Financial Casualty: NYC Bottle Service

I just got this email from a hack. Some noted clubs owned by JE Englebert, that offered bottles of vodka for 450 and up, are now changing their tune. For a while now, I've noticed the empty tables and lack of spending. Now it's official. Maybe nightlife will actually be fun again.

Quo, then Myst and finally Prime were one of the most successful "bottle" venues in NYC.  We took full advantage of that era. But now, that era is over and its time for a new model.

With the new Prime comes a new attitude and a new goal creating pleasure for the customer and making the party a fun party. Admission will no longer be driven by bottle sales.  If someone looks good enough to get in and comes with the right attitude, they will get in without bottles.

Now that the bankers are no longer around to feed the models .... maybe I'll want to start going out again. :-) Is this the end of the douchebag era? Okay, we're going to avoid the obvious snipe at their door policy, but let's reflect, the end of guys that have nothing to say, petting models that are to thin and also have nothing to say, reflecting on their latest buy. Priceless! Thank you sub-prime mess. Thank you Bush, you've finally done something wonderful for New York nightlife.

more from the email.

In terms of revenue, we think that the gross revenue (and as such payouts) will stay the same or go up with more staying power. The old model was based on a large % of the room spending 0 and a few tables spending a TON to make the night work. The new model will be making a smaller amount of money per head from a larger pool of customers.  The goal of the new Prime will be fun and customer service and to create an outstanding club product at a reasonable cost.