Sean Christie To Open Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City is a beautiful destination nestled among the mountains of Utah. The city is vibrant, exciting and growing
Ivy Griffith
Salt Lake City is a beautiful destination nestled among the mountains of Utah. The city is vibrant, exciting and growing by the day. Now, Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club is opening in Salt Lake City, and it brings a multi-concept venue that offers locals and visitors a wide variety of entertainment options, along with dining and drinking. The group bringing Flanker to SLC is none other than Carver Road Hospitality, a new Las Vegas-based hospitality company headed by industry maverick Sean Christie. Carver Road Hospitality recently announced it will also open Carversteak inside Resorts World Las Vegas later this year.
Dining at Flanker Kitchen
Salt Lake City’s newest entertainment destination is Flanker Kitchen + Sporting Club. Coming this September, Flanker is a 21+ venue opening on the second floor above the Olympic Legacy Plaza at the Gateway, across the street from the Vivint Arena. When you walk in the doors, you’ll be ushered in by the warm and inviting vestibule for the restaurant, in colors inspired by the Utah Jazz and Utah Grizzlies. In the restaurant, a 360-degree bar offers seating options for every preference, along with accommodations in the lounge, high-tops, patio and traditional restaurant seating.
A fireplace adds the finishing touches for the restaurant, along with a stage for live entertainment. Foosball and shuffleboard tables join other playful options along the wall to invite guests to socialize and have fun.
The menu and cocktail options for the restaurant are of the caliber you’d expect from Carver Road Hospitality’s all-star team. The team shares, “Open Monday through Friday nights from 5 p.m. to close and Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m., the restaurant will serve elevated American fare including lobster fritters, smoked brisket nachos, a Black Angus burger, broiled NY Strip and more, all prepared from scratch in the full kitchen. Selections ranging from light and fresh to cheat-day indulgent are sure to please diverse tastes. Flavorful vegan options will be available. A brunch menu includes shared plates, breakfast favorites and savory lunch items. Milkshake offerings will dare to be different with tempting flavors and playful garnishes. A curated selection of local spirits and crafted beers will also be offered.”
Other Entertainment Opportunities
Once you get your fill of the delicious menu, and drink to your heart’s content of the various bespoke beverage offerings, you can enter the Sporting Club. On Saturday, the club hosts viewing parties for college sports, with full brunch food and drink menus. On Sundays, pro sports score some points with special menu and game-viewing enhanced with the latest audio and visual technology, live DJs, interactive experiences, plus much more.
Friday and Saturday nights, the venue turns to live entertainment, with a social nightclub atmosphere starting at 10 p.m. with a DJ booth.
Guests can avail themselves of karaoke and sports simulation rooms, with virtual reality making you feel like you’re really on the course, court or field. There are also private karaoke or simulator rooms, along with banquet and party rental options.
And another offering is the Parlor; a welcoming cocktail lounge with a VIP feeling that reinforces the idea that everyone is a VIP. Carver Road Hospitality’s VP of beverage and hospitality culture, Francesco Lafranconi, has crafted a vibrant cocktail and spirits menu. The Parlor is open Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as on Sunday for a brunch event; guests can play billiards, classic parlor games, retro bowling and order from the full menu.
“We chose Salt Lake City because it’s such a social and emerging culinary scene,” says Christie, chief executive officer of Carver Road Hospitality and a former executive of Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts. “Our goal is to bring a world-class concept to the city where you can have a great meal, the best drinks, exceptional service and, most importantly, a fun time all in one space.”
Salt Lake City’s Growing Entertainment Scene
Flanker boasts a 17,500-square-foot multi-concept complex featuring a restaurant, three bars, 400-square-feet of LED screens, and all the virtual reality, karaoke, and alcoholic wonders locals and visitors could hope for. It’s just the newest in a long line of exciting venues opening in the Utah city.
Founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his 148 Mormons, Salt Lake City was once a religious oasis to provide shelter from persecution. Salt Lake retained its religious roots well into the 1900s. Around the turn of the last century, however, the city began branching out from its religious background and welcoming diversity and entertainment on a broader scope. The city is relatively wealthy, with a wide variety of precious metals mined nearby, and tech companies are moving to Salt Lake as a less-pricey alternative to California. SLC’s bar scene has grown over the past decade and it now boasts a thriving craft beer scene, cocktail lounges, and an exciting nightlife scene that you wouldn’t expect to find in the mountain city.
Salt Lake City is now increasingly becoming the nearby getaway for Hollywood stars looking to escape the pressures of Los Angeles; it’s just a short flight away. Because of its proximity and growing nightlife, more and more performers are choosing SLC for live concerts, and now that COVID is receding, the city is embracing its new image. With Flanker opening in September and offering another titillating nightlife hub, Salt Lake City has one more reason to tell visitors to add them to the itinerary.