EASTHAMPTON — Local Burger’s Easthampton location is gearing up to celebrate an exciting new expansion: the opening of Beveridges Cocktail Lounge.
Beveridges is already open for business, but its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 6 will celebrate the bar as a new evening scene for the Easthampton community, as well as the fun events coming to the venue in the near future.
“The whole kind of point of a bar here was to pay homage to the original Eastworks owner — his name was Frank Stanley Beveridge,” said General Manager Tabitha Saalfrank. “We tried to embody the kind of 50s theme they had going.”
The bar will feature posters from Stanley Home Products magazines throughout the establishment to serve as reminders of the cosmetic and cleaning supply company’s place in the building’s history as the previous owner.
The new bar will not only provide a place to relax and enjoy a refreshing drink, but staff at Local Burger have plans to host events such as weekly Bingo nights and other gatherings that will bring community members together for some friendly competition. Saalfrank said the staff is hoping to provide a variety of prizes, including the potential grand prize of catering an event for with the Local Burger food truck.
“We’re hoping we can create kind of a tournament vibe,” said Saalfrank, who noted that the staff is experimenting with the idea of tournament punch cards that qualify frequent players for game nights with bigger prizes like the food truck service.
Currently, the first bingo night is scheduled for Aug. 15, and will likely take place weekly from there.
Saalfrank and her fellow Local Burger staff members have also been gratified by the professional development opportunities offered by the restaurant’s several expansions. In opening an Easthampton location in the old Riff’s Joint space in EastWorks, some seasoned staff members were able to take on leadership positions. With the opening of a new bar, Saalfrank said more of the staff can “explore avenues that they’re interested in” by becoming bartenders.
Local Burger now has locations in Northampton, Haydenville, Easthampton, and the New Hampshire town of Keene.
Beveridges Cocktail Lounge opens on weekdays at 4 p.m. and on weekends at noon. The ribbon cutting will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 5 p.m., followed by refreshments and ice cream from Ice Cream Emergency.
