What initially started as a weekly show at a nightclub in downtown Chicago nearly 10 years ago has evolved into a growing portfolio of comedy clubs in some of the hottest cities in the country.
Supplied
Co-founded by Sahar Chavoshi, these shows saw such a sustained and increased demand from audiences that the founders eventually partnered with the Gino’s East restaurant brand in 2015 to create The Comedy Bar, with a flagship location in the River North area of Chicago.
Recognizing that there’s been a swell of NY and LA expatriate comics heading to Music City, as well as a pack of hometown heroes who have forged the groundwork for the scene that exists today, Chavoshi and The Comedy Bar have opened in Nashville, hoping to add to the variety of entertainment options by, as they say, “doing comedy differently.”
Just a few months old, The Comedy Bar Nashville has established itself as a draw, not just for big-name headliners, but also for local comics.
“We make it a point to bring out national headliners, but we also book a lot of local talent, regional talent—we support the underdog,” Chavoshi says, pointing to her roster of comics fresh off of their late-night debuts as well as those just getting their start.
“They don’t have TV specials (yet) and people may not know who they are—but they’re really funny. For us, being able to provide that stage time, cultivate them, and take from an ‘open mic’ level comic to, at some point in their career, us not being able to afford them anymore, is really fulfilling to us,” she says with a laugh. “As weird as that sounds.”
The space is a refreshing, younger, modern take on a comedy club. With Gino’s East Chicago-style pizza and a rotating list of taps, they hope you’ll sit, stay, and eat. “We don’t do a two-drink minimum,” Chavoshi says of the increasingly dated comedy club business model. “We want to make this a real comedy experience. This isn’t just forcing people to come in here and spend their money.”
They’ve also put a lot of attention to details into the rest of the experience. “There’s a lot of thought that goes into our club, [including] from a production standpoint. We get the best speakers and audio systems, even down to the microphone we’re using. I’ve gone through a dozen just to get the perfect sound,” she says.
Most importantly, The Comedy Bar is a comfortable place for the audience.
“You can show up on a Tuesday night in your sneakers and just hang out for a beer. Or, you can come in on a Saturday for a date night, put on your heels or a suit and feel completely not out of place,” Chavoshi says. “We’ve tried to set up more of an upscale, elevated comedy club experience not just for our customers but for our comedians, too. It’s nice, comfortable, and [we] treat them well.”
The Comedy Bar, 311 3rdAve. S., 615-323-5300; comedybar.com/nashville