Dune Fridays Kicks Off

Dune kicks off its 2008 season with a big Friday night bash. How big? Well they busted their ad budget with a low budget, mind-numbing flash movie. Just means more profit from those $1500 bottles of Henny.

Lavo is Hiring!

Got the New York City recession blues? Get your resume ready and call Uhaul, because Lavo, Las Vegas's next great restaurant and night club is now hiring!

Finally….you’ve waited long enough

From the creators of TAO Asian Bistro and Nightclub
Still….the sexiest temple in Las Vegas

LAVO

Restaurant and Nightclub is now accepting applications for the following positions:

Maitre’D
Restaurant Managers
Assistant Restaurant Managers
Nightclub Managers
Assistant Nightclub Managers
Sous Chef’s
Purchasing Agent

Their other operation, Tao, is the most successful restaurant in the country. Getting a job here will probably lead to some pretty good scratch. Just something to consider a you slog through another week in the meat grinder.

Blogging For a Flogging: Samy Sass Stays Out

Looks like the Flogging can happen all the way out in the desert. A Little Birdy checks in to set the record straight about Lavo, saying "You recently mentioned that Sammy Sass was partnering with Noah and Jason on their new Vegas project Lavo. He actually has nothing to do with the project." Hmmm, we guess our original source was off, because this LB would certainly know. Oh well, no one is perfect. Consider ourselves corrected and in some pain.

Lavo Staffs Up!

Lavo, Noah and Jason's upcoming Las Vegas mega project, is beginning to staff up. According to a Little Birdy, they are pulling their from Los Angeles. Says our LB:

Suk Sung, of Opera, Crimson, and Mood (though probably less proud of that last one), is moving from LA to Vegas at the end of the month to help start it up.

Our Little Birdy explains further that managers and hosts from both coasts are looking to move to the desert, and really, who can blame them. Unlike LA and NYC, hospitality makes the Vegas world go round, so middle management types are eager to use hotel mega clubs as a spring board to increased pay and greater opportunities. Tax trouble not included.

Noah and Jason Live LAVO

Thanks to Lloyd Grove and a super long interview with Noah Tepperberg on Portfolio's website, we get a bit more information on Noah and Jason's upcoming Las Vegas project with Sammy Sass. You know, the one we told you about in January. Noah tells Lloyd

And now Jason, myself, Seth (Rodsky), Mark (Packer), and Rich (Wolf) have again partnered to open a new place in Las Vegas, which will be opening in about three months in the Palazzo hotel. It's a restaurant and a nightclub, rather large, and it's going to be called Lavo.

Fascinating stuff. Not only that, a Little Birdy tells us that it is designed by Avro/Ko. We look forward to it.

[Photo credit]

Strategic's Horizontal Integration

GNML sits down with Noah Tepperberg (Strategic Group, Marquee) for another magical interview. What did we find most interesting? Noah and Jason's ability to horizontally integrate clients into their properties across the country, saying

Every client counts. To build a business that will sustain itself over a few years you have to have a loyal customer base that will come every week or every month or every six months and support your venue. If our customers are loyal and good, we make it a point to cater to them and bring them into this Marquee, Tao, Strategic, Dune, network. They have access to the network and can use it when they need to entertain clients or to travel. It’s a very key part to why our business works.

12 months a year in every large US city, Noah and Jason are able to plug you in to a Strategic related property. This in turn gives them longevity. This is why you see a place like Marquee remain open and going strong this far into it's lifetime.

Noah and Jason Get Sassy

A bit of news from the desert. We had previously heard rumors of another mega project from Noah and Jason at the new Palazzo in Las Vegas. Originally, it seemed that they would try to bringing the Stanton Social concept out west with Marc Packer and Rich Wolf and then attach a mega-club and pool, just like their ridiculously successful Tao operation. Apparently, these plans have been scrapped for something much grander and dare we say, international. We'll let our Little Birdy tell you the rest:

A friend in Monaco is telling me that Samy Sass, from Sass Cafe in Monaco famed is partnering with Noah and Jason to do a Sass Cafe concept in Vegas that is restaurant, lounge, club, pool, etc. This would be in line with comments they have made in the Vegas press about opening a 'vibe dining' concept. Further, the word out of London is that the guys from Mo*vida (the hottest club in London that ripped off the name from NY) are doing something in Vegas, but nobody knows where. Turns out Samy is partners with them in Mo*vida. So, my conclusion is Noah and Jason are up to something big with some major operators from Monaco and Vegas. Not just big, but so big that there is a complete gag order on the whole thing and no info available anywhere.

Well, except for right here of course. So much for your gag order fellas. This partnership represents globalization at its finest, and follows Strategic Group's process of taking on partners to minimize risk and keep their capital contribution to a minimum. Smart move, especially with the tightening of the credit markets and weak dollar, to bring in some global players who have shied away from Vegas in the past. Will it work? Only time will tell.

Jigga Goes 40/40 Again

Not to be outdone by their cross town rivals, it seems that after a bit of embarrassment, Noah T. and Jason S. are getting back to business. This time, they are sharing the spotlight with the Jigga himself, Jay Z. A little birdy files a report from the desert, saying "Jay-Z's 40/40 is opening at the Venetian's new Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino on December 20, 2007. What isn't known is that Jay will be sharing the nightlife spotlight with a two-story restaurant and lounge (maybe NY's Stanton Social) run by Tao managing partners Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg of Strategic Group, as well as with a full-scale nightclub and live music venue." Talk about a stacked lineup. We imagine that investors have been desperate to get the Strategic boys involved with another Vegas spot, especially since Tao is the most profitable establishment in the country. The Palazzo was a natural fit. However, we aren't sure if the Stanton Social brand is strong enough to make it on a Vegas level, but Strategic certainly has the weight to pull it off. We shall see.

Scenes from a Party

Tao Las Vegas celebrated its 2 year anniversary yesterday. And what a few years its been. Some of their friends stopped by. Sure looks like everyone had fun. Happy birthday.

Power Share at Dune

By all accounts, the folks behind Dune are having a pretty good summer. The place is filled during the weekends. There haven't been any headline grabbing incidents. Missy Elliot even had her birthday there. But we were wondering, who actually owns/runs the joint? All the usual names have been mentioned. Noah, Jason, Jayma, Opie. Oh, and Paige Restaurant Group. Wait, a minute. Paige Restaurant Group? Who are they? After a bit of snooping, it turns out they own Dip in Murray Hill and Honey on the outskirts of the Meatpacking District. You don't say. Their business cards also list Dune as one of their properties. Classy touch. Anywho, with all the players in the Hamptons for the summer, is it possible that the owners of a fondue spot are actually calling the shots? Perish the thought.

Marquee - Not Terrible

As the 27th Street scene crumbles, it's time to check in with the area's most successful venue. Marquee. Yes, we know it isn't on 27th Street. But it's close. And apparently, it's still going strong. A little birdy reports, "was at marquee last Tuesday (don't ask) and it was completely full of young models. So much fucking talent. I have been in a place in nyc that stacked in a long time. I hate the place, but it was fucking unreal. And had Derek Jeter on one side of me and Maroon 5 on the other." Maybe hate is a strong word birdy. And we wish you would be more respectful to women. But we are glad you had fun. Please keep us posted.

Noah and Jason Head East

Cain's premature exit from the East End left a gaping hole in this summer's Hamptons scene. Luckily for you weekend warriors, Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss are there to save the day. Dune, this summer's inhabitant of Jet East, is a Noah and Jason production, which may or may not liven up this summer's social scene. Probably the latter.