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    May 24, 2021

    Stroke owners to open tiki bar

    The Royal Tot will focus on tropical drinks and antique rums


    The Royal Tot will serve tiki cocktails in the Belmont neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Plaid Penguin/LunahZon Photography

    The ownership team behind Plaza Midwood putt-putt bar Stroke, ETA Group, will open a tiki bar named The Royal Tot in the Belmont neighborhood later this year. The bar is named after the daily rum rations once given to sailors in the British Royal Navy — a longstanding practice that ended in the 1970s.

    “Throughout the years, that changed in the amount and what type of rum, but it was always a steady tradition,” says owner Scott Gadd. “We are hoping to maintain that by having daily tots available for guests as they come in.”

    That daily tot will include infused rums that change frequently. Also on the menu will be classic tiki cocktails and rum drinks. Paper Plane Deli will provide the food, including tuna poke bowls, booze-marinated meats, tequila and pineapple-marinated Spam, and snacks like warm macadamia nuts. Paper Plane is located in the same building as The Royal Tot’s future home, off Central Avenue near Catawba Brewing.

    Construction begins on the bar next week and includes mostly cosmetic changes and some plumbing work. Gadd hopes to have the doors open at the end of August. The space will include a patio, rooftop, and private event space.

    Gadd and mixologist Larry Suggs, the bar’s beverage director, are planning to have a special membership for rum lovers. Those members will have the first opportunity to sample the bar’s growing collection of antique rums, which Gadd has been collecting over the past few months in preparation for opening. Another signature item to look forward to is a version of beloved Disney offering Dole Whip, a pineapple soft-serve ice cream, that can be enjoyed as is or with rum.

    ETA Group, short for Embrace The Adventure, is owned by husband-and-wife team Scott and Ashleigh Gadd. Both Gadds previously worked in insurance before Scott decided to open an axe-throwing bar near where The Royal Tot will be. They grew that one bar to three locations before selling them and opening Stroke.

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