Short answer: Barış Köroğlu’s path — from nightlife promotion to a cluster of restaurants across the West Village, East Village and Midtown East — shows a hospitality model built on concept design, partnerships with property owners and day-to-night use of the same room.

Disclosure: Barış Köroğlu is a business partner in the New York operations of the media network that publishes NYC Business Pulse. Partner content.

Three business lessons from the portfolio

  1. One room, two businesses. DEJAVU in the West Village runs as Caviar Cafe from morning to late afternoon and as a supper club at night (Haute Living). Day-part stacking spreads rent and fit-out costs over more trading hours.
  2. Partnering with property owners. Aquarelle opened in June 2025 at 47 Avenue B with Marcus Andrew, who owns the building, according to What Now New York; the same outlet reported Andrew filed a liquor-license application for a Mediterranean seafood restaurant at 905 1st Ave in Midtown East, now The Alexander. Operator-landlord partnerships lower entry costs in a high-rent market.
  3. Nightlife skills transfer to dining. Köroğlu’s background includes promotional director at Paradise Club, partnership in Lower East Side club Virgo and founding the immersive concept The Lullaby, according to his press kit. Programming — burlesque in DEJAVU’s ten-seat Red Room, Fashion Week nights at Aquarelle — turns restaurants into destinations.
Photo courtesy of Barış Köroğlu

Portfolio snapshot

ConceptLocationFormat
DEJAVU + Caviar CafeWest VillageSupper club by night, café by day
AquarelleEast VillageSeafood bar and cocktail lounge
Andrew Steak SocietyEast VillageSteakhouse
The AlexanderMidtown EastMediterranean seafood
Virgo, The Lullaby, White RoomLower East Side, BoweryNightlife and event concepts
Photo courtesy of Barış Köroğlu

For a diner’s guide to the rooms and menus, see NYC Restaurant Voice.

Sources: What Now New York; Haute Living; Grit Daily; Barış Köroğlu press kit (2026). Photos courtesy of Barış Köroğlu.

Editorial Transparency. A first draft of this story was produced with AI-assisted writing tools, then reviewed for accuracy and tone by the named editor before publication. More on our process: Editorial Policy.