they wouldn't have to go thru all of that if they just got doormen that weren't such assholes. normally i go out with people that know them so it's fine, but i have seen angelo/johnny/bin be such dicks to pretty cool people for no reason while they let in their own friends like chris wilson that are such losers. and they basically will let in anyone that tips them, so the idea of being exclusive is total BS, they are only looking out for their own pockets.

Johnny is a huge dick. Bin can be ok after he knows you, but he can be stupid bc he does not know alot pf people, his brother Gans is a little nicer. Angelo is on a power ego trip, but now he has no job, hah!.. Damion can be cool, but sometimes also a pain. Wass was always cool, also Max and his bro Carlos, and also Alex and Henry. Naem is stupid, but Kylie was the dumbest bitch of all. Armin also used to be ok, but Disco was a major assshole.

Johnny is a huge dick. Bin can be ok after he knows you, but he can be stupid bc he does not know alot pf people, his brother Gans is a little nicer. Angelo is on a power ego trip, but now he has no job, hah!.. Damion can be cool, but sometimes also a pain. Wass was always cool, also Max and his bro Carlos, and also Alex and Henry. Naem is stupid, but Kylie was the dumbest bitch of all. Armin also used to be ok, but Disco was a major assshole.

Wass was always cool

sorry-- i just thought the above post was maybe better suited for its own topic instead.

i dunno. maybe i'm getting soft or sumpn.

Steve Lewis: Jon Lennon’s Gold Standard

Jon Lennon’s Gold Standard
Yesterday at 9:00pm
Nightclub 101: the door is everything. This lesson learned over many years was taught to me by all the great ones. Steve Rubell, Ian Schraeger, Maurice Brahms, Peter Gatien, Eric Goode—every legend that ever lived and ran clubs understood this. The modern sharp guys—Noah Tepperberg, Richie Akiva, Scott Sartiano, and Paul Sevigny—have also embraced this theory. So many other operators just don’t get it, and in time their places are in shambles. I won’t name names here today; I’m saving that story for another night. Doormen become legends. Guys like Wass and Bin and Angelo don’t have last names ... they’re like Cher, one name will do. A notable exception is my boy Jon Lennon who carries a familiar and weighty two-word moniker . I often stand in front of GoldBar and watch Jon work. He is the consummate pro and one of the main reasons GoldBar is still golden.

Abbe Diaz at 5:42pm July 15
um, excuse me? "consummate pro"-- OH RILLY.
sorry, i would never ever ever ever in a million years define telling a prospective patron: "well, if he owns seven restaurants in manhattan then he can afford to take care of ME. is he asking ME for a favor? then he needs to take care of ME."
(and yes that's a DIRECT QUOTE)
as the act of a "consummate pro."
all the consummate pros i have ever known (yeah-- the ones that have worked for gatien, goode, etc, and you know EXACTLY who i mean, steve lewis) uphold the respectable, time-honored, empathic, well-earned tradition of INDUSTRY COURTESY.
your so-called "consummate pro" can SUCK IT.
love ya!
xoxo

Abbe Diaz at 5:49pm July 15
and by the way, the ONLY reason that aforementioned 7-time rest'eur took his good friends from out of town to GoldBar in the first place (at an EARLY, EMPTY 10PM) is because his friend Serge Becker recommended it to him (after his dinner at LaEsquina).
needless to say, the rest'eur was quite surprised-- as he personally found GoldBar to be pretentious, audacious, and quite despicable.

Jon Lennon at 2:05am July 16
Its always someone who didnt get in that has something bad to say. There are 16,700 restaurants in Manhattan. A different one to eat in every day for 46 years. Sorry I didnt know your friend Mrs Diaz. Also, I dont work for Serge and he didnt make a reservation for this person. I was probably just wise cracking at the fact that somebody actually was telling me what they own which in itself is tasteless. Sorry to have offended you and your restauranteur friend. I was not asking for favors. I was being condescending. Maybe its a generational thing.

Steve Lewis at 6:54am July 16
... i think there have been many great doormen and im going to write about that today. jon is a gentleman abbe and robert.

Abbe Diaz at 9:08am July 16
actually Mr.Lennon, HE in fact did NOT tell you he is a restaurateur. it was actually his friend from istanbul (who, by the way, owns 93 stores in Turkey) that spoke to you. it was HE who expressed to you: "really? you don't know him? he owns 7 restaurants" because my friend and i were ready to walk away, since you were so unbelievably rude-- PARTICULARLY for 10PM.
but since HIS friend from out of town took the trouble to speak to you, my friend felt his friend must WANT to go inside, so he PAID you $80 ($40 for you and $40 for the security man with you). the other friend with us (a MANAGER at LaEsquina) was so mortified, she was too embarrassed to even speak to you on our behalf.

if you were "not asking for favors" then why did you take the money? since you and GoldBar are clearly such hot shit (yah-- even when you're completely EMPTY at 10PM), why not just turn down the cash then? we would have been quite HAPPY to leave.

Abbe Diaz at 9:21am July 16
oh one more thing-- if you think i have "something bad to say since i didn't get in" you're quite mistaken (because actually i DID get in, yes?). despite the incident having occurred, you will find nowhere on my site, here, my forum for the industry, nor any of the other publications that have quite the tendency to quote my narratives, this little anecdote about your blatant unprofessionalism.
i have "something bad to say" NOW, because there was NO WAY IN HELLS i was going to let a consummmate pro like Steve Lewis group you in the same category with all the GREAT doormen i have ever had (and still have) the honor and pleasure to know and work with.

Abbe Diaz at 9:24am July 16
Steve Lewis, you know i love you to death, but please don't you dare patronize me by telling me HE is a gentleman, when i PERSONALLY have experienced NOTHING OF THE SORT.

Steve Lewis at 9:50am July 16
sometimes first experiences are deceiving. my divorces are testaments to that but i assure you that jon is a respectful and intelligent and wonderful person, hell sometimes i have a bad day and i once made a mistake, hell i once saw you abbe in a bad mood but i have learned to be patient and forgive and give a guy or a gal another chance.i'm sure jon takes your assessment of the incident seriously and is more than willing to start again. i wrote apiece on doorman for today. in time jon could be among the elite but i'm sure he would rather be a rockstar... like you abbe. you know i love you to death....

Abbe Diaz at 10:49am July 16
"i'm sure jon takes your assessment of the incident seriously..."
oh really? well, i didn't catch that sentiment at all from his thinly-veiled disingenuous "apology."
as i have said before (even in the defense of you), you have your opinion and i have mine. as i have always respected and upheld your right to voice that opinion, all i ask is the same in return (without the dismissiveness).
and i swear Steve Lewis-- if you bring up that "one time i was (supposedly) rude" ONE MORE TIME, without telling me WHAT time that exactly (supposedly) was-- i am going to punch you in the shoulder really hard the next time i see you.
xoxo

This topic had been moved to the Private Forum, and has now been moved back to the Public Forum.


Johnny is a huge dick. Bin can be ok after he knows you, but he can be stupid bc he does not know alot pf people, his brother Gans is a little nicer. Angelo is on a power ego trip, but now he has no job, hah!.. Damion can be cool, but sometimes also a pain. Wass was always cool, also Max and his bro Carlos, and also Alex and Henry. Naem is stupid, but Kylie was the dumbest bitch of all. Armin also used to be ok, but Disco was a major assshole.

QUOTE
Jon Lennon at 2:05am July 16
Its always someone who didnt get in that has something bad to say. There are 16,700 restaurants in Manhattan. A different one to eat in every day for 46 years. Sorry I didnt know your friend Mrs Diaz. Also, I dont work for Serge and he didnt make a reservation for this person. I was probably just wise cracking at the fact that somebody actually was telling me what they own which in itself is tasteless. Sorry to have offended you and your restauranteur friend. I was not asking for favors. I was being condescending. Maybe its a generational thing.

Jon Lennon at 2:05am July 16
Its always someone who didnt get in that has something bad to say. There are 16,700 restaurants in Manhattan. A different one to eat in every day for 46 years. Sorry I didnt know your friend Mrs Diaz. Also, I dont work for Serge and he didnt make a reservation for this person. I was probably just wise cracking at the fact that somebody actually was telling me what they own which in itself is tasteless. Sorry to have offended you and your restauranteur friend. I was not asking for favors. I was being condescending. Maybe its a generational thing.