88 Keys Piano Bar will add a level of sophistication to Myrtle Beach nightlife
The owners of 88 Keys Piano Bar are catering to customers with refined taste.
Piano music, chandelier lighting, an extensive wine list, upscale appetizers and sandwiches, and a lack of TVs and the associated noise will be unveiled at the grand opening on Thursday.
The bar is connected to and affiliated with one of the longstanding upscale restaurants in the market, The Library on 66th Avenue North and Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach.
“We’re really going to strive for impeccable service. We want it to be upscale,” said general manager Michael Gorby. “We want to complement The Library restaurant because they will complement us.”
There is only one video screen in the building, and it’s a large screen that will be playing classic black and white movies for ambiance more than viewing.
“The reason we don’t have TVs in here is because we want to create a place for people to come relax and conversate with each other,” said partner Mark Kaufman. “We’re trying to promote the human connection more than all these sports bars where everywhere you go they have 10 TVs.”
The three owners are Kaufman, who is a partner and performer at the Crocodile Rocks dueling pianos bar at Broadway at the Beach, Crocodile Rocks partner Craig Smith, and Shad Velasco, 17-year owner of The Library.
“These guys have been some of my best friends for almost 20 years now. [Smith] and I have been talking about being partners for at least 10 of them, so this was an opportunity for me to take a demand for live music and incorporate it into my fine dining atmosphere,” Velasco said. “My friends helped me come up with the idea and the theme, and I have customers that are asking for it, so we decided to go forward with it.”
The connected bar-restaurant setup is similar to what existed for several years between Rossi’s and 88s Piano Bar, which have both been closed for a few years and are unaffiliated with The Library and 88 Keys.
88 Keys will have a $250 VIP membership for admission and tables after 10 p.m. that includes discounts.
The bar has name brands as house liquors including Tito’s vodka. The Library’s wine list, which consists of a choice of more than 150 bottles ranging from $35 to $1,050, will be available.
Kaufman will perform and also handle the booking of performers, which will include some Crocodile Rocks pianists and others.
Much of the piano music will be upon request, though the tempo will pick up late night, after The Library closes at 10 p.m. “When The Library restaurant closes, we’re going to turn it up a notch,” Gorby said.
The menu is made of vinyl and is in the form of a music publication front page. It includes filet mignon beef tips, a filet burger, smoked salmon bagel, spinach and artichoke dip and chicken salad sandwich. No fried food is offered.
88 Keys will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m., and food will be available until at least midnight if demand warrants.
Velasco said he originally intended to have the 88 Keys portion of the building when he moved The Library from downtown Myrtle Beach to 66th Avenue North in 2017, but it ended up being leased by someone else until it recently became available.
“The original concept was to have a piano bar on the left-hand side, a main dining room and a banquet room over there [at The Library], and unfortunately I couldn’t get into this property until four months ago,” Velasco said.
This story was originally published May 26, 2020 at 2:24 PM.
