Written by Emma Dooling – Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Sep 10, 2024
The owners of Old City Italian restaurant Radicchio Cafe are working on two restaurants and a nightlife venue that will be a part of their newly formed hospitality group.
Owners Wayne Shulick and John Meehan’s pipeline of hospitality concepts include a Mediterranean fusion restaurant in Manayunk, a live music nightlife venue on Essington Avenue, and an all-day restaurant in Rittenhouse Square, the duo told the Business Journal. All of the restaurants will operate under the duo’s new group, No Name Hospitality Group.
A newly formed hospitality group is planning three new concepts in Philadelphia. Above, an artist's rendering of Sole, a forthcoming nightlife and events venue.
JOHN SOFIO/BUILT INC.
Shulick and Meehan bought Radicchio together in July 2021. Shulick was the founder of shuttered Philadelphia nightlife concepts the Denim Lounge and 1500 Lounge, and owns Old City restaurant Frame and its adjoining cocktail bar and lounge, Unframed.
Meehan has been in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years and operates gentleman’s clubs in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Jersey. After realizing that the two were “like minded” in their business plans and strategies, Meehan said they decided to extend their partnership and create No Name Hospitality Group in late 2023.
“Something that both of us have been looking for in partners is to grow a brand and have multiple locations,” Meehan said.
Shulick has since brought Frame and Unframed under the No Name Hospitality Group umbrella as well. Meehan’s clubs are not a part of the group, which currently has around 40 employees.
A rendering of the forthcoming nightlife and events venue Sole.
JOHN SOFIO/BUILT INC.
No Name Hospitality Group has three projects in the works around the city. The first, a live music nightclub and events venue called Sole, will be located at 6798 Essington Ave. adjacent to Meehan’s club The Oasis.
Sole’s 5,000-square-foot space will feature brick walls and high ceilings. Next spring and summer, Shulick and Meehan hope to also host festivals in the venue’s parking lot, which has a capacity of 3,500 people.
The group is also working on a Mediterranean fusion restaurant in the former Bourbon Blue space in Manayunk. Located at 2 Rector St., the 7,000-square-foot eatery, called Casaluna, will offer a restaurant on the ground floor and a lounge in the basement.
Casaluna’s restaurant space will seat about 165 people, including 20 at its bar, Shulick said. It will also have a deck overlooking the Manayunk Canal.
The duo bought the Bourbon Blue space last November for around $1.95 million, property records show.
No Name Hospitality Group’s third new concept will be an all-day restaurant at 151 S. 24th St. tentatively called Di Passere. The bi-level Rittenhouse Square space was previously occupied by Italian restaurant Sotto, also owned by the previous owner of Radicchio, and a location of Good Karma Cafe.
Di Passere will serve smoothies, juices, pizza and other breakfast and lunch items in the morning and afternoon out of its upstairs space, which has an entrance on the Walnut Street bridge, Meehan said. At night, it will seat 88 people across the 3,000-square-foot, two-story space and will have an additional entrance to the lower level from 24th Street.
No Name Hospitality Group's all-day restaurant, tentatively called Di Passere, will take over the bi-level space at 151 S. 24th St., pictured above from the Walnut Street Bridge.
GOOGLE MAPS
The group does not have an opening timeline for Casaluna. Di Passare is tentatively set to open sometime in the fall.
No Name Hospitality Group is expected to hire a minimum of 125 people full- and part- time for positions across the three forthcoming concepts, according to Meehan.
The group also plans to perform some cosmetic upgrades to Radicchio that are currently set to debut in January. In total, Shulick and Meehan said the four projects constitute a multimillion-dollar investment from the group into its existing and new venues.
Shulick said the duo has other projects they’re eyeing but declined to share additional details. He and Meehan aim to continue to grow No Name Hospitality Group into a popular local brand.
“We just want to build a cool culinary, nightlife brand with some great experiences, elevated dining. Treat it as everyone’s part of the family. Give back to the community,” Shulick said.
