Jon Bakhshi (often referred to simply as Jon B.) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

restaurateur based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He has founded numerous restaurants and lounges including Home, Guest House, and Greenhouse (one of the world's first "eco-friendly" clubs in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...

neighborhood). His newest restaurant, Beautique, won the Concierge Choice Award for Best New Restaurant in New York City in 2014.

Early life and education

Bakhshi was born into an

Iranian Jewish Persian Jews or Iranian Jews ( fa, یهودیان ایرانی, ''yahudiān-e-Irāni''; he, יהודים פרסים ''Yəhūdīm Parsīm'') are the descendants of Jews who were historically associated with the Persian Empire, whose successor s ...

family. He attended

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

growing up and describes himself as a practicing Jew. He attended and graduated from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

with a bachelor's degree with aspirations of attending law school afterward. Instead, Bakhshi focused on his entrepreneurial career.

Career

Bakhshi began his career as a

club promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...

. In July 2005, he entered the entrepreneurial field when he opened Home, a nightclub on West 27th Street in

Chelsea, Manhattan Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The area's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its northe ...

. He opened a nearby companion club called Guest House in August 2005. Bakhshi's clubs distinguished themselves from other clubs in the area by maintaining less strict entry requirements. Guest House was open 5 days each week while Home stayed open for 6 days a week. In July 2009, Bakhshi closed both Home and Guest House. In 2008, Bakhshi began setting into motion construction on an "eco-friendly" SoHo nightclub called "Greenhouse." Prior to opening, Bakshi held publicity parties for Greenhouse at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

, Sundance Film Festival, and

Paris Fashion Week Paris Fashion Week (french: Semaine de la mode de Paris) is a series of designer presentations held semiannually in Paris, France with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation. ...

. The latter party was hosted by models

Jessica Stam Jessica Elizabeth Stam (born 23 April 1986) is a Canadian model. She is considered to be part of the crop of models described as "doll faces". In 2007, ''Forbes'' named her fifteenth in the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels, earning ...

and

Carmen Kass Carmen Kass (born 14 September 1978) is an Estonian model and former political candidate. She has worked as the face of brands such as Chanel, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Givenchy, ...

at Le Baron, a club in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Bakhshi worked with architect, Antonio Di Oronzo, on the design of the

Varick Street __NOTOC__ Varick Street runs north–south primarily in the Hudson Square district of Lower Manhattan in New York City, United States. Varick Street's northern terminus is in the West Village, where it is a continuation of Seventh Avenue South ...

club. Greenhouse featured hick bamboo walls, LED lighting, sustainable uniforms for employees, wind-generated electricity, waterless urinals, and vodka served in recycled bottles. It featured two levels on which differing styles of music could be played simultaneously. The club was also the first

LEED-certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

nightclub in the United States. The club officially opened in October 2008. Bakhshi sold his interest in the club in 2011. Greenhouse would eventually close in April 2014. In October 2009, Bakhshi (along with

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in printed publications. While television ...

Todd English William Todd English (born August 29, 1960) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality, based in Boston, Massachusetts. He hosted the TV cooking show, ''Food Trip with Todd English,'' on PBS. In 2005 he was ...

) opened a restaurant/nightclub called Juliet Supperclub in Chelsea. The location featured a

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

theme and menu. English was responsible for creating the menu. Bakhshi sold his interests in the location in 2010, and it was closed in 2012. In April 2014, Bakhshi opened a combination bar, restaurant, and lounge called Beautique on Manhattan's 58th Street. The establishment has made headlines for the notability of some of its guests. Celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio,

Kate Bosworth Catherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she rose to prominence with her role as a young surfer in the box-offi ...

Dylan McDermott Dylan McDermott (born Mark Anthony McDermott; October 26, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the legal drama series ''The Practice'', which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best ...

, and many others have appeared at Beautique. It won the Concierge Choice Award for Best New Restaurant in New York City in 2014. In May 2015, Bakhshi opened a second Beautique location in

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one o ...

at the Capri Hotel.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakhshi, Jon Nightclub owners Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American restaurateurs New York University alumni