David Grutman’s Nightlife Formula Is Simple: Nurture Every Relationship and Embrace the Morning Grind
Observer ·
The Groot Hospitality founder and 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honoree reflects on the bartending job that led to LIV, the morning preparation that goes into making late nights feel special and how to salvage an evening that’s going extraordinarily badly.
At 22, Groot Hospitality founder David Grutman was tending bar. Real estate developer, investor and philanthropist Don Soffer would come in after golf, and Grutman committed his drink order to memory, tuned in to his natural rhythms and helped make the bar Soffer’s personal retreat. Years later, when Soffer’s son Jeffrey needed someone to run the club at Fontainebleau Miami Beach , the choice was obvious. LIV opened in 2008 and still anchors the hospitality company Grutman built around it.
Groot now runs nine restaurants and clubs in two cities. In Miami, LIV was followed by Komodo in 2015, Papi Steak in 2019, Gekkō in 2022 and Casadonna in 2023. In 2023 and 2024, Grutman brought Komodo, Papi Steak, LIV and the LIV Beach dayclub to Fontainebleau Las Vegas , and his team says two Middle East venues will open within the year.
He credits his success not only to tenacity—early on, he was in the office by 8 or 9 a.m. while rivals slept until 1 p.m.—but also to relationships. Grutman’s high-profile connections include Bad Bunny; the two are co-owners of Gekkō. In February, Grutman was one of a few friends the artist brought onto La Casita, the house set built for his Super Bowl LX halftime show.
In April, Grutman published Take It Personal , a book about building relationships; it quickly became a New York Times bestseller. More recently, the 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honoree spoke with Observer about the bartending job that led to LIV, the morning preparation that goes into making late nights feel special and how to salvage an evening that’s going extraordinarily badly.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What did you do behind that bar that made Don Soffer remember you?
Nothing flashy. Don owned the mall, and he’d come in after golf. I’d mix his signature cocktail, and we’d talk about life and the business. I memorized what he drank, I knew his rhythm, I made him feel like the bar was his. I wasn’t networking. I was a 22-year-old kid who couldn’t get hired on South Beach, just doing the job well. We stayed in touch as I moved up, and years later, when his son Jeffrey was introducing the Fontainebleau and needed a club, he knew I had the experience and that I’d been his dad’s favorite bartender. That’s LIV. No agenda, and that’s exactly why it lasted.
How did your friendship with Bad Bunny start, and what did La Casita feel like?
Instinct. I heard about this kid from Puerto Rico and I could see the rare mix: talent, charisma, drive. When we met, we clicked immediately. Around then Drake was in Miami recording Scorpion and asked me who the most exciting new artist was. I said “Bad Bunny” without blinking. I got his manager Noah [Assad] on the phone; he was skeptical, so I handed the phone to Drake. The next day, Bad Bunny’s team flew in. Years later, standing in front of the Casita for the Super Bowl was a once in a lifetime amazing moment.
Who’s the first call you make every morning, and who’s the last?
The first one isn’t a call. It’s the car ride with my daughters to school, then tennis at 8 a.m., no matter what, even if I was working until four. Knowing I have tennis means there are things I just won’t do late at night. After that it’s nonstop: texts, emails, deals, hosts, agents, partners. The last conversation is at home with my wife, Isabela.
What do you tell the FIU students who take your signature class about nightlife that would surprise a LIV guest?
That the party doesn’t magically appear. It’s manufactured, obsessively. LIV Miami is late-night. Every moment before 11 p.m. is also accounted for: production meetings, artist riders, lighting cues timed to the beat drop, a printed run-of-show, someone double-checking the comp list. You don’t get the magic of 1 a.m. without grinding at 10 a.m. When I came up, my competitors didn’t wake up until 1 p.m. I was in the office by 8 or 9 every day, and over 20 years that gap compounds. The guys who thought being at the club was the whole job are gone.
When do you know a room is working, and what do you do when it isn’t?
You feel it before you can explain it. The energy builds the right way, the lights hit exactly when the beat drops, the whole room is connecting. That’s vibe management. When it isn’t working, rule one is don’t panic. Early on at Velvet Lounge, I’d walk into an empty club with a DJ bombing—a lot of people would start throwing everything at the wall. But a crowd can always smell desperation. I learned one bad night won’t put you out of business. Inside the night, you fix the energy in real time: adjust the music, adjust the lights, apologize sincerely, comp what needs comping. We’re in the human business. You can’t eliminate mistakes, but you can be the place that recovers beautifully.
What part of your work do you want your daughters to understand, and what part would you rather they not see yet?
I want Kaia and Vida to see that their mom is a boss and that work and family don’t have to be in conflict. They come home from jiu-jitsu and show me their moves while I’m in a meeting, and they know how to shake hands and introduce themselves. I could be closing a billion-dollar deal, and if they want a hug, that’s what I’m doing. I want them to see giving back in action, like the [Isabela’s] Style Saves weekend that set up 25,000 kids with school supplies.
See all of Observer’s 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List honorees.