A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday afternoon will unveil The Cut, a new, much-buzzed-about restaurant and performance venue in downtown Gloucester that the leadership team hopes will become an entertainment and dining destination for the entire North Shore and beyond. The space includes a 120-seat dining area and bar, a game room, and a performance area with room for up to 500 spectators to really enjoy the music.
“We want the place to be kinetic,” says director of operations Travis Siewers. “Gloucester is a stand-up-and-dance kind of place.”
To achieve this goal, Siewers and his partners transformed a vacant CVS on Gloucester’s Main Street from a drab pharmacy to a dynamic and welcoming place. The restaurant, which occupies the front half of the space, will serve elevated gastropub fare, with choices like confit chicken rangoon, roasted halibut, and fries served with curry sauce and paneer. The bar will serve beer, wine, and cocktails, and well as a robust menu of nonalcoholic beverages.
The atmosphere combines the rustic (exposed brick walks and wooden rafters) with hints of classic diner (spacious tufted leather booths) and a bit of nautical influence (deep blue upholstery and polished brass details). Nine televisions around the bar and on the dining room walls will show sports and livestream events from the stage.
The restaurant will be open for business following Monday’s ceremonies.
Behind the dining area, the game room offers up pool tables and foosball. Here, hungry patrons who aren’t looking for a full table-service experience will be able to order casual options from the takeout window. The window will serve food from lunch into the night.
The music venue, which is still under construction, will operate out of the back of the space when it opens in January. A stage lines one wall, a sunken dance floor offers room to really get into the music, and a pair of decks at the far end allow guests to get some fresh air and enjoy views of Gloucester Harbor. The Cut is working with a national talent booker and well as local entertainers. The goal, Siewers says, is to keep ticket prices low enough that, for many shows, a couple could have a night out for less than $100. The first national acts to appear will be announced at Monday’s event, but four other performances have been announced and tickets are already on sale.
Only the restaurant is opening Monday, but there are ambitious plans in the works for the future. In addition to the live performances starting in the new year, Siewers envisions a range of other entertainment opportunities: movable bocce and cornhole setups in the stage area, opportunities for diners to bring their own vinyl to play on the bar’s record player, pop-up stints by food truck owners at the takeout window. Local musicians and music teachers will be able to book time in the recording studio and rehearsal rooms in the lower level.
From the kitchen layout to the green rooms, every detail has been carefully thought out, Siewers says. The team behind the new venture has deep experience recruiting performers, developing venues, and managing restaurants, and they all brought their expertise to the design of the new space. “Every aspect of this place has been designed by people who have been deeply invested in the industry for decades,” he says. “We want everyone to feel welcome.”
177 Main St., Gloucester, 978-515-0000, thecutlive.com