Building on the success of Sports Drink, a small café and comedy room in the Irish Channel, owner Andrew Stephens is gearing up for a major step forward with the upcoming launch of a multi-use concept called The Orange Violet at 3157 Tchoupitoulas St. that combines a restaurant, three bars, a pool, and a 200-seat comedy venue. It is slated to opening in the spring of 2027.
The new location stems from the success of the 50-seat Sports Drink, which has booked outsized names like Rory Scovel, Kyle Kinane, and Amber Autry. After securing a liquor license in early 2024, the intimate space ramped up its schedule to roughly eight shows a week. However, growing demand from larger touring acts quickly outgrew the space.
Stephens noted that The Orange Violet will also be a hub for the very talented local comedy community stands.
“New Orleans is an absurd city to live in, so I think it breeds just a lot of extremely funny people,” Stephens said.
Despite a vibrant pool of talent, securing prime bookings has historically been an uphill battle in a city dominated by live music.
“Over the last couple of decades, comedy nights at a lot of places have been cleared out in favor of music,” Stephens said. “Comedy hasn’t necessarily been like cast aside, but it’s just harder to get prime performance times and spaces”.
The new Tchoupitoulas space will bridge that gap and also offer daytime utility alongside nightly entertainment. The property will feature a pool open during the day, complemented by a “pizza-heavy” menu and full bar service. In the evenings, service will transition to a hybrid model with QR-code ordering and mobile tab tracking to streamline customer experience and facilitate comedy shows.
Although the shows will be bigger at Sports Drink, Stephens said the plan is to keep general admission to the new venue accessible while ticketing larger headliners separately.
“The venue and pool are free to access as long as you are spending money at the bar, and then comedy shows, depending on who we’re bringing in, will have pricing for tickets that range anywhere from 20 to 40 dollars or so,” Stephens said.
Organizers are currently targeting a mid-March opening to coincide with Sports Drink’s annual comedy festival.
