Bimbo's 365 Club
Encyclopedia
Bimbo's 365 Club, also known as Bimbo's 365, is an entertainment club located at 1025 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco, California
. It specializes in live rock and jazz shows. The location is one of San Francisco's oldest nightclub sites, and has operated under two names with a series of owners. The building started as Bal Tabarin in 1931, the same year that the 365 Club started at 365 Market Street. The two locations under separate ownership consolidated in 1951 to one location owned by Agostino "Bimbo" Giuntoli.
, Italy, and in 1922 at the age of 19 began to work his way to San Francisco. He labored as a janitor at the Palace Hotel
and then as a cook nearby, where Monk Young, the young cook's boss, was unable to pronounce his name. Young called him bimbo instead, Italian
for "boy", and the nickname stuck.
The 365 Club began in 1931 as a speakeasy
and after-hours gambling club, located at 365 Market Street in San Francisco, owned by Young and managed by Giuntoli. It soon became the most popular illicit drinking establishment in town. Musical artists and dancers showcased their work, including a young Rita Hayworth
dancing in the chorus line. An optical illusion achieved by mirrors made the large fish tank above the bar appear to have a nude woman swimming in it. Bar patrons marveled at Dolfina, "the Girl in the Fishbowl".
In 1950, "Bimbo" Giuntoli, by that time sole owner of the 365 Club, arranged to purchase 1025 Columbus Avenue and transfer his operation there.
, architect Timothy L. Pflueger
was contracted to create for the nightclub a stage for live music and dance shows, and a comfortable and sophisticated cocktail bar atmosphere—unusual for the day, as most bars were not decorated to appeal to women. The bar itself was implemented in the Moderne style later called Art Deco
. The stage design used Pflueger's patented indirect lighting hidden behind curved strips of decorative metal. The color coming from behind the facade could be changed smoothly from one hue to another. Two years later, with alcohol bans officially lifted nationwide, the Bal Tabarin was issued California's first new liquor license, and in 1934 Pflueger gave the nightclub a quick renovation. The popularity of the club netted for Pflueger a series of contracts to design cocktail lounges for prominent hotels in San Francisco.
In 1936, a 13-year-old Ann Miller
took a job dancing at Bal Tabarin, by lying about her age—local law required workers to be 18 in a restaurant that served alcohol. On a night when Miller was appearing alongside Sophie Tucker
and Tony Martin
, Lucille Ball
and an RKO Pictures
studio agent came to watch the show. They immediately signed Miller to a seven-year contract.
Owner Tom Gerun contracted for several more show runs with Sophie Tucker through the 1940s. The club put on two floor shows a night, one at 9 or 9:30 and one starting around midnight. Gerun took the show some 120 miles (193.1 km) south to Fort Ord
to entertain U.S. Army troops for a special engagement in August 1941. Other bands taking part in the show were Carl Ravazza
and his Palace Hotel Band, and Robert Nurok and his band from the Alcazar nightclub. Coming from the Bal Tabarin were Bob Saunders and his band, "Señor Wences" (a ventriloquist), singer-actress Gertrude Niesen
, and the Duncan Sisters
with their vaudeville act. After World War II
started in earnest for the United States, Martinelli joked with a Billboard
reporter that it was easy to get big-name stars to perform at his club, but asked "can you tell me where I can get one waiter and two dishwashers? Those are the rare birds these days." After the war, Gerun hosted NBC broadcasts of Ted Lewis and his band, announced by Bill Roddy, performed live from the nightclub's stage. This activity was not enough to keep the club solvent—in 1947 Billboard reported their doors shut for a time so that the owners could save money as they attempted to sign a major musical artist. Gerun and Martinelli also admitted they were seeking a buyer for the place.
Giuntoli's new location was soon a success, with engagements by musical artists such as accordionist Dick Contino
, Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat
with Charo
, singer and trumpeter Louis Prima
, bandleader and trumpeter Ray Anthony
, entertainer Joey Bishop
, lounge music composer Esquivel
and many more. Comedians such as Sid Caesar
, Rodney Dangerfield
and Totie Fields
performed. Popular columnist Herb Caen
commented favorably on the array of acts, writing "Bimbo's [has] jugglers, dance teams, stand-up comics, crooners, chantootsies, Stage Door Johns, a proper band in proper uniforms ... multi-course dinners, red sparkling burgundy in the silver bucket..." In the late 1960s, the club expanded from its lounge atmosphere to put artists such as Smokey Robinson
and the Miracles
, Marvin Gaye
, Neil Diamond
, Glen Campbell
and The Fifth Dimension
on the bill.
In 1970, Giuntoli retired. For the next 18 years, the building was mostly closed, available only on a rental basis for private parties. One notable series of dates was in 1975 when local promoter David Allen put The Tubes
on stage, extending their show week after week in response to standing-room only crowds. The Stooges
also appeared once in early 1974, playing to a sparse crowd, with lead singer Iggy Pop
wearing only bikini briefs and boots on stage. During his performance, he jumped into a small group of fans in front of the stage and his briefs were removed by one of them. He regained the stage while yelling in anger at a female fan who had been handling his male member. In 1988, Giuntoli's grandson Michael Cerchiai reopened the property for a run as a live entertainment venue.
, Oracle
and Yahoo!
have engaged the club for company events. Artists such as Chris Isaak
, Macy Gray
, Jewel
and The Brian Setzer Orchestra
have performed in recent years. British stars Robbie Williams
and Roni Size
have appeared on stage.
In 2000, production manager Scott Burke initiated a major refurbishment of the venue's sound system. He removed an aging Meyer Sound Laboratories
system and installed a Nexo Alpha system, made by Nexo SA of France. Jim Sides, then of Nexo USA based in San Rafael, California
, helped Burke select Nexo dealer Art Yeap of Novo Group in San Francisco to head the project. The loudspeakers were rigged with care such that they did not block sight lines to the small side stage adjoining the main stage. A Midas
48-channel XL-200 mixing console
was placed at the rear of the dance floor area, about 50 feet (15.2 m) from the main stage, for FOH
sound mixing duties. Burke said in an interview that with a new sound system that was "transparent at amazing levels", he intended next to focus on upgrading the lighting system.
Bimbo's has a second bar near the kitchen, with a dance floor and performance space suitable for DJs or showcasing new acts. The room holds 150–200 people. In the main performance area, there are no balconies, and 125–475 people can be accommodated in booths and at tables on the terrace and dance floor for sit-down dinner served from the venue's full kitchen, available to outside caterers. If no dinner is planned, some 700 can watch the main stage, with theater-style seating on the dance floor and standing room at the bar.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. It specializes in live rock and jazz shows. The location is one of San Francisco's oldest nightclub sites, and has operated under two names with a series of owners. The building started as Bal Tabarin in 1931, the same year that the 365 Club started at 365 Market Street. The two locations under separate ownership consolidated in 1951 to one location owned by Agostino "Bimbo" Giuntoli.
365 Club
Giuntoli was born and raised in TuscanyTuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy, and in 1922 at the age of 19 began to work his way to San Francisco. He labored as a janitor at the Palace Hotel
Palace Hotel, San Francisco
The Palace Hotel is a landmark historic hotel in San Francisco, California, located at the SW corner of Market and New Montgomery streets. Also referred to as the "New" Palace Hotel to distinguish it from the original 1875 Palace Hotel that it was built to replace, the present...
and then as a cook nearby, where Monk Young, the young cook's boss, was unable to pronounce his name. Young called him bimbo instead, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
for "boy", and the nickname stuck.
The 365 Club began in 1931 as a speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
and after-hours gambling club, located at 365 Market Street in San Francisco, owned by Young and managed by Giuntoli. It soon became the most popular illicit drinking establishment in town. Musical artists and dancers showcased their work, including a young Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
dancing in the chorus line. An optical illusion achieved by mirrors made the large fish tank above the bar appear to have a nude woman swimming in it. Bar patrons marveled at Dolfina, "the Girl in the Fishbowl".
In 1950, "Bimbo" Giuntoli, by that time sole owner of the 365 Club, arranged to purchase 1025 Columbus Avenue and transfer his operation there.
Bal Tabarin
The Columbus Avenue site was originally known as the Bal Tabarin, a nightclub that featured big band music and a multi-act floor show including a line of dancing showgirls. Restaurateur and businessman Bob Grison partnered with popular bandleader Tom Gerun (born Gerunovitch) and Frank Martinelli, manager of a nightclub called the Roof Garden, to establish a nightclub in 1930. In 1931, in anticipation of the repeal of Prohibition in the United StatesProhibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, architect Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy L. Pflueger
Timothy Ludwig Pflueger was a prominent architect, interior designer and architectural lighting designer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the first half of the 20th century. Together with James R...
was contracted to create for the nightclub a stage for live music and dance shows, and a comfortable and sophisticated cocktail bar atmosphere—unusual for the day, as most bars were not decorated to appeal to women. The bar itself was implemented in the Moderne style later called Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
. The stage design used Pflueger's patented indirect lighting hidden behind curved strips of decorative metal. The color coming from behind the facade could be changed smoothly from one hue to another. Two years later, with alcohol bans officially lifted nationwide, the Bal Tabarin was issued California's first new liquor license, and in 1934 Pflueger gave the nightclub a quick renovation. The popularity of the club netted for Pflueger a series of contracts to design cocktail lounges for prominent hotels in San Francisco.
In 1936, a 13-year-old Ann Miller
Ann Miller
Johnnie Lucille Collier, better known as Ann Miller was an American singer, dancer and actress.-Early life:...
took a job dancing at Bal Tabarin, by lying about her age—local law required workers to be 18 in a restaurant that served alcohol. On a night when Miller was appearing alongside Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
and Tony Martin
Tony Martin (entertainer)
Tony Martin is an American actor and singer.-Career:Tony Martin was born on Christmas Day, 1913 as Alvin Morris in San Francisco, California to Jewish immigrant parents. He received a saxophone as a gift from his grandmother at the age of ten. In his grammar school glee club, he became an...
, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
and an RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
studio agent came to watch the show. They immediately signed Miller to a seven-year contract.
Owner Tom Gerun contracted for several more show runs with Sophie Tucker through the 1940s. The club put on two floor shows a night, one at 9 or 9:30 and one starting around midnight. Gerun took the show some 120 miles (193.1 km) south to Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...
to entertain U.S. Army troops for a special engagement in August 1941. Other bands taking part in the show were Carl Ravazza
Carl Ravazza
Carl Ravazza , also known professionally as Carl Ravell, was an American violinist, vocalist and bandleader....
and his Palace Hotel Band, and Robert Nurok and his band from the Alcazar nightclub. Coming from the Bal Tabarin were Bob Saunders and his band, "Señor Wences" (a ventriloquist), singer-actress Gertrude Niesen
Gertrude Niesen
Gertrude Niesen was an American torch singer, actress, comedienne and songwriter who achieved popular success in musicals and films in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
, and the Duncan Sisters
Duncan Sisters
The Duncan Sisters were a vaudeville duo who became popular in the 1920s with their act Topsy and Eva.-Early career:Rosetta and Vivian Duncan were born in Los Angeles, California, the daughters of a violinist turned salesman...
with their vaudeville act. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started in earnest for the United States, Martinelli joked with a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reporter that it was easy to get big-name stars to perform at his club, but asked "can you tell me where I can get one waiter and two dishwashers? Those are the rare birds these days." After the war, Gerun hosted NBC broadcasts of Ted Lewis and his band, announced by Bill Roddy, performed live from the nightclub's stage. This activity was not enough to keep the club solvent—in 1947 Billboard reported their doors shut for a time so that the owners could save money as they attempted to sign a major musical artist. Gerun and Martinelli also admitted they were seeking a buyer for the place.
Bimbo's 365
In November 1950, Gerun and Martinelli sold the property to Agustino "Bimbo" Giuntoli for a reported $100,000, the equivalent of $ in current value. The arrangement allowed the former owners to operate through January 1951, giving Giuntoli the keys on February 1. Giuntoli planned to hold the 365 Club on 365 Market Street open until July 1, 1951, when renovations to the former Bal Tabarin were to be completed. The new location was to be named Bimbo's 365. Giuntoli expanded the kitchen and added another bar but kept the older Pflueger bar in its original place.Giuntoli's new location was soon a success, with engagements by musical artists such as accordionist Dick Contino
Dick Contino
Dick Contino is an American accordionist and singer.Contino studied accordion primarily with San Francisco-based Angelo Cognazzo, and occasionally with Los Angeles-based Guido Deiro. Early on he exhibited great virtuosity on the instrument...
, Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat
Xavier Cugat was a Spanish-American bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a key personality in the spread of Latin music in United States popular music. He was also a cartoonist and a successful businessman...
with Charo
Charo
María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Gutiérrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romanguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten , better known as Charo, is a Spanish-American actress, comedienne, and flamenco guitarist, best known for her flamboyant stage presence, her provocative outfits, and her trademark phrase...
, singer and trumpeter Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
, bandleader and trumpeter Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor.- Biography :...
, entertainer Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
, lounge music composer Esquivel
Juan García Esquivel
Juan García Esquivel often simply known as Esquivel!, was a Mexican band leader, pianist, and composer for television and films. He is recognized today as one of the foremost exponents of a sophisticated style of largely instrumental music that combines elements of lounge music and jazz with Latin...
and many more. Comedians such as Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
, Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
and Totie Fields
Totie Fields
Totie Fields was an American comedienne.-Life and career:Fields was born Sophie Feldman in Hartford, Connecticut. She started singing in Boston clubs while still in high school, taking the stage name of Totie Fields...
performed. Popular columnist Herb Caen
Herb Caen
Herbert Eugene Caen was a Pulitzer Prize-winning San Francisco journalistwhose daily column of local goings-on, social and political happenings,...
commented favorably on the array of acts, writing "Bimbo's [has] jugglers, dance teams, stand-up comics, crooners, chantootsies, Stage Door Johns, a proper band in proper uniforms ... multi-course dinners, red sparkling burgundy in the silver bucket..." In the late 1960s, the club expanded from its lounge atmosphere to put artists such as Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and the Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
and The Fifth Dimension
The Fifth Dimension
The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes pop, R&B, soul, and jazz.Originally known as The Hi-Fi's, the 5th Dimension changed its name in late 1966, and was best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits "Up, Up and Away",...
on the bill.
In 1970, Giuntoli retired. For the next 18 years, the building was mostly closed, available only on a rental basis for private parties. One notable series of dates was in 1975 when local promoter David Allen put The Tubes
The Tubes
The Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band, whose 1975 debut album included the hit single, "White Punks on Dope". During its first fifteen years or so, the band's live performances combined quasi-pornography with wild satires of media, consumerism, and politics...
on stage, extending their show week after week in response to standing-room only crowds. The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
also appeared once in early 1974, playing to a sparse crowd, with lead singer Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
wearing only bikini briefs and boots on stage. During his performance, he jumped into a small group of fans in front of the stage and his briefs were removed by one of them. He regained the stage while yelling in anger at a female fan who had been handling his male member. In 1988, Giuntoli's grandson Michael Cerchiai reopened the property for a run as a live entertainment venue.
Venue information
Currently, Bimbo's 365 Club is available for rental to private parties, owned and operated by Giuntoli's grandsons. Corporate clients such as the National Academy of Recording Arts and SciencesNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
, Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
and Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
have engaged the club for company events. Artists such as Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Early life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
and The Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Brian Setzer Orchestra
The Brian Setzer Orchestra is a swing and jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer. The group had success covering Louis Prima's "Jump Jive an' Wail", which appeared on Prima's 1957 album The Wildest!...
have performed in recent years. British stars Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Roni Size
Roni Size
Roni Size is a British record producer and DJ, who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective...
have appeared on stage.
In 2000, production manager Scott Burke initiated a major refurbishment of the venue's sound system. He removed an aging Meyer Sound Laboratories
Meyer Sound Laboratories
Meyer Sound Laboratories is an American company based in Berkeley, California that manufactures self-powered loudspeakers, multichannel audio show control systems, electroacoustic architecture, and audio analysis tools for the professional sound reinforcement, fixed installation, and sound...
system and installed a Nexo Alpha system, made by Nexo SA of France. Jim Sides, then of Nexo USA based in San Rafael, California
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, helped Burke select Nexo dealer Art Yeap of Novo Group in San Francisco to head the project. The loudspeakers were rigged with care such that they did not block sight lines to the small side stage adjoining the main stage. A Midas
Midas Consoles
Midas has been designing and manufacturing audio consoles since the early 1970s.Later on it became part of the Telex group. When, in January 2006, Telex Communications was acquired by the Bosch group, Midas consoles became part of the business unit "Bosch Communications Systems"...
48-channel XL-200 mixing console
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
was placed at the rear of the dance floor area, about 50 feet (15.2 m) from the main stage, for FOH
Front of House
Front of house is primarily a theatrical term, referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public. In theatre and live music venues, it typically refers to the auditorium and foyer, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas...
sound mixing duties. Burke said in an interview that with a new sound system that was "transparent at amazing levels", he intended next to focus on upgrading the lighting system.
Bimbo's has a second bar near the kitchen, with a dance floor and performance space suitable for DJs or showcasing new acts. The room holds 150–200 people. In the main performance area, there are no balconies, and 125–475 people can be accommodated in booths and at tables on the terrace and dance floor for sit-down dinner served from the venue's full kitchen, available to outside caterers. If no dinner is planned, some 700 can watch the main stage, with theater-style seating on the dance floor and standing room at the bar.