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Credit: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com

Carl Radke was seen launching his Soft Bar brand on last week’s Summer House. But while he also has plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in Greenpoint, New York, north of Brooklyn, in the coming months, there doesn’t seem to be much progress at the location.

After Carl, 40, invested a six-figure sum into the business and confirmed it was “successfully funded” by nearly 200 other investors, a Reddit user shared a couple of photos of Soft Bar’s physical location, which seemed to be abandoned, and sparked concern from fans.

“Looks like Carl’s got some work to do,” the Reddit user wrote in the caption of their post, which included an image of the front of Carl’s building and another of a Sprinter van parked outside.

“I live in the neighborhood and walked by Soft Bar this afternoon. This is it! Not even a sign,” the user continued. 

Looks like Carl’s got some work to do…
byu/Whozer insummerhousebravo

Following the sharing of the post, the user was met with comments suggesting Carl should’ve started with a pop-up and questioning his idea for a non-alcoholic bar. Some even called for Kyle Cooke, 42, to save him, while others suggested Lindsay Hubbard, 38, was right when she seemingly shot down the concept.

Although Carl’s building seems to have a way to go before it can open its doors, the company’s official website has announced that the bar’s investment needs were “successfully funded and closed on May 1, 2025.” The website also confirmed that Carl received over $130,000 from his investors.

As he launched Soft Bar on Summer House with a garden party in New Jersey, Carl put a spotlight on his Sprinter van, which serves non-alcoholic drinks with added benefits like mushrooms.

“I put a lot of work into this,” Carl said in a confessional, via Bravo’s The Daily Dish. “I put over $100,000 of my own money in.”

“There’s no guarantees with this,” Carl said. “But I would rather fall flat on my face going towards something that I truly believe in and that I’m passionate about than not.”

While Carl initially planned to open a non-alcoholic sports bar, he pivoted to a “mindful consumption bar and cafe” based on feedback he received from his now-ex-fiancée, describing Lindsay’s reaction to his bar idea as “good feedback” on an After Show.

“I appreciated her reaction in that moment because I didn’t have a great idea. Starting a sober sports bar probably isn’t a great idea right now,” he admitted. “But a bar and a cafe that serves coffee, functional drinks, has an experience — that’s a better idea… But I didn’t immediately have that. Her reaction actually led me to where I’m at now.”

Summer House season nine airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.