BUTTER, NC

The infamous BUTTER! This is one of my favorite night clubs in Charlotte. It’s located at the NC Music Factory. Butter is unique for Charlotte because it is the first club to be high end and modeled after Butter NY, which is a very famous club in New York City.

Butter is a multilevel club with a few different options for guests. When you first enter, guests can turn left and go outside on the deck. They always have DJ outside for the crowd and to entertain the line. Butter placed outside furniture against the railings outside. It creates an open dance floor and a nice seating area. Sometimes they have cocktail tables against the building for people who want to stand and drink.

Another option is walking straight into a small bar area. It is extremely well decorated with seating. It’s a nice place to go if you don’t want to dance. There are really cool light fixtures hanging from above. They really make the place look expensive and luxurious. I like the colors they chose. There are dark reds, purples, golds, and black. The bar is located against the back wall. It maximizes the floor space and gives guests enough bar space to order drinks.

The third option is turning right and heading downstairs to the main floor. The main floor is huge! It has 2 bars, plenty of VIP tables, but unfortunately it has a small dance floor. The staircase curves all the way down. It overlooks the bar and the dance floor. It’s a great view when you’re walking down into a crazy dance floor. The bars should have been bigger, along with the dance food. The bars can only fit about 2 to 3 bartenders at a time. It takes forever to get drinks and It’s always crowded. The dance floor is cut off by some VIP tables that surround the dance floor. This is in front of the DJ booth. The VIP tables sit about one step up from the floor. I with they would have just cut our those VIP tables and allowed the floor to reach the walls. There is a very nice VIP section parallel to the dance floor in it’s own room. The floor is raised and the seats are pushed back from the extremely loud speakers. It’s set up in an “L-shape,” giving guests plenty of room to dance, but also two entrances to the main room. Butter is a great venue. Go check it out!

 

Monroe Crossing Mall

I work for CBS radio and had to work a promotion’s event out at the Monroe Crossing Mall. It was pretty far from Charlotte and I had to sit in a lot of traffic on Independence blvd. Once I arrived, I wasn’t too impressed. The mall is just another local mall with nothing unique. They were doing some renovations on the larger department stores, but nothing inside the mall had been touched. We entered through a back entrance and took all the equipment in. We were setting up for a small concert. I wasn’t sure where we were setting up in the mall so people can hear and see it. When we walked in, we decided to set up next to Belk department store.

The location of the stage was outside the main entrance into the mall from Belk. The walking path in the mall was at it’s widest and have us a lot of room to work with. The first thing we did was set up our tent. I selected a corner that is at the entrance to Belk. I wanted to be able to capture everyone’s attention in the mall and in Belk. The location allowed for 2 sides of our tent to be useable space to interact with people. It was also visible from further down the mall. If we set it up in the middle, then the stage would have blocked the visibility of the tent.

As for the stage, it was in the middle of the walkway. We decided to have the performers face Belk and not the mall itself. The ceiling lowered in the opposite direction and the width of the walkways got smaller. Facing Belk allowed for the music to enter the store through their huge entrance. The music was loud enough for people to hear it from all directions. The stage was about 30ft away from the entrance. It have viewers standing room and other vendors space to set up on the edges of the room. This allowed viewers to walk around either side of the stage and interact with vendors. This space was usually used as a sitting area, but we turned it into a small concert area by just moving some furniture and setting up some equipment.

The mall is located at 2115-290 West Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe, NC 28110.

Bobcat’s Arena

I enjoy going to the Bobcat’s arena, but I don’t love it. The arena is rather small, which is ok for me. It is easy to navigate and is always clean. The guests have to enter through two main entrances and have the choice of walking left or right to their seat section. There are two levels that can be accessed by guests. The first one is the first floor that everyone is initially on. The second one can be accessed by stairs, elevators and escalators. There are different options to accommodate different people. The arena is also very handicap friendly. There are designated seats for the handicap and signs that help point them to the elevators and seats.

When it comes to food and drink, the arena has plenty of places guests can purchase their meals. They have a few options. Some stations are meant for fast service and others are for VIP, which is slower, more enjoyable service. They even have bars for the guests who are 21+. The arena works with outside vendors to give guests brand specific foods, like Bojangles. They also have employees who walk around selling drinks and finer food. This gives guests a way to never take their eyes off the game, and still eat.

The center of the arena is really cool. There is a large hanging monitor that shows video and picture footage of the game in 4 directions. On top of it is the cityscape, which gives guests a home city feeling. The seats surround the entire court 360 degrees. Guests can pay more for different seat options. The arena provides box seats along with their own personal catering service. They have TV monitors everywhere so the guests do not have to watch the game on the court. Everyone else who doesn’t have that kind of money has to sit up high in the nose bleed seats. Fortunately for us, the Bobcat’s arena is not big so from almost any seat, you have a great view of the game!

The arena can improve in a few areas. 1) Make the experience more memorable. Provide activities on each floor that cater to adults and children. 2) Give the guests a learning opportunity about the team and the city’s sport’s history and finally 3) Provide children with hands on activities.

LABEL Charlotte

The newest and greatest club in Charlotte is open! Last week, I was able to attend the grand opening  at LABEL, located at the NC Music Factory. The club is larger and more upscale than any other club in Charlotte. As soon as you enter the club, guests are greeted and can check in their coat. The entrance is nice, but your eyes are instantly drawn to the bar. The bar is actually built into the entrance of the dance floor and guests have to decide which way to go. The Bar’s wall is all glass so there is a hallway that goes on either side of the bar that allows guests to see the drinks and the amazing light show on the other side. LABEL is all about providing a lively space!

Once guests choose their direction, they enter the dance floor. LABEL is full of energy! The dance floor is unique compared to all the other clubs in the city. The VIP section is located in the middle of the room, making guests dance on the edges of the room. The VIP seating makes the room, which looks huge, feel smaller. Once there are enough people dancing, the floor seems packed, but really it’s not because the space is taken up by VIP. There is a second VIP stage that is located in the front of the club. People have so many options in LABEL.

Another cool feature is LABEL’s lounge. If you enter the back room, you’ll find a very decorative lounge. I think it’s a weird space because it’s not wide enough. The room is also very deep, but nevertheless, there is enough room for people to get to the third bar. LABEL offers so many bars, which increases the accessibility to purchase drinks. <— Smart idea!

Lastly, the club plans on opening an upstairs balcony that overlooks the dance floor and an outdoor lounge. The outside space will be the smoking section, but also a nice getaway from loud music. The amount of options for guests is what makes LABEL a unique club.

 

VBGB (Very Big German Beer)

VBGB is like no other bar in Charlotte! It is designed for interaction and brings everyone together. VBGB stands for Very Big German Beer. The bar runs with the German theme with beers and food. The restaurant serves brats and pretzels, which have become a popular meal at VBGB. What’s interesting about the space to me is their decision to use long picnic tables inside and outside for seating.

Picnic tables force people to sit next to strangers and start up conversations. Whether you are eating or drinking, you are bound to meet some new people! The inside space is dedicated to the large bar, which can be reached from almost 360degrees, and their restaurant. The inside space smells great and is often loud with happy people. The walls are painted black with paintings of white trees growing from the floor. VBGB uses chandeliers and cool patio stringed-lighting to help set the mood. Even though the floors are finished with gloss over cement and the bar and chairs are made out of wood, the room feels comfortable and fun.

VBGB decided to create an outdoor patio that is extremely unique to Charlotte. Not only is it the largest patio in the city, it is filled with tailgating games and more picnic tables. People come to VBGB to socialize. The games out on the patio are placed on the outside perimeter against the fence. Seating takes up most of the room, but there is still plenty of standing room. In the center of the patio, VBGB built a mini stage that also acts as a huge chess board!

VBGB did a great job deciding how to use the space they were given. I love going there and having a good time. Everyone is friendly and shares the space. Every week, there is live music on the patio and a DJ on Saturday nights. Not only is this a bar and restaurant, but it turns into a small dance venue. Everything (except the bar) in VBGB can move so they can create more space for dancing or any other events they hold.

VBGB was also strategically placed in the NC Music Factory. It is an entire venue of bars, clubs, restaurants, and concert venues. VBGB pulls from a lively crowd and truly makes a mark at NC Music Factory.  They get so much business before and after concerts and are always packed on the weekends. People want new and interesting places to go and VBGB gives them that option!

Watch the VIDEO about VBGB to find out more!

Cookout

Every time I decide to go eat fast food, I pray that the line is not too long. I can’t stand waiting when the idea of fast food is speedy service. At Cookout, when they are not flooded with drunk people late at night, their service is rather quick. I believe it is because they choose to have one walk-up window outside and two separate drive thru lines.

McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Burger King all decide to have one line and two windows, where Cookout uses a different design. Cookout uses two lines each going to their own window. Each window is near each other, but they are on adjacent walls, allowing the cars to simultaneously get the same service. They also have their own order station. Even if there are 2 cars in each line, the next driver only see 2 car line instead of a 4 car line. This helps alleviate the pain of waiting or the perception of having to wait. McDonalds sometimes chooses to offer 2 order stations, but then combines the lines to pay and pick up food out of one or two windows. The cars ultimately join the same line, which can look horrific!

The cookout I specifically go to is on 2540 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208. They do not provide seating inside or outside. I’ve seen other Cookouts provide outdoor seating, but never indoor. I believe this also helps keep the lines moving quickly. It allows for the employees to only focus on making the food and serving it to their guests. Indoor service creates a whole different experience and needs employees to focus more on customer service and cleaning the inside dinning room.

The locations of some cookouts can attract some unsafe people. I believe this is also a reason that there are no inside seating areas in these dangerous locations. It helps keep the employees safe. On the other hand, keeping everyone outside puts guests in danger. The Cookout on Freedom Drive can be very dangerous. There have been multiple shootings in the parking lot. The safest way to get the food is to use the efficient drive thru.

 

All American Pub

The All American Pub really surprised me when I entered the newly opened space. The pub moved into an old rustic building that was built in the early 20th century. Previously, the space was used as club/ lounge, but now seats plenty of guests as a pub. What surprised me was their seating options for guests.

 

When you first walk in, you can sit at the bar on the right side, or you can turn left and sit in the main seating area. The bar ran along the entire wall of the building and gave guests plenty of space to order drinks. About 8ft from the bar were bar tables. Some people were choosing to sit at the bar tables to have more of a conversation with their friends instead of sitting shoulder to shoulder at the bar.

The main seating area is placed in front of multiple TVs and a large projection screen. There is no place you can’t see a TV. Guests have the option to sit at square tables or in booths, which are raised up from the floor level by one step. If you sit at a booth, then you are forced to watch your friend eat as opposed to sitting adjacent to them.

To the left of the main seating area, is a lounge that allows guests to sit on sofas and relax. The sofas are set up in 90 degree angles, which help increase interaction apposed to placing them face-to-face. The space also uses end tables and a rug to pull the room together. Behind both seating areas, are three large doors inviting guests to sit outside on a nice patio that overlooks the light rail. Sitting outside is a good option to escape the loud cheering over a game on TV.

Inside, the walls are old brick which connect to huge wooden beams on the ceiling. It creates a warm feeling that is inviting. I noticed towards the end of my visit, that I did not want to leave. We decided to leave our table and go sit in the lounge to finish watching the game.

The All American Pub can be found at 200 East Bland Street, Charlotte, NC 28203.