“Mandela” and “Avengers” star Idris Elba is the latest celebrity to parlay his fame into the restaurant biz, with the opening of a cocktail bar at the Waldorf Hilton in London.
Set to open next month, The Parrot will be a tropical-themed bar with live music, a “hidden” cocktail menu, “secret shows” and a small plates menu, reports industry publication The Caterer.
An in-house band will provide nightly entertainment, performing cover songs with special guests from the West End. The club will also become the first in London to provide chauffeured rides in a luxury Aston Martin for its deep-pocketed, VIP guests.
Elba joins a long list of celebrity restaurateurs. Canadian rapper Drake has a bar and lounge called Pick 6IX in his native Toronto; Sandra Bullock owns a coffee shop and bakery in Austin, Texas called Walton’s Fancy & Staple; while the Wahlberg brothers Donnie and Mark operate burger chain Wahlburgers.
Other celebrities with food and drink joints include Jay Z, Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Ryan Gosling, Lady Gaga and Eva Longoria. JB
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