18 Feb 2013
Posted by Ki 
MMarquee recently reopened in New York and has quickly returned to its rightful spot in the top-tier of New York nightclubs. Marquee originally opened in late 2003. It managed to stay towards the top of the New York nightlife scene for over 5 years. Towards the end of their first run in 2009, Harvard Business School published a case study looking at Marquee and how it became so successful. Eventually the owners made the smart decision to close, renovate and relaunch the club. The early reports suggest that they have done so quite successfully.
The concept of bottle service had become fairly standard by the time Marquee opened in 2003. Anyone who has woken up on a Sunday morning with a massive hangover and a $2,000 receipt in their wallet knows these clubs are big businesses. The HBS case study confirmed what everyone suspected. In fact, it put a spotlight on how profitable these clubs can be. While the idea of a 22 page case study going viral seems a bit out there, it was the talk of New York when it made the rounds. People were fascinated with the precision owners Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss displayed on everything from door policy to coat check. While dated, this is still an amazing read for anyone interested in learning more about the club business. Interestingly, the case study indicates they did $15 million in revenue in 2007. To get a sense as to how big the club business has gotten, the top clubs in the country last year did north of $60 million in revenue. Given the track record of Tepperberg and Strauss, it is no shocker that Marquee Las Vegas comes in #1 at an estimated $70-80 million.
Click below for the Harvard Business School case study Marquee: The Business of Nightlife:
Marquee Harvard Business School Case Study
