Major Food Group, the company behind Carbone, built a members-only dining club at Hudson Yards after a hit in Miami. Here is what ZZ’s Club New York costs, what is inside, and why the city’s hardest reservation became a membership.

ZZ’s Club New York at a glance

Location Hudson Yards, Manhattan
Opened November 2023
Owner Major Food Group (Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick)
Named for Jeff Zalaznick, whose nickname is ZZ
Inside ZZ’s Japanese restaurant and bar, Carbone Privato, a Clam Bar, Leo’s Lounge and a Founders’ Room
Designer Ken Fulk
Reported cost $20,000 initiation and $10,000 a year for one person; $30,000 initiation for two
Best for People who take dinner seriously and hate waiting for it

For years, the hardest thing to get in New York was a table at Carbone. People set alarms for reservation releases. Concierges traded favors. A whole small economy grew up around the right to eat spicy rigatoni at 9 p.m. on a Saturday.

Major Food Group watched all of this and came to a very logical conclusion. If thousands of people will do almost anything for a table, why not sell them the right to skip the line for a whole year?

In November 2023, the answer opened at Hudson Yards. It is called ZZ’s Club, and it is what happens when the most popular restaurant group in New York stops taking reservations and starts taking members.

What is ZZ’s Club New York?

ZZ’s Club New York is a private members dining club at Hudson Yards, run by Major Food Group and opened in November 2023, according to Hospitality Design. It is named after Major Food Group co-founder Jeff Zalaznick, whose nickname is ZZ, and it followed an earlier ZZ’s Club in Miami.

Inside, across two main floors designed by Ken Fulk, are ZZ’s Bar and a Japanese restaurant called ZZ’s; Carbone Privato, a private version of the group’s famous Italian restaurant; a Clam Bar that grew out of the original ZZ’s Clam Bar in Greenwich Village; a secluded lounge called Leo’s; and a Founders’ Room for founding members only. The walls include an underwater mural by Boyd Reath and work by the painter Francesco Clemente.

In other words, it is not a restaurant with a private room. It is a building full of private rooms that happen to serve the best Italian food in the neighborhood.

How much does ZZ’s Club New York cost?

ZZ’s Club does not publish its prices. Spear’s reported an initiation fee of $20,000 and annual dues of $10,000 for an individual, with a $30,000 initiation fee for two people, according to Spear’s. Some outlets, including Luxe Digital, have reported a higher initiation fee of $50,000, so confirm with the club before planning around a number.

Either way, ZZ’s sits in the upper middle of the Manhattan market: far above Soho House or Zero Bond, well below the Aman Club’s $200,000. It is priced for people who already spend that much on dinners in a year and would rather spend it in one place.

What makes ZZ’s different from other clubs?

ZZ’s Club is built around food first, which makes it different from social clubs like Zero Bond or Soho House. When it was being planned, Zalaznick told CNBC the club would have a “culinary concierge,” a team of chefs able to cook dishes members request, and said no one had ever done this before.

That is the whole pitch. At most restaurants, you choose from the menu. At ZZ’s, the idea is that the menu chooses you back. It is the restaurant equivalent of a tailor who already knows your measurements.

Who goes to ZZ’s Club?

ZZ’s members tend to be people who were already loyal Major Food Group customers: finance and real estate executives, entrepreneurs, people who entertain clients often, and a fair number of New Yorkers who split their year between Manhattan and Miami, where the original ZZ’s is located.

That Miami connection gives the club its personality. Members joke that ZZ’s is where Miami’s money came north for the winter and decided to stay for dinner. The room is louder and more glamorous than the quiet clubs uptown, closer to a very good party than a library. Our story on old money versus new money in New York explains why that difference matters more than people admit.

How do you get into ZZ’s Club?

You apply through the ZZ’s Club website, and Major Food Group reviews applications and decides who joins. The company does not publish its full criteria or waitlist, according to Pearl. As at most Manhattan clubs, a reference from an existing member helps.

Being a regular at Carbone does not hurt, either. In a club built by restaurateurs, the people who already treat the staff well and come back often have a head start. Our hub on how to get into a private club in NYC covers the rest.

Is ZZ’s Club worth it?

ZZ’s Club is worth it for people who eat out several nights a week and entertain clients often. For them, $10,000 a year in dues is the price of never again calling in a favor for a table, and the private rooms turn a business dinner into a small event.

For anyone who eats at a great restaurant once a month, it is a very expensive way to skip a reservation. The honest test is simple: add up what you spent at Major Food Group restaurants last year. If the number makes you wince, ZZ’s might actually save you money. If it does not, enjoy Carbone the old-fashioned way, by refreshing the reservation page at the right minute.

The real luxury is being expected

Strip away the murals and the Founders’ Room, and ZZ’s sells something every regular at a neighborhood restaurant already knows: the pleasure of walking in and being expected. The staff know your name, your table and how you like your martini. ZZ’s just charges a membership for it, and serves it with very good caviar.

That feeling is available at every price level in New York, from the corner diner to Hudson Yards. It comes from showing up, being kind to the people who work there, and coming back. For how ZZ’s compares with the city’s other clubs, see our ranking of the best private clubs in NYC, and for the bigger picture, our guide to the velvet rope wars.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns ZZ’s Club?
ZZ’s Club is owned by Major Food Group, the restaurant company founded by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick. The group also runs Carbone, Torrisi and ZZ’s Clam Bar. The club is named after Zalaznick, whose nickname is ZZ.

Where is ZZ’s Club New York?
ZZ’s Club New York is at Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s West Side. It opened in November 2023, following the original ZZ’s Club in Miami’s Design District.

What restaurants are inside ZZ’s Club?
ZZ’s Club includes ZZ’s, a Japanese restaurant and bar; Carbone Privato, a private version of Carbone; a Clam Bar inspired by the original ZZ’s Clam Bar; Leo’s Lounge; and a Founders’ Room reserved for founding members, according to Hospitality Design.

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