Market Watch, December 2020
DECEMBER 2020 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 67S cott Gerber never expected to become a trail blazer in the bar industry The principal and CEO of New York City based Gerber Group one of the countrys most prolific hotel bar oper ators never even planned to open a bar But today 30 years after debuting his first venue his company is often credited with launching the upscale hotel bar scene and is still considered an innovator in that segment of the on premise High end hotel bars are ubiquitous thanks to Scott and his brother Rande yet their foray into the indus try began as merely a side project In the late 1980s and early 90s the Gerber brothers were working in commercial real estate Hotel and nightlife entre preneur Ian Schrager was one of their clients and he asked them for help on a bar concept for a new hotel property The Gerbers agreed to create the venue and the rest became history We had full time jobs but we did it for fun Scott recalls adding that several more projects with Schrager followed Still it was a few years before Scott joined his brother to work in bar creation full time In the nearly 30 years since then Gerber Group has worked with some of the hotel indus trys biggest names including InterContinental Starwood and W Hotels and Hard Rock Hotels to create many of the bar industrys most sought after venues We create bars and restaurants to complement hotels Scott says We create places with our hotel partners to add value to the property to make people want to choose one hotel over another given that rooms and rates are largely the same The beverage component is huge Gerber Groups annual revenue exceeded 50 million before Covid 19 led overwhelmingly by beverage alcohol which comprises more than 80 of the companys overall business in normal times Rande left in 2013 to launch Casamigos Tequila with actor George Clooney so Scott bought out his portion of Gerber Group and now leads the company on his own That shift from dual leadership was a big evolution for Gerber Group and a turning point for Scott All bars need to have great design and cocktails and food thats a given Scott says The differentiating factor for us is the level of service and accommodations we make for our guests Were not trendy but were aware of trends We dont want to be the coolest kid on the block but we do want to be aware of whats happening so we can create places our guests want to come back to over and over again All About EvolutionGerber Group got its start in 1991 when the Gerber broth ers created The Whiskey at The Paramount Hotel in New York City The bar was quickly embraced by Manhattanites and spurned several additional units around the country Today only one remains Whiskey Blue on the rooftop of the W Atlanta Buckhead hotel Gerber Groups portfolio is alcohol makes up more than 80 of busi ness across Gerbers bars The Campbell interior pictured with classic cocktails leading the charge
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