In an apparent bid to stay relevant, Pepsi is opening a 5,000-square-foot space in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood.
Kola House, named for the nut used in caffeinated soda, will be a permanent restaurant, bar, and event venue where the brand can experiment with new products, reports the New York Times. The date for the opening has not been announced.
The space will serve food, and according to the Times, “everything at Kola House will be centered on the kola nut.” It’s an odd choice for any menu but especially strange given that US consumers seem to be rejecting the nutrition-less carbonated beverages often associated with kola.
Growth has been dismal for parent company PepsiCo in the past decade, and the company seems to be looking to drum up conversation online—perhaps counterintuitively, by creating this live experience. (Quartz has reached out to PepsiCo and will update with any comment.)
On the whole, soda companies are facing declining sales as consumers become more health conscious and public health officials look to impose taxes on carbonated sugary drinks.