“We’ve been here from the beginning,” said Noelle Reith, owner and general manager. “We’ve seen a lot of new things coming to downtown, and it’s been exciting.”
The restaurant occupies three stories of an historic building that was renovated in 1998–two floors of dining, with the kitchen located on the third floor–and serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, and dinner on Sunday. And on Friday and Saturday nights, patrons enjoy complimentary live jazz from 9p.m. to midnight.
“We’ve stuck to the jazz; we feel that’s important, that’s who we are,” Reith explained. “It works for us. The building, the pictures, it all works with that theme.”
“We are ever-changing…but we’ve stayed true to who we are,” she said. “Jazz and martinis.”
Changes have come to the building as well. “We are actually twice the size we were when we opened. We enclosed our outdoor patio and built our second-floor patio,” Reith continued. “We also expanded another 50 feet and built an additional outdoor patio on the ground level. And we’re looking to expand more next year.”
The physical location is not the only aspect of business that has grown. Club Soda offers off-site catering and bartending services, and this has has become an important aspect of the business over the last 5 years.
Reith sees the restaurant as a part of the community, and recognizes the need to invest. So Club Soda partners with a variety of area charities to host or cater events.
“We really like to give back to the community that supports us, and that has supported us for 16 years,” Reith said.
Another important partnership for the restaurant is Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
“I think it adds a lot of value to our business…we’ve been a partner with them since we opened,” Reith said. And “Club Soda has remained an investor with GFW over the years because they continue to foster connections with businesses.”
Reith notes that GFW Inc. consistently reaches out to her about upcoming events and resources that might be helpful, keeping her up to date on the latest news and connecting her with other businesses in the area–a welcome service that helps her focus on the everyday activities and challenges of running a small business.
“It’s been wonderful. I really enjoy the relationship and the people who work there,” she added. “I think what they do with the community and how they interact…it’s all positive for Fort Wayne.”
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