DBGB is Now a Coworking Space During the Day Thanks to a New Start-Up

The city's errant workers can now use Daniel Boulud’s DBGB Kitchen and Bar as an office space — and soon, they may be able to log into their laptops and host meetings at other restaurants, too. A new start-up called Spacious is working to find a "hidden network" of coworking spaces, starting with dinner-only restaurants to use their dining rooms during the day, according to Bedford + Bowery. Owner Preston Pesek — who B+B calls an "alternative real estate entrepreneur" — sees it as a bid to "reclaim the city for creative professionals." The Spacious website calls it a "space hack."

Members of Spacious pay $95 per month and get access to any restaurant in the network. They don’t get lunch, but they do get wifi, free coffee and water, conference rooms, and an open work space. Once more members sign on, lunch may eventually be offered. And since DBGB is currently the only available space, the membership costs 20 percent less right now.

Meanwhile, DBGB and Spacious have a profit sharing agreement, and the restaurant has the added benefit of exposure to more people. DBGB manager Mike Favazzo tells B+B that in the two weeks since the soft launch of Spacious, the partnership has already attracted more traffic to the restaurant at night. One member brought 25 friends to the restaurant’s bar for a reception after seeing the space. "It’s a really great way to expose our space to people that are our clientele but that hadn’t necessarily seen us," Favazzo says. The company is still in soft launch, but don't be surprised to see more restaurants as coworking spaces soon. B+B writes that Pesek already has a handful of other partnerships planned.