Weekend waits hit the hour mark. Birthday parties became nearly impossible. And kids karaoke? It might be a fun event for the little ones every third Wednesday of the month, but it’s no fun if you’re an adult trying to eat at the restaurant that night.
In June 2008, the Fishers signed the lease on what has become the Pop Shop’s “party room,” which opened in June of this year. It’s a 100-seat addition in the space of a former stationery store in the same building but catty corner to the restaurant’s main floor. It has its own entrance for the public but shares a kitchen with the original restaurant. The room has the same ’50s retro vibe, too: black and white check floor, bright teal walls, sunny yellow soda fountain counter, and a lot of chrome on the tables and chairs.
Why the one year wait? “We signed the lease in June and things came crashing down in August,” says Connie Fisher. Funding took until March 2009 to secure, and the Fishers cut their renovation budget, which also included upgrades to the shared kitchen, by $60,000.
As we talked, Fisher poured over the 1950s board games she ordered on eBay, which she’ll use as décor on the nearly blank walls. She also has plans to add a classic photo booth in a bare corner this fall, and a “Sundae-o-matic” to another. It will be three wheels of chance, like you’d find when you spin for a prize on the boardwalk. Your spin will determine what ice cream flavor, topping, and sauce you’ll get (it’s a risky menu item, but they think it’ll be fun).
“I didn’t want it to feel like an afterthought,” says Fisher. “We want it to be well designed.”
One of the first people to hold an event in the new space was Kristen Hawkes of Southampton. Her sister is getting married at the Doo Wop Experience, a kitschy museum in Wildwood, in October, and she wanted to do a wedding shower to match.
“If you’ve ever been to the restaurant on a weekend afternoon, you can see it’s not really the place to host a shower,” says Hawkes. “Great for kids birthdays, but with the kids and the families there is just too much going on.” So they booked the party room in July and in lieu of a traditional sit-down event, set up Build your Own Burger or Chicken Sandwich, Build Your Own Waffle, and Build Your Own Grilled Cheese bars.
The party room has also booked board meetings and birthday parties, and will host its first fundraiser in September. It handles weekend overflow, too, and kids karaoke (thank goodness—those kids are loud), weekly Monday Night pop quiz events and cooking classes. The Pop Shop doesn’t charge a rental fee on Sunday through Thursdays, though there is a fee to book the space on Fridays and Saturdays.
“I really expect to host a wedding here eventually,” says Fisher as she put the board games away. “A small one, but wouldn’t it be fun?”