While the Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on Miami’s typically wild March social calendar, spring break apparently will not be deterred.
How do we know? Apart from the hordes of co-eds swarming Miami’s beaches and inundating our bouncers with fake I.D.s, Nick Cannon has also arrived on the scene with his newly reimagined, five-times expanded Wild ‘N Out restaurant concept.
The actor, entertainer, producer and television personality will open the doors to his two-story, 9,000-square-foot Ocean Drive flagship this weekend, introducing a new seafood-focused menu along with the irreverent, Gen Z-focused branding pushed by his popular MTV comedy series of the same name.
Complete with sports-themed arcade games and a turf-covered outdoor space ideal for sloppy beer pong tourneys, the massive, 246-seat space also boasts plenty of TVs for catching the big games, an upstairs, adults-only hookah lounge and a large-scale mural paying homage to the late, great baller Kobe Bryant.
The menu is filled with spring breaker favorites including a variety of frozen drinks, an ominous jungle juice served in a giant wine glass with multiple straws, and a two-gallon mason jar filled with Kool-Aid spiked with we’re not really sure what.
Cannon himself hosts and DJs the grand opening party slated for this Sunday, March 15 at 8pm and is currently on the schedule to return to the spot for a twice-monthly DJ residency.
Whether or not overpriced, sugary cocktails, decadent, Southern-inspired dishes and the sheer allure of Cannon and his viral video empire will be enough to sustain the space beyond the season is something of a toss-up, but during a month that’s already seen the cancellation of Ultra Fest, Calle Ocho and other rowdy offerings, the opening of Wild ’N Out offers a distraction for the city’s young and thirsty crowds.
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