Noel Ashman Ready For Some More, But Will it Work?

Noel Ashman's last nightclub venture the Plumm ended its four year run in April of this year. The space was quickly snatched up by Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano, who are planning to open a supperclub and nightlife venture with TV star and chef Alex Guarnaschelli. While hosting the opening of the new nightclub Amnesia, Ashman revealed to Grub Street that he is close to opening his next nightclub venture, describing it as a "mix between Soho House and a Veruka and Bungalow 8", for a clientele that of paying members who thirst for "something that’s a little more private, where they feel more protected." While that sounds nice in theory, there seems to be some major flaws in this business plan.

The first flaw is that membership clubs hardly ever work in New York City. While Soho House has been highly successful here, it is a well financed international brand with a global customer base, while one-off membership clubs like Norwood have failed to fire in New York. More importantly, Ashman's dreams of attracting high end clientele are delusional at best. By the end of its run, the Plumm was firmly entrenched in the bottom rung of nightlife, attracting lower level promoters and hardly any quality private events. It seems improbable that Ashman will be able to attract the clientele and corporate events that will make this business plan work. Finally, it will be tough to find a quality staff after the Plumm allegedly stiffed its employees during its final months in operation. It doesn't matter who you are or how A-list you proclaim your customers to be - if you don't have a highly trained staff to take care of your members, they will not be happy and your business will suffer. But besides these three little issues, it sounds like an outstanding idea. Can't wait!
· Noel Ashman’s New Club Will Be Soho House Meets Bungalow 8 [Grub Street]
· Noel Ashman Coverage [DBTH]
· The Plumm Coverage [~ENY~]
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