EOS to Expand
$350,000 Renovation Will Increase Capacity by 110 Persons
Santa Barbara In spite of the dismal state economy, the EOS Lounge plans to expand its nighttime capacity come mid May.
Located at 500 Anacapa Street, EOS Loune’s new annex – slated to open May 19 – will add an additional 1,000 square feet to the club. Nearly $350,000 in total funding was used in the recent renovation of the lounge, according to EOS general manager Adam Ray.
Geared toward an older, more sophisticated crowd, the new annex will offer an additional bar and assortment of lounge booths for patrons and will increase capacity by 110 persons, or 30 percent. Ray said that, along with the EOS staff, he is eager to see the opening of the rest of the lounge.
“Although we started off as kind of a dive bar, EOS isn’t like your typical college bar on State [Street],” Ray said. “[The expansion] will allow people to go back there and have a drink and a nice conversation.”
Since its grand opening almost two years ago, the Mediterranean-style lounge has kept 1,000 square feet of its property undeveloped as a result of budget constraints. Ray said the ownership’s decision to revamp EOS is part of its continued investment in Santa Barbara.
“With the state of the economy, we thought we would do a little something to invest in Santa Barbara,” Ray said. “We had a lot of people who worked on getting the bar open who we wanted to get involved in this project.”
