Patrons can expect the club to feature live music, a rooftop lounge, and a retail element, according to a liquor license application submitted to Brooklyn Community Board 1.
Construction is underway at the former Urban Outfitters building on North 6th St., where Breitling and VCR Group plan to open a members-only club by 2027. Photo by Brennan LaBrie
by Brennan LaBrie, Brooklyn Paper
A luxury watchmaker and the group behind the “world’s first NFT restaurant” are bringing a members-only club to Williamsburg.
The multi-floor establishment planned for North 6th Street is a joint venture between the Swiss watch brand Breitling and VCR Group, which operates a private dining club in the Lower East Side and several high-end restaurants across New York City and Las Vegas.
Among VCR Group’s four founders is Gary Vaynerchuk (also known as Gary Vee), the media mogul, Resy cofounder, investor, and polarizing Internet personality.
The concept is set to bring life to a three-story brick building previously home to Urban Outfitters. Patrons can expect the club to feature live music, a rooftop lounge, and a retail element, according to a liquor license application submitted to Brooklyn Community Board 1.
The community board voted unanimously to recommend approval of a liquor license for the venue in May, sending its recommendation on to the New York State Liquor Authority for review.
VCR Group aims to open the club by the second half of 2027, according to the company’s co-founder and CEO, David Rodolitz.
The three-story brick building on North 6th Street is undergoing renovation ahead of a planned 2027 opening. Photo by Brennan LaBrie
For now, Rodolitz and the Breitling team are tight-lipped about the project, telling Brooklyn Paper that they plan to release more details later this year.
However, Flyfish Club, VCR Group’s members-only social club on Houston Street, could offer hints as to what to expect from the new establishment.
The ritzy club, which spans three levels and 12,000 square feet, features a restaurant, speakeasy lounge, private dining room, and a “discreet omakase counter reserved for select members,” according to its website.
When Flyfish Club memberships went live in January 2022, they could only be acquired using an NFT (a non-fungible token on the blockchain) purchased with cryptocurrency.
Memberships, priced in Ethereum, were reported to cost the equivalent of $8,000 to $14,000 at that time. Flyfish Club sold 1,151 membership tokens on its public launch day, and raked in $14.8 million before even opening its doors.
But right before opening day, the club paid a $750,000 penalty to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for selling the NFTs as unregistered securities.
VCR Group had led investors to believe that they could profit from the club’s earnings by leasing or reselling their NFTs on the secondary market, and then netted $2.7 million in royalties from sales on trading platforms, the SEC alleged. The company agreed to destroy remaining NFT tokens, cease selling new ones, and pay back investors.
The building in 2024. Photo by Susan De Vries
Now, memberships can be bought with cash — but there’s a waitlist. Individual memberships cost $3,500 annually, a package including a spouse is $4,000 a year, and the “omakase” tier comes with annual dues of $5,500. Each tier requires a $2,500 activation fee.
However, in a phone call with Brooklyn Paper, Rodolitz stressed that the Williamsburg space will not be another Flyfish Club.
“It’s an entirely different concept,” he said. “It will have a strong focus on food and community, and the design will be extremely thoughtful with a leading designer. There will be an energy that represents things we’re known for and things Breitling is known for.”
Each floor will provide a unique experience for members, he said. The rooftop, which also hosted a bar when Urban Outfitters occupied the building, will be a highlight.
“There is a rooftop with stunning views and that will be activated to create stunning experiences for the people who decide to spend time there,” Rodolitz said.
There’s “a long road ahead” on the project, he added, but said he’s “extremely excited” to help bring Breitling’s vision for a hospitality venture to life.
In an April letter to Brooklyn Community Board 1, Tyler Foote, a North Williamsburg resident, expressed unease about the planned club.
“I am deeply concerned about how a private for-profit club would affect the peace of myself and all my neighbors around me,” Foote wrote. “Please consider the desires of the residents and especially families who live here year round and will have to deal with the repercussions of added noise pollution.”
When Urban Outfitters left Williamsburg in 2024, Brownstoner noted it was among the first global brands to land in the neighborhood. When it opened its doors in 2014, it stood out amid storefronts housing small, locally owned businesses and eateries.
In the following years, major brands, ranging from Apple and Whole Foods to Chanel and Carhartt, set up shop in the neighborhood, paving the way for an elite dining club in a community once known as a haven for artists.
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.
Related Stories
Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on X and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.