Serena Khahera

San Francisco welcomed a new kind of nightlife ritual on Thursday—one that smelled like fresh coffee, sounded like dominoes slapping the table, and tasted like aged rum with a bold espresso backbone. BACARDÍ Rum and NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler hosted the third chapter of their ongoing collaboration: the BACARDÍ x BIGFACE Rum Room Domino Club, marking its first-ever West Coast appearance after a buzzy Miami debut in 2024.

More than a pop-up, the Rum Room Domino Club unfolded as a living expression of culture and connection. Hosted at Starlite in Union Square, the immersive, one-night experience drew from BACARDÍ’s Caribbean and Latin heritage and Butler’s personal passions—coffee, competition, and community. At the center of the room was dominoes, a game Butler has long championed as both a cultural tradition and a social equalizer.

Guests moved through a high-energy space filled with custom domino tables, Caribbean- and Latin-inspired music, and signature cocktails crafted with BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rum. Staying true to the spirit of past Rum Room events, Butler was front and center throughout the night—serving drinks, mingling with attendees, and jumping into multiple rounds of dominoes with guests.

The event also marked the Bay Area debut of the BACARDÍ x BIGFACE Café Con Ocho cocktail. A creative twist on the classic espresso martini, the drink paired the smooth, layered notes of BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho with BIGFACE’s Doublestar Omni Blend coffee, accented by salted caramel and finished with an orange garnish. The result was bold, balanced, and quickly became a crowd favorite.

For Butler, bringing the Rum Room to San Francisco carried special meaning. “BIGFACE is built on coffee, culture, community, and competition,” he shared during the event. “The Rum Room Domino Club brings all of that together with BACARDÍ Rum. San Francisco feels like home, so it was great to see the Bay Area show up, try Café Con Ocho, and really experience what this collaboration is about.”

The celebration extended beyond the walls of Starlite. BIGFACE Coffee officially kicked off its expanded residency at Square’s Corner Store the same day, launching a multi-month presence that will run through mid-April. Designed as a “living pop-up,” the space began offering daily BIGFACE service alongside rotating programming, establishing a new hub for Bay Area coffee culture.

Thursday night also served as the debut of the all-new BACARDÍ x BIGFACE co-branded merchandise collection. Following strong demand at previous Rum Room Domino Club events, the refreshed 2026 capsule featured a jacket, hoodie, t-shirt, and hat. Butler debuted select pieces during the event, including an exclusive hat worn while playing dominoes with guests. For the first time, the collection became available not only at the event but also online nationwide in the weeks following.

The Rum Room Domino Club drew familiar faces as well, including Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II, who joined the celebration and added a local connection to the night’s energy. With DJ Jaymeebaaby setting the soundtrack and dominoes anchoring the room, the event captured the celebratory spirit and sense of community that define the BACARDÍ x BIGFACE partnership.

As the third iteration of their collaboration came to life on the West Coast, the San Francisco Rum Room Domino Club reinforced what has made the partnership resonate from the start. It wasn’t just about rum, coffee, or fashion—it was about shared rituals, cultural roots, and the simple joy of people coming together around a table, a drink, and a game.