100,000” in his non-alcoholic bar
In the recent episode of Summer House, Carl parked his Soft Bar Sprinter van right on the property and got the party started. But it wasn’t all fun and games as he recalled his hefty investment.
“I put a lot of work into this,” he said in a confessional interview. “I put over $100,000 of my own money in.”
However, Carl doesn’t regret taking a risk on the “mindful consumption bar and cafe.” It was a calling to him to promote sober living. Interestingly, while the drinks are non-alcoholic, Carl did infuse some of them with additional add-ons, such as mushrooms. One mocktail, named the “High Road” promised an “uplifting” drinking experience. Only the best products though.
“There’s no guarantees with this. But I would rather fall flat on my face going towards something that I truly believe in and that I’m passionate about than not,” he stated.
Lindsay may not have been supportive of Carl’s idea when they were together, but the Summer House star admitted in retrospect that his ex gave “good feedback.”
“I appreciated her reaction in that moment because I didn’t have a great idea. Starting a sober sports bar probably isn’t a great idea right now,” he explained in a clip from the Summer House After Show. “But a bar and a cafe that serves coffee, functional drinks, has an experience — that’s a better idea … But I didn’t immediately have that. Her reaction actually led me to where I’m at now.”
Speaking of Lindsay, Carl responded to claims that the business name had something to do with his repeated request for “softness” during their relationship.
“I’ve said this a few times. This is my goal when I set to make a name. Like, you can blow your nose with another product, tissue paper, but everybody calls it Kleenex. I love the ubiquity of the name. Soft Bar, to me, has that. It’s a place where you go drink amazing non-alc drinks,” he said.
Carl reiterated, “Nothing to do with my relationship — trust me.”
Instead, Carl was inspired by the non-alcoholic labels in Europe. Carl had Present Soft Bar and Cafe in mind as a backup, but called it “terrible.” By a sheer stroke of luck, he was able to trademark Soft Bar because the prior trademark application expired the day he was meeting with his lawyer.
“So if people think that I named my f*cking company after Lindsay, and you hear all of that, then you are the crazy one,” he concluded.
Catch Summer House Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO CARL’S COMMENTS? DO YOU THINK THE SOFT BAR BRAND WILL BE A SUCCESS?
