Carmelo Anthony Is Backing a Sports Bar Empire
Will the pizza-and-beer chain deliver nothing but net ... growth?
Gene Sweeney Jr.
A new batch of side-by-side sports bars and pizza restaurants formed from a partnership between Bronx, NY-based Nobody’s Pizza and pub chain The Ainsworth may be coming soon to a sports-stadium-adjacent area near you – and there’s somebody big behind the new endeavor: Carmelo Anthony.
The NBA star has teamed up with "multiple hospitality platform" Somerset Hospitality Group to sink $5 million in the new sports-bar-and-pizza-joint’s nationwide rollout, the New York Post reports.
The first of an anticipated 20 to 30 chain locations, all near sports stadiums, slated to open over the next seven years will likely be in Nashville, where The Ainsworth (aka home of the 24-karat chicken wings) is already planning a new locale.
"I am excited about the prospects of partnering with The Ainsworth and Nobody’s Pizza — combining food, entertainment, sports and real estate," Anthony told the tabloid in a statement.
Somerset honcho Keith Rubenstein is definitely planning a full-court press. A mega 7,500-square-foot location of The Ainsworth, about two-thirds of it a multi-level outdoor space with several bars and potentially even a pool, is set to open in a warehouse-turned-food-hall in the South Bronx.
"We plan to ... use our investor base of professional athletes and influencers to promote operations and growth," Rubenstein said.
Whether it plays out as a slam dunk or an air ball remains to be seen.
Photo: Gene Sweeney Jr. / Stringer, Getty Images
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