Orlando – Revolution Nightclub is no more. The Orlando gay club closed its doors April 1 and will reopen under new management as RBARR Discotek & Cocktail Boutique later this month.
The club’s new owners, Timothy Barr and Rick Kowalczyk dismissed rumors that the club is permanently closing or going straight.
“We’re not closing down and we’re not going straight. I’ve heard so many different rumors. The last rumor that I hear was my personal favorite…that we’re going to be a straight, swingers bar and a wrestling bar,” said Barr. “It’s going to stay a gay bar. This place has been around for 35 years and I bartended [here] 13 years ago. The last thing I would ever do is try to change the history of this place.”
With the rebranding, Kowalcyzk said he and Barr want to pay homage to the club’s history while also giving the bar what they called a much-needed facelift.
“We are changing things up but also going back to our roots,” he said. “Expect the unexpected.”
Kowalcyzk describes the new RBARR as a mini-entertainment complex that will feature a rotation of popular DJs, performers and theme nights.
Though the entertainment and theme nights will be changing, the owners seem confident that RBARR will still draw in crowds even as it faces new competition from other gay bars in the Central Florida area. Revolutions’ Saturday night was a particularly popular night with the women’s community. Many of Revolution’s former performers and bartenders now work at The Brink on Saturdays.
“One of the main things we are very proud and happy to say is that Ms. Danielle Hunter is coming back to be a part of [the rebranding],” said Kowalcyzk. “She is a huge part of the history of this building and she has been and continues to be a staple in the community.”
Hunter is a well-known Orlando drag performer. She will headline and emcee for RBARR’s newly renovated Southern Nights Theater.
Kowalcyk and Barr are best friends who first met 12 years ago through the Disney College Program. The bar’s name is a fusion of Kowalcyk’s first name and Barr’s last name and a play on words to sound like “Our Bar” when spoken aloud.
The duo, who have more than a decade of experience in food and beverage and nightclub management, said they are confident that the RBARR complex will have something for everyone ranging from a stylish, lounge-type happy hour to the latest and greatest DJs on the dance floor to top-notch stage performances.
RBARR will be closed for three weeks for renovations with its grand opening set for April 24-26.
RBARR is located at 375 S. Bumby Avenue in downtown Orlando. For details and more information, find the club online at Facebook.com/RBARROrlando.
Photos by Samantha Rosenthal
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