Kelly Trom
ktrom@mustangdaily.net
A new club will hit the streets of downtown San Luis Obispo in January. Eye Candy, an 18-and-up dance club on Osos Street, will be the only club located downtown to cater to those under 21.
“I decided to create Eye Candy because I was disappointed with the quality of the club scene when I was at Cal Poly,” Eye Candy owner Ryan Benedicto said.
Benedicto has been a DJ since 2003 and worked with other DJs at KPWR Power 106 in Los Angeles. He wanted to use this experience to create his own club, he said.
“I’m taking my past, present and new experiences from music festivals and using those ideas to connect with college students on a deeper level,” he said.
Benedicto said he wants to apply some of the technical aspects of the festival scene to his club.
“Eye Candy is underground — literally and figuratively,” Benedicto said. “The club combines music and lighting elements from festivals such as Coachella, Rock the Bells and The Electric Daisy Carnival.”
The club differs from other night life establishments downtown in the types of beverages it will serve and the audience it focuses on.
“Eye Candy will not serve alcohol,” he said. “The club’s main focus is on having the best dance environment for college students, not limited to 21 and up.”
Benedicto said the name “Eye Candy” refers to the club’s artistic combination of sound, lighting and other visual elements. This includes a 5-by-21-feet “light wall” Benedicto ordered from Bulgaria.
“I’ve never seen anything like it at music festivals or vegas clubs,” Benedicto said.
Some Cal Poly students are looking forward to the club’s addition to the downtown scene.
“I think it will be much more convenient, mainly because it’s located in downtown SLO,” history senior Kelly Doyle said. “The only other club I know of is The Grad, and no one can get there because it’s so far away.”
Doyle said word of Eye Candy’s opening has been going around campus and social media.
“I heard about it mostly from friends and classmates,” Doyle said. “Then I looked into it on Facebook and liked it, so now I get all my info from that.”
Eye Candy used its Facebook page to notify people when its original opening date, Nov. 2, was postponed.
The opening was rescheduled due to construction and contractor issues, Benedicto said.
“Construction delays have been a headache, and I apologize to fans of Eye Candy that are waiting for the new grand opening date,” Benedicto said.
However, some students seem to think it will be worth the wait.
“I’d rather they delay it then rush it and make a bad opening,” manufacturing engineering sophomore Khuzema Khairullah said.
The club will be open weekly, Thursday through Saturday and will charge a cover fee comparable to what a movie would cost, Benedicto said.
“I think it will be a great addition to SLO, I’m really excited for it to open,” liberal studies sophomore Camille Crowley said.
The grand opening will be a two-day event: Jan. 11 and 12. It will feature music from DJ Sol, DJ Blindside and DJ Bubbles. A free shuttle service will transport people from Hathaway Avenue to Eye Candy starting at 10 p.m.
Eye Candy will be located at 1060 Osos St. Updates are available on the club’s website and Facebook page.
Editor’s note: This article originally stated that the grand opening of Eye Candy will be Nov. 16 and 17. The opening has been rescheduled for Jan. 11 and 12.