Barring any additional delays, Codeword, a new nightclub from the DNA Lounge team, will debut next Tuesday, Nov. 10th.
Located at 917 Folsom St. in the former Qi Ultra Lounge space, Codeword won't stray far from its sister club's model. "The basic concept is the same. It'll be a restaurant in one portion and nightclub in the other," said Barry Synoground, general manager of Codeword and DNA Lounge.
The restaurant, a 24-hour pizza parlor, will serve coffee in the mornings, salads and sandwiches in the afternoon, and pizza and beer through the night.
As for entertainment, Codeword will host weekly parties, primarily featuring DJs, Tuesday through Saturday nights. Events on the calendar so far: Sequence, the 18-and-over EDM dance party previously held at DNA Lounge, on Tuesdays; Wax Wednesday, an 18-and-over dance party featuring rock, hip-hop and dance classics; and Cherry, a regular Friday night dance party hosted by Bootie SF.
Since the DNA Lounge team signed the lease at Folsom and Fifth Streets in May, they've regularly taken to their blog to document the many roadblocks they've faced in securing permits for the venture. In July, there was a moment of panic when the Planning Department began reconsidering whether the restaurant could serve pizza between 2am and 6am, threatening the nightclub's business model. Happily for the club, a month later, the Planning Department passed that decision off to the Entertainment Commission, which had already approved the club's entertainment permit. Then there were the usual construction delays.
With less than a week to go, Codeword is still slogging through the city's permit process. "All we're waiting on is everything," Synoground said. "We just need to get our approval from every government agency. I think the NSA is coming up next."
"The moment we are allowed to sell a slice of pizza, even if that is at 4am, that is when we're going to do it," Synoground added. "Of course we have aspirations of doing it Monday night, but realistically, we're looking at Tuesday afternoon."
Those planning to help welcome the new nightclub, pizza parlor or both next week should check Codeword-sf.com or the DNA Lounge blog for updates.
