The king of club-restaurant hybrids Tao Group just inked a deal for another big restaurant. The Post reports that the nightlife company behind Lavo and Beauty and Essex will be opening several restaurants and bars at the Marriott Moxy hotel in Midtown. The hotel at 485 Seventh Ave. at West 36th Street, will have Tao-run projects on the second floor and on a 17th floor roof-deck bar, “with spectacular views of the Empire State Building,” according to the Post.
Tao Group is probably the biggest international nightlife company in the world right now. They have more than 20 bars and restaurants internationally, including Lavo, The Stanton Social, Vandal, and Tao Asian Bistro Downtown in New York City. The company’s huge, sprawling clubstaurants are often packed, celebrity magnets, and insanely good at bringing in cash.
In the food world, they’re notorious for having mediocre yet expensive food, but that hasn’t stopped them from ranking as some of the top-grossing independent restaurants in the country. Last month, the Madison Square Garden Company, which owns the Knicks and Madison Square Garden, bought a 62.5 percent stake in Tao for $181 million.
All that said, a rooftop bar in a hotel sounds just up Tao’s alley. Rooftop bars in general tend to be a scene, and that’s what Tao does best. Their newest restaurant in New York has a giant fish tank in it. Eater has reached out to the group for more information about the newest project. Stay tuned.