C.W.S. Craft Cocktails and Kitchen to open in Lake Worth

C.W.S. Craft Cocktails and Kitchen, backed by 3-J Hospitality, is opening in Lake Worth in mid- to late-March.

Entrepreneurs Jeff John and Brian Freed own 3-J Hospitality, the company behind Revolution Live, America’s Backyard and the cocktail den Stache, all in Fort Lauderdale. The new Lake Worth restaurant, at 522 Lucerne Avenue, marks the group’s first move northward from Broward County, according to a release.

3-J Hospitality Beverage Director William Binder III, who was responsible for the bar program at SoHo Beach House in Miami Beach, will head the bar at C.W.S., and Executive Chef Joshua Hedquist will lead the kitchen, the release said. A protégé of celebrated chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Todd English and Stewart Woodman, Hedquist has been in the industry for more than two decades.

C.W.S. will feature 150 seats in indoor and outdoor dining, each with its own menu and feel. Inside will be a “speakeasy setting,” with dishes such as Social — smoked bone marrow, radish, mushrooms, olive oil, lemon zest, parsley and garlic bread; and The Deal — Chef’s local catch, corn jus, native succotash, and Cajun rouille.

The outdoor patio will have a beer garden, with a tented bar, picnic tables, gaming area, multiple TV’s, and a menu of bar-driven fare. It will also have a 10-seat “Chef’s Table,” in a private, fenced in garden at the back of the restaurant, according to the release.

C.W.S. is named after its fictional proprietor – gadfly, raconteur and barkeep Charles William Stache. Initially, dinner and Sunday brunch will be served, with lunch introduced later. And a Panther Coffee bar with light pastries will be available every morning.

The real estate market for restaurants in Palm Beach County is strong, with heightened demand and rising prices attracting a range of eateries, experts say.

“Demographics — heavy high-end to middle class — are conducive to restaurant owners,” Tom Prakas, owner of restaurant brokerage Prakas & Co. in Boca Raton previously told The Real Deal. “The population is rising, the economy is bustling and tourism is on the rise.” — Ina Cordle