LM group closing the Ale House in GloSo to Open Smash - a ‘premier pingpong bar and club w / handcrafted cocktails, shareable bites creating an unparalleled nightlife experience’
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Dude hell yes. I’ve wanted a ping pong club since forever!!!
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Lmao are you fucking kidding me? One of the only things on that street that is not a trash bar and might attract normal people, and they’re turning into another club/bar with an exaggerated description?
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this is a fabulous decision for gloso
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tell me one thing that makes ale house unique. ping pong on the other hand will draw in both avid players and people interested in the same sort of entertainment options we discuss so much on this forum. i don’t think you’re going to get the standard nightclub crowd with a specific focus like that
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Wild to see GucciLittlePig defending/mourning the loss of…a Carolina Ale House
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The place is a pain in the ass to deal with from my experience, but having a flagship, second floor, well known sports bar seems a more diversely useful option than another trendy club place catering to Friday and Saturday nights. I think this is the owner realizing the direction this street has moved in, and this helps it down that direction. I don’t really care I guess. Glenwood South sucks now anyways.
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it’s a ping-pong bar though - this is hardly a night-club in the vein of the rest of the street…more along the lines of a Jaguar Bolero or a Boxcar Bar + Arcade…
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I generally agree with you, but Ale House is so tired in its current incarnation. I’d prefer an updated version to a pingpong bar, but it is what it is.
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I agree, it’s a tired concept. The similar Leesville Tap Room and Sawmill Tap Room in north Raleigh have closed. Reminds me of the life cycle of Rockola Cafe, TK Tripps, Darryls, etc.
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Sure, time does wear away at things and it takes effort for things to remain the same yet not run down over long runs…Every longstanding concept does not get the ‘PR facelift’ or ‘Hibernian botox shot’ not to mention the ‘dare you to say anything, Roast Grill approach’…
Interesting though, Sawmill folks walked away / closed due to the new landlord wanting to up the rent substantially…BTW, nothing has back-filled that space so far, yet Village Draft House endures…
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I happened to walk by The Crunkleton earlier today just as they were cutting the red ribbon. Safe to say they’re open now!
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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.
Seems jumbled? It’s focused as a bar and club, but they still have a kitchen. It’s an upscale bar and nightlife, with ping pong you can play with friends. They aren’t focused on a kitchen, but they have plates and entrees.
Names “Watts and Dave and Ward and Busters”.
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You kind of need a kitchen to cook these. Plus the place wouldn’t be as cool without food available.
My understanding is that this is supposed to be a pre-game or first stop kind of location, or even an only stop if a group wants to play ping pong all night while drinking. You need to provide food to prevent too many people from getting drunk and disruptive/destructive.
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Popped by Crunkleton last night. The staff was relieved to finally get their doors open. Didn’t get to dive into the food, but this place will be a welcome addition.
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Yeah, but I was saying it was a scatter-shot series of sentences. The kitchen isn’t the focus, it’s positioned as a bar and club. But if you have entrees, that implies tables and seating somewhere. If it’s a pre-game/first stop location with ping pong, then it’s not an upscale bar and nightlife experience.
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yeah… can’t really be both of these things lol. Is it a goofy, fun ping-pong bar… or is it an upscale bar and nightlife experience on Glenwood? Can’t be, nor should be, both. Just remove any semblance of “upscale” and make it FUN, please. For the love of god lmao
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I predict 4 ping pong tables you can never plan on being available, with a bunch of drunk 20-somethings packing the place. But, you know, upscale.
I’m surprised they didn’t use the ubiquitous description of “elevated” given its second floor location. 
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I wouldn’t read into the word “Upscale” here beyond meaning that this will feel different from a Dave & Busters or Chuck E Cheese’s (cleaner, no kids, maybe some mood lighting in the dining areas) - just like every new apartment building is a “luxury” apartment and all new cars have “premium” features, this is a marketing term that has little-to-no meaning anymore
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Elevated Ping Pong Concept!