Gay bar set to open in San Mateo

“It was great to see just everyone taking advantage of that mixer,” he said. “It was a lot of fun as an attendee and it was just really awesome to see everyone having fun.”

Come Friday night, An and supporters of the Peninsula’s LGBT community will have an opportunity to shape one of the first gay bars to open south of San Francisco and north of Mountain View in recent years. Dubbed Prism, the idea to create a gay bar at the restaurant stemmed from the Pride Center’s mixer, said An, who reconnected with former colleague and Qube Bar and Grill owner Harmail Chatha at the event. Encouraged by the high turnout, An said he and Chatha continued to discuss how the restaurant could host the thriving landscape of LGBT groups in the Peninsula in the future.

In the three years since Qube Bar and Grill opened its doors at 4000 S. El Camino Real, Chatha said the business has grown to include off-site catering and private events in a room at the back of the restaurant. Because dinner service wraps up at his restaurant around 8 p.m., Chatha said keeping the back room — which is adjacent to the restaurant’s bar and equipped with modern lighting and a karaoke setup — open later on Fridays to accommodate a crowd looking for a venue that stays open past dinner.

Having grown up in a family that’s very active in the community, Chatha said his business model has always been based on working with community-based groups and events, noting his company’s history of doing catering jobs with the Pride Center and local nonprofits.

“We’ve always had this sense of pride of being part of the community,” he said. “Whenever we can help out, we’ll help out.”

With the help of the Pride Center and several LGBT-focused groups based in cities across the Peninsula, An and Chatha spread the word about the new venue. They also shaped a plan to have themed events around occasions such as Cinco de Mayo or the LGBT celebrations in June.

When he first moved to San Mateo in 1999, An remembered hearing the last gay bar nearby had closed down a couple years prior, which he said left a void in the entertainment space available to the community. Noting these kinds of venues can be found in San Francisco and the South Bay, An acknowledged there’s something different about having an all-inclusive bar with no cover in one’s own backyard.

“I think Prism is great because the LGBT community has said that they would like a night-time entertainment venue in their neighborhood,” he said.

For Chatha, the chance to recreate the magic of the February mixer and reach new customers is at the heart of why he’s invested in the restaurant industry.

“I think it provided the guests an opportunity to just be themselves,” he said. “We had a great night, we had a great turnout and hence we’re looking forward to doing it again.”

Starting April 27, Prism will be open 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Fridays at San Mateo’s Qube Bar and Grill, 4000 S. El Camino Real.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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