Lance McWhorter, owner and executive chef of Culture ETX, is set to open a high-end bar connected to the restaurant called The Plaid Rabbit.

The planned opening of a speakeasy-style bar could be a Halloween treat for downtown Tyler.

The Plaid Rabbit bar will be accessible only with the use of a password that is given to the hostess at the entrance of Culture ETX restaurant on West Erwin Street. The hostess then will lead customers to the back of the restaurant to a door labeled as a janitor’s closet. Customers will then be taken into the “closet” where the hostess will guide them into The Plaid Rabbit.

“We’re going to have this old-school industrial space,” said Lance McWhorter, owner of Culture ETX and The Plaid Rabbit.

The approximately 1,000-square-foot space was built around the early 1900s and has exposed brick walls and power strips. McWhorter said the plan is to keep those features for a “grungy” look.

He said his vision is for the space to have an “‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets steampunk kind of vibe.”

In line with that theme, McWhorter said design aspects will include a steel-topped bar; green marble tile from the One American Building to add details to the base of the bar; prohibition-era liquor bottles adorning windows; Edison bulbs hanging from a bronze ceiling; a plaid accent wall; and other artistic aspects such as the possibility of a stuffed rabbit in a kilt.

“None of us are designers — my wife and I, we’re cooks,” McWhorter said. “But this space has kind of told me what it wants. … It’s just kind of grown organically.”

There will be seating options and tables for standing. McWhorter said the goal is to keep the space open to allow for people to easily talk and interact.

The space is “meant to flow and never feel crowded,” he said. “I want it to feel open even though it’s still a relatively small space.”

While the space will feel old and rustic, McWhorter said it also will be modern. It will have numerous charging ports for customers, purse hooks, top notch equipment for bar staff and more.

“The bartenders that come in here will have everything that they need to be successful on a national scale, not just on a local scale,” he said.

The Plaid Rabbit will focus on providing specialty drinks and will have a menu created with entrees, small bites and more.

Like with food at Culture ETX, McWhorter said he looks to elevate the craft cocktails customers can get in Tyler.

“It’s not going to be your Jack and Coke bar,” he said. “I mean, we can make that, but it’s not what we’re after — we’re after that high end.”

While looking to make the Plaid Rabbit more of a high-end bar, McWhorter said it will still be a place anyone can visit.

“We want to allow people to have different experiences, but we also want to have those experiences available to everybody too,” he said.

McWhorter said it will offer levels of membership including gold, silver, copper and the highest, black. Members will receive invites to events along with more perks. However, there always will be ticketed events open for everyone.

“It’s just gonna be that experience,” he said. “Best equipment, best spirits and right now we’re looking for the best bartenders.”

McWhorter said construction should be finished in the next couple of weeks. At that point, floors will be installed and the space painted and decorated.

He hopes to open the bar on Halloween.

For information, follow The Plaid Rabbit Facebook page at facebook.com/ThePlaidRabbitETX .