Built on Hospitality and Bob Peters Announce Garden Party Cocktail Bar in Charlotte

Chris Coleman, AJ Klenk, and Bob Peters will bring Folio to life this summer.

Folia, a tropical garden-themed cocktail bar with veteran mixologist Bob Peters at the helm, will open in South End in early summer, becoming the 5th member on Built on Hospitality’s restaurant and bar roster.

Built on Hospitality, led by chef Chris Coleman and partners Sean Potter and AJ Klenk, is a Charlotte-based hospitality group that has garnered acclaim for the Goodyear House and Haymaker.

Folia, in a former salon space, will be in the growing epicenter of the neighborhood, located at 1440 South Tryon Street on the same coveted strip as Vinyl and Wooden Robot. At 2,000 square feet, it can seat around 60 to 70 customers, plus a few dozen more with space carved out for standing room.

It will be decked out in art, hanging lights, and mainly foliage of all kinds — succulents and plants galore — like an outside garden party, but inside, designed by Charlotte’s Black Dove Interiors. A small music booth for jazz and one TV showcasing art will keep the vibe “conversational and drink-centric,” Coleman said.

The team wants to do something that Charlotte hasn’t done before. “This isn’t a club for shots and loud DJ music … South End already has a lot of that so we wanted to go the opposite direction and do something that was a little more chill, a little more laidback, but still a good time.”

The seed of this Folia idea was planted in Miami, when the three business partners and their families visited Art Basel, a sceney, contemporary art fair, in South Florida. The trio left inspired, not just by the art and culture of Miami, but after stopping into a tropical rooftop bar 40 floors high, Sugar.

Although Folia is on street level, the team felt that Charlotte needed something similar — a boozy, botanical oasis of sorts. So when the spot in South End became available, it was an immediate yes.

The hospitality group’s beverage director and renowned Charlotte bartender Bob Peter will design the cocktail menu and sling drinks behind the bar at Folia.

“Bob is going to do a menu that is completely split down the middle with some classics that will appease and appeal to everyone. And then some craft cocktails created for just Folia itself,” Coleman said. “Nothing that is over-the-top tropical … he will explore rums, tequilas, mezcals, but he won’t shy away from gin, vodkas, and whiskeys either.”

The drink menu will offer some fruit-forward cocktails that make visitors feel like they’re “in a cool garden party in Miami with a good cocktail in your hand,” Coleman said.

It’s hard not to separate the concept of sustainability from the word “Folia,” which translates to plants in Latin. With an ethos of sustainability embedded into his philosophy, Peters will make low-waste drinks. “He’s big into fresh juicing, but then he doesn’t throw away the peels or the rinds,” Coleman said. “He’ll make syrups or different concoctions.”

As for food, Coleman’s menu will be limited but will complement the star player cocktails by putting cheeky twists on standard bar bites. A few of those leveled-up bites include Thai chili gin-washed olives, Tajin popcorn, a warm crab dip with salt and vinegar chips, and praline bacon. And for good measure, there will be a cheese program and caviar service.

These small plates can be snacked on as lunch, dinner, or pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres, as Folia plans to be open from 5 p.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday, 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday, beginning in early summer 2024.

Summer will be a busy season for Peters and Coleman. Alongside building Folia, the duo is putting the finishing touches on long-awaited Chief’s in Noda, a high-end and sit-down cocktail bar tucked into a 123-year-old NoDa home. The anticipated opening for 45-seat Chief’s is early to mid-June.

Where Folia will have an easy-breezy air about it, Chiefs will be a touch more upscale and intimate. “Anyone that ever drank with [Peters] at the Ritz Carlton, can expect that level of cocktail,” Coleman said.

Opening two bars within a month is no easy feat, but Coleman said that the team is excited, with no plans to slow down anytime soon. Except maybe slowing down with a cocktail in hand at Folia — that is at least what Coleman wants for the guests.

“We hope that Folia becomes a space that is restorative in a way. It’s not just a transactional meal or drink,” Coleman said. “It’s something that does kind of give you some respite from the world and restores you a bit.”