Goodbye rosé all day… hello meatballs on Miami Beach?
Nikki Beach, the Miami hotspot where Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton partied and rosé-drinking was turned into a lifestyle, is facing being evicted to make way for a Carbone spin-off.
Its city-owned property parcel, valued at $1 billion, is looking set to be handed to Boucher Brothers, the hospitality group which runs every other venue on the party-hearty strip — and they are bringing in the Major Food Group to help plot the future for the spot which made Miami Beach glamorous again.
Located at 1 Ocean Drive, the management contract spans a 23,000-square foot building and exclusive use of the public beach for outdoor seating, include lounge chairs and day beds.
On Friday, the City of Miami Beach Commission voted 5-2 to negotiate with the Boucher Brothers to take over Nikki Beach’s lease and management contract, which expires in May 2026.
The Boucher Brothers run all the beach concessions up and down Miami Beach — except the Nikki Beach parcel.
Steve Boucher, the company’s co-owner and vice president, told The Post exclusively that Major Food Group will be “heavily involved” in the beach club.
“Major Food Group is world renowned and what they do is incredible,” Boucher said. “The pairing of our companies is a marriage made in heaven. My family and I are very excited about this opportunity.”
Major Food Group did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.
The move for a beach club from the restaurant group behind Carbone, and Dirty French illustrates the changing face of Miami Beach.
Major Food Group and its founders Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick has made a big impact in South Florida since opening Carbone in Miami Beach during the height of the pandemic, when Florida’s lack of lockdowns and lower taxes saw many New Yorkers and businesses relocate to the Sunshine State.
In a very short time, the Major Food Group has established a stronghold in the Miami market with seven restaurants including Contessa, Dirty French Steakhouse and ZZ’s Club — and celebrity guests ranging from LeBron James to Ivanka Trump.
The hospitality group is also venturing into Miami’s real estate market with a recently announced 58-story condo tower called The Villa.
Should the Boucher Brothers, and seemingly the Major Food Group, win the no-bid contract it would entitle them to a five-year management contract, which would come into effect in 2026 when Nikki Beach’s lease expires.
Understandably, Nikki Beach’s ownership is crying foul, noting that a no-bid process isn’t fair.
“We’re very disappointed that the commission approved the process for the Boucher Brothers to move forward with a proposal for 1 Ocean Drive,” said Lucia Penrod, Nikki Beach’s CEO. “They did not move to an RFP, which is an open and competitive process and the standard procedure.”
“We anticipated having time to put together a new proposal for an updated Nikki Beach concept with a refreshed look and feel,” Penrod continued. “We’re considering all options and next steps.”
Nikki Beach opened in December 1998 as a tribute to Jack Penrod’s late daughter, Nicole, who was killed in a car accident when she was 18. Prior to this, Penrod operated an eponymous beach club on the site for 12 years where he hosted volleyball competitions, Super Bowl parties and even a concert by Luciano Pavarotti.
Penrod was first approached by Miami Beach city leaders in the mid ‘80s to take over the former Pier Park because of his successful track record with his Penrod’s beach clubs in Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach.
Miami Beach was in serious decay at the time, especially the south of Fifth Street neighborhood, and the city offered Penrod a sweetheart deal of a 20-year lease (with two 10-year extensions) to revitalize the area.
The rent? Supposedly one dollar a year, plus a percentage of gross receipts (now 6.5%). They hoped that by activating the space, it would turn the blighted area around.
The gambit worked. South of fifth is now home to multimillion dollar condos and extravagant restaurants like Prime 112, Red Steakhouse and Papi Steak. Starlets and influencers purposely pose in front of Carbone to be photographed by the paparazzi.
Back in the day it was Nikki Beach that hosted the hottest names in music and entertainment, including Madonna, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones and Cameron Diaz.
The brand also expanded globally with beach clubs and hotels in resort destinations like St. Tropez, St. Barts, Ibiza, Dubai, Santorini, Montenegro and Monte Carlo.
However, critics of Nikki Beach say that the beach club has not kept up with the times. Dan Gelber, the Mayor of Miami Beach, commented that the land’s current use “is not optimal for the community; not anymore.”
And while the idea of a Carbone Beach Club is sure to generate buzz as big as their meatballs, not everyone is convinced. One Miami local sniffed, “I’m so sick of these New Yorkers coming down, taking over our restaurants and charging $75 for a bowl of spaghetti.”
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 & 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘆: nypost.com
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