The process of opening Soft Bar has forced Summer House's Carl Radke to face some hard truths.
In the above preview clip for Summer House Season 9, Episode 13 (set to air May 7), Carl reveals to Kyle Cooke and Jesse Solomon that he's "about to sign" a seven-year, $10K a month lease for his new alcohol-free concept bar in Brooklyn.
Admitting he doesn't know how commercial leases work, Kyle asks how Carl could "get out of it," in a potential "worst-case scenario" situation.
"It's called a good guy clause. You could have someone take it over," Carl explains. "Or, horrible world, if we have to file for bankruptcy, there's still some flexibility."
While further discussing the buildout budget, Carl also describes Soft Bar as occupying a "huge" industrial warehouse space with 23-foot ceilings and a large garage door.
"We have a good business model," he insists. "I mean, listen, it's risky, I know that, but I'm just so passionate about this. I'm doin' it, so…"
Carl Radke addresses Lindsay Hubbard’s "jabs" at Soft Bar
As Kyle points out, there are always "naysayers" and "people taking jabs," when it comes to risky new business ventures, before specifically naming Carl's ex-fiancée Lindsay Hubbard as one of them.
"I feel like every now and then Lindsay will throw a jab," Kyle says, before asking, "How's it been handling that? Obviously, she's not, like, jumping up and down for Soft Bar..."
Carl replies that he "didn’t expect" Lindsay to be overly supportive.
"If you really want my honest opinion, she's still, really deep down, she's not hurt, she’s just embarrassed," he opines, chalking up the "jabs" and negative comments to her "trying to feel better about the embarrassment she's feeling."
Noting that their broken engagement "wasn’t that long ago," Jesse adds that Lindsay has "obviously moved on," though.
Lindsay Hubbard reveals if she will visit Carl Radke's Soft Bar
Earlier in the season, Carl credited Lindsay's criticism with helping him "refine" his business idea. He even announced that the "doors will always be open," and he "would love" for her to visit Soft Bar, too.
As you might recall, Lindsay already griped that she'd rather watch paint dry than attend Carl's Soft Bar friends and family event in New Jersey. Will she eventually make the trek to Brooklyn, though?
"Yes, just to be like, 'Finally, you actually did something that you said you would do,'" she previously proclaimed. "I will be there with, like, a sign that's like, "Congratulations, Carlito! You did it!" You did the one thing that you talked about doing."
When does Carl Radke's Soft Bar open?
After sharing several sneak peeks at Soft Bar's progress, Carl announced that he and his partners are planning to open in summer 2025.
The "mindful consumption" bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, will offer "premium functional coffee and non-alcoholic cocktails and lite bites curated from our neighborhood," per the company's official website.
