The Upper Haight's old Club Deluxe had live music until 1 am on weekends, but the new forthcoming reborn Club Deluxe just won approval for bands to jam til 2 am, seven nights a week, though they probably won’t go that late.
The Upper Haight hit some sour notes back in 2022, when we learned the 33-year-old jazz and swing venue Club Deluxe was closing permanently. There was a brief period when that district’s then-Supervisor Dean Preston seemed to broker a deal for Club Deluxe to remain open, but that somehow fell apart, and Club Deluxe again announced its permanent closure in April 2023.
Yet two years later, the neighborhood got the news that Club Deluxe would reopen under new ownership, that is, the ownership of one-time Club Deluxe bartender Christian Beaulieu and Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio founder Jay Bordeleau.
The new reincarnated version is now calling itself “The DeLuxe,” according to their updated social media handles (that punctuation/capitalization matches their longtime red neon sign). And on Thursday, the new owners went before the SF Planning Commission requesting a permit to “establish amplified live musical entertainment,” and an authorization “allowing hours of operation to be 9am-2am 7 days a week.”
That request was approved by the Planning Commission unanimously, with no discussion by the committee before the 5-0 vote.
As part of the permit, The DeLuxe promised they would be “installing soundproof baffling,” as after all, there are people living in apartments above the venue.
This is a pretty significant change for those of us who’ve gone to Club Deluxe for years. Per their old permit, which was approved way back in 1996, Club Deluxe could not have amplified live music, and could only have live music from 9:30 pm to midnight on weekdays, and 9:30 pm to 1 am on weekends. Now that’s extended to 9 am (yes, in the morning) until 2 am, seven nights a week.
Still, co-owner Christian Beaulieu tells SFist that the music is unlikely to go that late. After all, people don’t stay out as late anymore at San Francisco bars and nightclubs.
“The 2 am is basically just the classic bar cut-off, we don’t intend on booking live music until 2 am,” Beaulieu told SFist after Thursday’s vote. “Our schedule at the moment has it more going to midnight on the weekends, and even earlier on the weekdays."
And interestingly, the club’s Type 90 liquor license permits all-ages shows, which allows for afternoon performances from the younger set.
“It has the ability to be an all-ages club,” Beaulieu added. “That is built into the license, so we are able to do early shows with younger bands during the afternoons, and actually host people of all ages for the first time ever.”
There are still more changes to come to the new Deluxe/Club Deluxe. The permit application also describes “Front façade alterations, under a separate permit” that are also currently under SF Planning Department review. The application also says the club is remodeling the bathrooms to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
So that’s a little more City Hall red tape before the club can open again. But the new ownership is also running a community investment fundraising campaign, giving fans “a way to contribute funds of any amount (as low as $10 buy in) and get interest returns for doing so.”
Note: This post has been updated with comment from The DeLuxe co-owner Christian Beaulieu.
Related: Haight Street’s Club Deluxe Is Indeed Reopening Again, New Owners Claim [SFist]
Image: Shane H via Yelp
