Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Next Door American Eatery, a small chain of restaurants that includes a location on the north side of Indianapolis, has been rebranded as ND streetBar, its owner announced Tuesday.
Boulder, Colorado-based The Kitchen Restaurant Group—which was co-founded in 2004 by Kimbal Musk, the younger brother of tech giant Elon Musk—said the name change comes with “a new menu of sharable plates and easy-to-drink cocktails that pull inspiration from street food carts across the globe.”
The Kitchen Group operates four ND streetBars in Colorado (Boulder, Eastbridge, Fort Collins and Denver) and the Indianapolis location, which opened at 4573 N. College Ave. in 2018.
The restaurant chain closed temporarily during the pandemic, and some its locations never reopened. In March 2020, in an email addressed to the “Next Door Indy Family,” Kimbal Musk wrote that the company would be permanently closing four Next Door locations, including the one in Indianapolis. He added that the four Next Door locations “were already struggling with being profitable.”
But the owners changed their minds about the Indianapolis location and reopened it in July 2021 with a new general manager and revamped menu.
The Kitchen Restaurant Group wasn’t specific about the reason for the rebranding.
“Over the last 24 months, we were afforded the time to reconsider what we love most about restaurants,” Sam Hallak, chief operating officer of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, said in a written statement. “Our conversations always circled back to the same things: a love of killer drinks, unexpected flavors and vibrant and eccentric spaces. At the end of the day, we’re in the business of creating unforgettable experiences and the new ND streetBar delivers on all fronts.”
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
Next Door was incredibly mediocre for the price. Go up the road to Twenty Tap for a way better version of this type of restaurant.
100% agree plus Twenty Tap has the best beer selection ever.
100%
And who wants to support a billionaire who took PPP then fired all his staff, and fired 90% of the staff of his charity?
I will add to this. Twenty Tap is the answer to all questions.
While it may have just adopted a new name, the restaurant essentially rebranded with it re-opened. The new menu is a major improvement, and the front patio is a great place to gather in the warmer months. With the Red Line BRT station literally at its doorstep, it’s a convenient, easy-to-reach spot to grab eats-and-drinks if you want to escape Broad Ripple proper or on the way home from downtown. My wife and I love it.
I am glad that Mr brother-of-that-guy spent the money to tastefully renovate this old art deco Kroger into a modern and functional restaurant space, and that it didn’t get clobbered for something generic. But what I really look forward to when he gets bored with his toy and moves onto something else, so someone competent, and preferably local, can run a better, tastier, and less expensive for the value place here instead.
The building is actually owned by the local firm Gershman. Kimball didn’t invest a dollar into that rehab if I understand it correctly.
A fair take. Brother Musk is beginning to seem like an out-of-town Neal Brown.
How long has his prime Mass Ave real estate (Hedge Row) sat in limbo, looking like it could open again tomorrow, but with no traction? Wouldn’t it be nice if a person more committed to the city could take that spot?
Hopefully by the time that happens, tipping will be a thing of the past.
so basically, they changed their name
We actually enjoyed the original menu prior to the pandemic. Tried it twice after they reopened, both times were a huge no. Never been back.
Didn’t miss them when they closed…