People go to nightclubs to escape reality. They serve as adult playgrounds where you stay young and beautiful, can bump elbows with celebrities and let loose. So when you think of nightlife, you don’t think of terms like “systematic”, “hard work” and “lawyer”. Those terms are frankly a buzz kill.
Those buzz kill qualities, more akin to office cubicles and time clocks, however, have instilled success to David S. Chung who has had eight successful nightlife venues in the nation’s capital. Like the lobbyists, politicians and lawyers he is surrounded by, David S. Chung, an entrepreneur, thanks his background as a lawyer to his success. After achieving his childhood dream of receiving a law degree from the University of Virginia, Chung worked as a lawyer before moving over to, what he calls the real “bar”.
Responsible for creating fond memories for his fellow Washingtonians, his venues have been the talk of Washington, D.C. where one night stands, marriages and new friendships have gone hand in hand. He is the mastermind behind Daedalus, kstreet lounge, Capitale, George, Chinese Disco, Mason Inn, Saint Yves and Abigail. Chung is famous for being the first to bring Vegas style bottle service to the D.C.
He enjoys being behind the scenes and creating unique experiences.
Chung believes he has stayed in front of the competition by adopting a forward-thinking and long term approach for his venues. From an employee perspective, Chung has set a system in place where people can build long term careers. From a design perspective, his spaces are timeless, elegant and functional. He’s a firm believer in investing for the long term – spending money to make money. The goal is always to build venues that luxury brands would be proud to affiliate themselves with (e.g., male clients sport AP and Patek on their wrists, female patrons garnish themselves in Chanel and Louis Vuitton, table customers pop 1942 and Jay Z’s Ace of Spades). From a client perspective, the celebrities that frequent his venues feel safe and comfortable; they feel at home. They can let loose without worrying, this level of trust has been garnered through years of relationship building. Chung says his secret is he never asks anything from the high net worth individuals or celebrities he knows, instead he flips the script and asks them what he can do for them without any strings attached.
To see the venues in action, those who visit D.C. should put Saint Yves (@styvesdc) and Abigail (@abigailnightclub) on their bucket lists.