by Kent Jennings Brockwell
Staff Writer
If Wednesday night’s VIP opening of the Twisted Martini is an indicator of how well the Landing’s newest watering hole will do, expect the new bar to become a very popular downtown hangout.
About 700 people attended the invitation-only opening, which included complimentary drinks, live entertainment and a chocolate fondue fountain. Steve Anderson, director of marketing for the Twisted Martini, said about 80 people were turned away at the door because they did not have an invitation.
Benny DeGuzman, one of the bar’s partners, said he thought the opening couldn’t have gone any better.
“This has been a long time coming,” DeGuzman said. “We had some setbacks over the past few months but we are now open with open arms to downtown Jacksonville.”
DeGuzman said the bar will offer a new type of nightlife to Downtown and hopes it will attract more people to the area seeking entertainment.
“We just hope that everyone has a great time,” he said.
The public opening for the Twisted Martini was Thursday night.