Rocky Patel Set To Officially Open Four More Burn Lounges This Year
The date has been set for the grand opening of the new Burn by Rocky Patel lounge in Pittsburgh, and new details have emerged for the lounges the cigarmaker plans to officially open later this year in Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Indianapolis.
On April 6, the nearly 7,000-square-foot Burn by Rocky Patel luxury cigar lounge, which is situated in Pittsburgh’s North Shore neighborhood between Heinz Field (home to the Steelers) and PNC Park (home to the Pirates), will officially open its doors.
“The opening is basically going to be a big party, with music, food, wine, spirits and a great guest list,” said Patel, owner of Rocky Patel Cigars, which makes and distributes brands such as Rocky Patel Sungrown Maduro and Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon (the Churchill size was named the No. 16 cigar of 2017).
The original Burn opened in Naples, Florida, in 2010 as a high-end cigar lounge experience complete with cigars from not only the Rocky Patel brand portfolio, but also third-party cigars.
“Our goal is to have other manufacturers making special cigars for Burn. Right now we have [José Garcia] making one for us. We’ll also have some limited editions from Rocky Patel available,” said Patel.
While no food is served in the Naples Burn, the location boasts a full bar, serving high-end spirits and wines, in addition to a locker program for both individuals and corporations.
“We are more about being a night lounge. We’re changing how people are looking at cigars bars with live music, DJ sets and a more lively atmosphere,” said Patel. “Burn speaks to a different dynamic of people. We are bringing new type of people into the [ cigar] category. Women and young men. The future of our business.”
The Pittsburgh location, which was first announced in 2016 and is about twice the size of the Naples Burn, will migrate all of the same luxuries as its Naples cousin, but will also feature an impressive menu. The offerings include artisanal pizzas such as a Tarte Flambee, which is crème fraiche, house bacon and sliced onion, as well as soups and salads. Heartier standouts include blackened flank steak tacos, salmon tartare, PEI mussels and a gemelli pasta dish made with red wine beef cheek, local chevre and breadcrumbs. Locally sourced ingredients can be seen throughout the menu.
“It will be all small plates. Lots of the dishes were inspired by my travels,” said Patel. “We brought in a chef from Japan who’s a Michelin one-star chef, and he consulted our kitchen staff on the chosen dishes.”
Moreover, Patel is also finishing up building Burn lounges in Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Indianapolis. Each of the lounges will offer the same lavish cigar smoking experience as the original Naples location, but the designs of each has been tweaked to resonate more deeply with the cultures of the respective cities.
Patel added that each new lounge is costing between $4 million to $5 million to build. Like previous Burns, Patel’s vision was brought to fruition with the help of Swatchroom, a design firm based out of Washington DC.
Oklahoma City sports a modern decor with a Native American flair. Due to a tax technicality, the lounge is actually open for business right now, but the grand opening is scheduled for April 26. It’s a three-story tall building located in Chisholm Creek, a new 190-acre development overseen by The Medallion Group. The building totals about 5,800 square feet and features a humidor on the first floor as well as a VIP lounge, a second floor humidor and lounge, and an in-and-out rooftop smoking deck with a high-end bar.
In June, Patel plans to open Burn lounges in Atlanta and Indianapolis. The Indianapolis venue is located downtown and will be roughly 7,300 square feet. Its interior will pay homage to the city’s famed Indy 500 car race.
The Atlanta location, which encomes about 5,000 square feet, is tied to the new Atlanta Braves stadium, SunTrust Park, which opened last year. In addition to offering all of the Burn lounge amenities, the Atlanta Burn will also serve food.
“You can literally see the front gate from the smoking patio,” said Patel. “The lounge has a bit of Southern flair in how it looks. Georgia peaches, flowers and all that,” Patel added.
