ORLANDO, Fla. – Four years ago, Stonewall Bar in Orlando closed its doors and now, plans are set to revitalize the space and open a multi-concept LGBTQIA+ restaurant called Heatwave.
Business partners Kevin Varanai and Andrea Dunn are the duo opening this new venture. Varanai told News 6 they hope to have it open by late spring.
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Heatwave will have three concepts, Varanai said. It will be a cafe during the day, a full-service tapas restaurant by the afternoon, and upstairs will host another restaurant with a focus on events, according to its business plan sent to the city.
It will be open Mondays to Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until midnight and on Thursdays to Sundays from 9 a.m. until 4 a.m., according to its website. It is located at 741 W. Church Street.
“The whole concept is really just creating like a home away from home for everybody that, you know, people can have a safe space,” Varanai said.
What will be unique between the three spaces are the cocktails, he said. He worked with the team from The Moderne, an Orlando bar in the Mills 50 District, to craft different drinks for each space. Specific food menu items were not revealed, but he did mention the food offerings will be the same throughout the whole venue.
“The really cool thing about the property itself is it is naturally segmented into three different spaces, and so we are really embracing that. Each space will have its own visual identity,” Varanai said.
The main driving force to open Heatwave, Varanai said, was to provide a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies in Orlando that is not just a bar or nightclub.
“I feel that there is such a huge gay population and queer population in Orlando, and I feel that the community’s spaces are really lacking. I mean, Hammered Lamb just closed, which is really sad,” Varanai said.
Overall, he is hoping that if Heatwave is successful it will inspire others to open similar concepts and bring more unique community spaces to Orlando.
“Orlando has become my home, and I really just want it to be the best it can be,” he said.
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