These YouTube pranksters will open a new bar at South Beach’s Firestone station
South Beach’s Firestone station has lived several lives since it opened in 1935, and its next phase will be to host a bar by YouTube provocateurs, the Nelk Boys.
David Grutman, who expanded from nightlife clubs to include restaurants, has partnered with the Canadian-American podcasters who built their brand on prank videos to open a yet-unnamed bar, Grutman’s spokesperson said. Page Six first reported the partnership.
The Firestone station has been in flux since Menin Hospitality bought it for $10 million and refurbished it over six years, leasing it to Grutman’s Groot Hospitality to turn it into a restaurant and bar space in early 2021.
Of Grutman’s three original concepts — Winker’s Diner, Sushi Fly Chicken and Toothfairy bakery — it was Sushi Fly Chicken, with a speakeasy in the back, that took hold. “Sushi Fly Chicken was such a success that we are excited to expand the concept into a larger space,” said Grutman. The building is being reworked to move Sushi Fly Chicken, a hit with Grutman’s celebrity and music industry friends, into the larger Winker’s, which lasted less than six months after it opened in January 2021.
The new plan is to turn the keys of the smaller 3,500 square-foot space that housed to Sushi Fly Chicken to the Nelk Boys, who have their own brands of liquor, as well as a clothing brand and — most important — a built-in following of nearly 8 million fans on YouTube alone.
Their top featured YouTube videos include, “We Absolutely Ruined a Wedding! (Bride Cheats),” and “We Pranked a Bigfoot Expert with a Fake Bigfoot!”
Sushi Fly Chicken expands into the larger 240-seat restaurant with a pan-Asian menu that includes variations of fried chicken, assorted sushi, egg roll and dumpling appetizers and a fixed-price, chef’s choice omakase menu.
Both spots, set to open in the fall, feature Grutman’s most successful formula: a club vibe with a celebrity name attached. It started with the artist Pharrell Williams, who brought his star power to Swan and Strawberry Moon in the pair’s Goodtime Hotel in Miami Beach. And Grutman recently announced he’s opening a restaurant with singer Bad Bunny.
Sushi Fly Chicken and Nelk Boys at Firestone
Address: 1575 Alton Rd., Miami Beach
Coming in Fall 2022.
This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 1:17 PM.
