Kingfisher Team Breaks the Sports Bar Archetype in Durham
The owners of underground cocktail bar Kingfisher and retro lounge Queeny's have another project on the way for downtown Durham, North Carolina. Restaurateurs Michelle Vanderwalker and Sean Umstead recently announced that they will open a 'community-driven sports bar for everyone,' named E.O. Athletic Club, this fall at 341 West Main Street.
The focus of E.O. Athletic Club will be fostering community through sports. As with Vanderwalker and Umstead's other projects, everyone is encouraged to visit — NFL fans, WNBA fans, ultimate frisbee fans, Olympic curling fans, and even Tar Heel fans in the Duke-centric town. The owners plan to host watch parties, theme nights, and competition games. Basically, this will not be your average bro-centric sports bar.
E.O. Athletic Club will serve Northeast-inspired pizzas, loaded baked potatoes, wings, sandwiches, salads, and other high-end bar fare. The establishment will be open for lunch, dinner, and late-night takeout.
The bar is named for biologist E. O. Wilson, who is the subject of the PBS film E.O. Wilson – Of Ants and Men. 'The name came from a conversation Michelle and I had about a documentary on E.O. Wilson,' says Umstead, 'Which said that nothing shows human desire for belonging better than sports and sports fandom. We really want to embrace the community and togetherness that comes so naturally from sports.'
E.O. Wilson will join the growing trend of modern sports bars leaning away from the archetype of macho sports bars with sticky floors. Spots like Jolene, Jolene in Atlanta, the Sports Bra in Portland, and Watch Me! In Long Beach, California, challenge the notion that watching athletes is only for football-obsessed dude bros.
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