Aussie duo cash in on New York City’s nightlife as A-listers flock to their bars
While Hamish & Andy’s New York pub made headlines, these two Sydney mates have quietly built a night-life empire that A-listers flock to.
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When Hamish Blake and Andy Lee opened their New York City pub, Old Mates, the place exploded.
Flooded with AFL players, Aussie stars, and expats, the taps ran dry and the line snaked down the block.
But while Hamish and Andy’s bar made headlines, another Aussie duo has been quietly running New York’s night-life behind the scenes — and cashing in on the city that never sleeps.
Meet Dylan Hales and Ronnie Flynn, the Sydney-born mates behind some of New York City’s hottest venues, packed with A-listers like Naomi Campbell, Dylan O’Brien and Nina Dobrev.
Their East Village bar, The Flower Shop, helped kick it all off.
Now, their venues stretch across SoHo and downtown Manhattan, from retro house parties to late-night jazz and packed underground dance floors.
From hauling furniture in the rain to a night-life empire
This isn’t an overnight success story.
Despite growing up in Sydney and even attending high school together, they moved to the US separately.
Mr Flynn moved over in 2005 and Mr Hales followed a few years later.
They reconnected in 2014 while working at an event at Art Basel in Miami.
They were dragging furniture through a storm in the middle of the night when something clicked.
“We were out in the absolute pouring rain moving furniture around, just the two of us, nobody else,” Mr Hales told news.com.au.
“That kind of thing shows you what someone’s made of.”
Mr Flynn felt it too.
“We complement each other as far as skill sets and whatnot,” he said.
“We made a pact and that was that. It’s like the meeting of Smith and Wesson.”
Their first major success, The Flower Shop, opened in 2017 and quickly became a local haunt for New Yorkers sick of velvet ropes and exclusivity.
The vibe is Aussie-style hospitality: low-key, warm and genuinely fun.
Architectural Digest raved about their second venue, Little Ways, a stylish yet unfussy two-storey supper club and townhouse restaurant designed by Sydney’s Akin Atelier.
Then came the partnership that took things to the next level: TAO Group Hospitality — the night-life juggernaut behind venues in New York, Vegas, London and Singapore.
It’s also the name behind Marquee at The Star, the once-booming Sydney hotspot that helped define the city’s party scene for a generation.
“Moxy LES is like a stone’s throw from The Flower Shop. We saw a big sign saying, ‘Moxy coming soon.’ So Ronnie and I just sent a text to Noah Tepperberg, the CEO of TAO Group, saying like, ‘We’re super interested in getting involved.’ That’s how that whole opportunity started as well,” Mr Hales said.
That led to Loosie’s, their club beneath the Moxy Hotel, and Silver Lining Lounge, a sleek late-night jazz bar where mr Flynn and Mr Hales serve as creative directors.
How much are they making?
While Hales and Flynn keep their financials under wraps, industry data offers some perspective.
New York’s bar and nightclub scene is massive, with the market valued at around AU$4.95 billion.
Top-tier venues in Manhattan can pull in serious money.
The Box, a legendary downtown club, was reportedly generating around AU$9.75 million a year back in 2013 — and experts say that figure would be significantly higher today given inflation, pricing and demand.
Given the popularity of their venues, it’s likely they are operating in a similar range.
Their partner, TAO Group Hospitality, pulled in around AU$727.5 million in revenue in 2022.
Hales and Flynn might not be there just yet, but their venues regularly make “best of NYC” lists, and they’re scaling fast.
They recently opened a second Flower Shop in Austin, Texas, expanding their footprint beyond New York.
Could Donald Trump be the wildcard that stunts their success?
Just as Mr Flynn and Mr Hales scale their hospitality empire across the US, a new wildcard has entered the picture.
With Donald Trump now back in the White House, his administration has begun reinstating tariffs on key imports. For hospitality businesses, that could mean higher costs on wines, spirits, furniture and materials.
Australian entrepreneurs have already warned of the fallout from sudden US trade moves, including one fashion business owner whose US expansion was wiped out “in seconds” due to tariff changes.
Aussies have been taking over NYC hospitality
Mr Trump’s return to the White House may cast a shadow over the future, but up until now, Australians have been making a serious mark on New York’s hospitality scene.
Mr Flynn and Mr Hales aren’t the only names behind the city’s hottest venues.
Eddy Buckingham runs Chinese Tuxedo, Peachy’s and The Tyger.
Jason Scott, of Frankie’s Pizza fame, now runs Bushwick’s Mansions and Danger Danger.
And Sam Ross, the godfather of modern cocktails, co-owns Attaboy — one of the world’s most awarded bars.
So if you’re in the Big Apple having a bevvy, chances are you’re closer to home than you think.
Originally published as Aussie duo cash in on New York City’s nightlife as A-listers flock to their bars
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