Entertainment and nightlife space Exit 66 opened five of its seven in-house event spaces on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale Beach. Interior design firm Bigtime Design strayed from its reputation for posh design (Crobar, the Mondrian South Beach, and B Bar at the Betsy Hotel) and channeled blue-collar America for the new venture.
The 20,000-square-foot venue has five individually themed (and uniquely named) rooms. Chiki Tiki, a 10,000-square-foot outdoor space, serves as the entrance to the complex. With a capacity of 400, the poolside space has 11 semiprivate cabanas seating 10 each, a 1,000-square-foot pool, and a four-sided tiki bar that seats about 40.
Inside, the 12,000-square-foot space has an open layout with three bars—Billy’s Bar, Pleasure Lounge, and Pimp My Bar—each with its own design concept. The triangular Billy’s Bar (a nod to the film Easy Rider) in the right corner of the venue is wrapped in denim and topped with glass-encased road maps and items the film’s main character collected during his travels along Route 66 (think matchbooks and hotel room keys). The bar can seat 25.
Located across the dance floor from Billy’s, Pleasure Lounge is a slightly elevated space for 40 people with its own four-sided bar. The semiprivate area is also outfitted with two 18-foot dance poles, a nod to the room’s name.
Pimp My Bar is located on the 520-square-foot performance stage and is the focal point of the nightclub. The front of the bar is plated in faux gold and diamonds and has a two-story wall painted with a blue silhouette of a woman behind it. A 16-foot truck tire directly to the left of the stage houses the DJ booth.The bar cannot be removed for live performances, however small acts may opt to utilize the 60-square-foot balcony located just above the stage to the right.
License plate-lined stairs lead to the venue’s second floor—housing the Cool Pool and Room 66 spaces—with a V.I.P. area for 30 on the landing. Inspired by Paul Newman’s 1961 film The Hustler, Cool Pool has one wall featuring a façade of motel room doors, six billiards tables, a small bar, and about 10 highboy tables. The room can host 300 for semiprivate events.
Room 66 has a 15-person bar and adjacent seating area for 20. Designed to resemble a retro motel room, the area has direct access to a covered outdoor terrace that overlooks the ocean and has a capacity of 150.
The final two pieces of Exit 66—Madame B. Atch’s Bunny Ranch and Woody’s Bar and Pleasure Liner Lounge—are scheduled to open in June. Located between Room 66 and Cool Pool on the second floor, Madame B. will resemble a burlesque saloon with space for 300.
The on-site restaurant Rock Bar will be renamed Woody’s Bar and Pleasure Liner Lounge. The rock ‘n’ roll decor and American fare will remain and it will be the venue’s exclusive caterer.
