We have had the pleasure of talking with PR-talent and entrepreneur Jack Freud about his latest venture, Barbarella. The supper club opened its doors on October 17^th, after a glamourous £2million refurbishment, rejuvenating the legendary Barbarella.

Jack has always had a foot in hospitality. After finishing school, he got a job in the city for a French bank but while working long hours during the day, he also had part-time jobs in restaurants and bars in the evening. His first job in a well-known establishment was as a bartender at The Pharmacy. He thought it was “a great concept, fun and vibrant, with great art”. Damien Hirst collaborated on the project too and the design was so popular that “lots of people would steal stuff, like plates and cutlery, as it was all really nice”. Unfortunately, it was “a bit like the theatre; once you’ve been to the show you’re not in a hurry to go back”. Jack then started working various jobs, including bar manager at The Groucho Club, which he found to be the antithesis of The Pharmacy. It was “a great contrast from my previous work place; it was very traditional, established and well-managed”. Through these jobs he truly “got a feel for what people wanted, what works and what doesn’t, consumer trends; I floated about, it was a good learning curve”.

With a 10-year background in PR, Jack’s re-launch of Barbarella is his first personal project. His experience in PR taught him how to make a product or service exciting and attractive, and after doing so for a while he decided it was time to do it for himself. “Barbarella has probably been around for more than 40 years – there is no exact establishment date to be found. Many fascinating stories relate to it, as well as an enormous sense of nostalgia”. At first he wanted to change the name, to start fresh, but decided against it in an effort to “keep true to its original heritage”. In fact, he stayed faithful to the Barbarella concept, a place where one can dine, enjoy great cocktails, and then dance the night away to good music all in the same venue.

He noticed that “quite often, when out with friends, you have a wonderful dinner, in an enjoyable atmosphere, and then decide to continue the evening and go to a club. But that great dinner is usually the peak of the evening, and it is downhill from there – losing friends on the way, queuing and sometimes having trouble getting into clubs. You often end up wishing you just stayed at the other place”. That’s what inspired Barbarella’s concept. It is a place where you can enjoy a delightful dinner, during which the atmosphere gently evolves into a lively club; you don’t need to go elsewhere. “The evening builds up in a crescendo; the venue slowly fills up while you’re having dinner, the sound of the music gradually increases, and the table tops end up becoming club tables, on which you can actually dance”. There are also “a lot of theatrical things; you can ask for your favourite songs to be played when you book a table, glamourous hostesses push drink trolleys around, you can choose from an exciting must-try alcoholic-jelly menu and there are free shots for fun people. It is quirky and different”.

However, he didn’t want to compromise the food, seeking to preserve the late-night restaurant feel. “We gave an awful lot of attention to the restaurant, with great Brasserie-style food and a delicious snacks menu at a competitive price”.

He stumbled upon Barbarella through a friend who was in property. “The place was completely run down, but had huge potential and a great location. It didn’t need a vast amount of work at first, but became a slightly bigger project, a sort of cosmetic face-lift”. He was “very excited about the concept, the location; with the crowd and the right positioning, it could be popular again”. We asked him how he made it happen. “I was very blessed as one of my best friends from school is a fabulous architect and designer from d-raw associates, a wonderful visionary, with lots of experience in restaurant and bars; he brought the design perspective to life.” He also explained that his wife – Kate Melhuish – tirelessly worked alongside him, “contributing to the décor, giving it the right feel and the final touches – that weird, quirky and cosy house party feel, which only a woman’s taste could create”.

Barbarella caters for a great mix of people. “It has a broad appeal in terms of its looks. Of course, it’s designed to attract people living around Chelsea, Fulham and South-West London, but everyone can have fun there, whether you are 21 or 60; the crowd isn’t as young as people think it to be”.

With its decadent style and luxurious but laidback comfort, from dining to partying, Jack has truly brought Barbarella back to life.