The new faces of gay nightlife in West Hollywood

West Hollywood is evolving. There is a generational shift among our businesses and business owners. A city built with the love and passion of gay business owners like Scott Forbes, Don Zuidema, Rich Grossi, Tom Doherty and many others is long gone. Michael Neimeyer decided to purchase the Four Star Saloon and create the dynamic Mickys, which is now also for sale. The legends of Motherlode and Trunks remain, but a new generation is taking the reins of WeHos' gay nightlife.

Many of us held on during Covid. Flaming Saddles, Rage and Gold Coast were gone. Fubar was on the ground. Gym Bar has announced it will close at its original location. The PUMP has broken down. Many bar owners have faced increased costs and decreased traffic. High rents required heavy traffic. If some close, others, including David Cooley, founder of the Abbey/Chapel, adapt. Chris Miller chose to sell Revolver. Saint-Félix chose to sell. The faces of West Hollywood's gay nightlife were changing.

Today I want to introduce you to the future. As I walk out of BlockParty and look left and right, I am inspired by the new generation of LGBTQ business owners who have stepped up to make West Hollywood great again. Fresh blood, fresh ideas, new owners who love West Hollywood and are committed to our community.

Say hello to Danny Santiago, the new Managing Partner of Revolver. Danny moved to Los Angeles from Boston in 2003 and lives in West Hollywood. He worked as a barback at Revolver and then Fubar for eight years and became Revolver's general manager in 2020 just as the Covid pandemic shut everything down. Revolver's owner at the time, Chris Miller, who lives in New York, had just been named executive producer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Even though the bar was closed, Danny came every day to sweep the terrace, clean the banisters and the windows. He found a part-time job to cover himself during the pandemic. He helped Jan and Michel, owners of Fubar, open their new business at Shmittys. Then Miller put Revolver up for sale. It was Danny's job to show buyers the space. It opens the doors to a number of interested buyers, not knowing the future.

Miller accepted the offers, but his goal was to maintain the iconic Revolver brand. There were buyers who were willing to do it. But Danny also had a dream. Enter Rich King. King was the best man at the Fubar/Schmitty owners' wedding which Danny had also attended. King intervened. Together, they would present their plan to Miller and successfully conduct both the purchase and sensitive negotiations with the owner. Today, Danny and Rich are the new faces behind the iconic Revolver.

Tristan Schukraft shocked the streets by adding the abbey and chapel to his stable of gay brands. The former model turned serial entrepreneur has deep roots in West Hollywood. Although Schukraft lives in Puerto Rico, he spent years as a West Hollywood resident and twice ran for West Hollywood City Council. Schukraft is the founder of MISTR, an online formula delivery service with two locations in West Hollywood. Schukraft also owns the Circo nightclub and the Tryst Hotel in Puerto Rico. Tristan's purchase of the abbey and chapel keeps the world's most famous gay bar in gay-owned and operated hands, with dreams of expansion and the right person to make it happen. Schukraft is the closest thing to a gay Elon Musk, but completely draped in the rainbow.

Bobby Applebaum is the group chef at Wild Restaurant and Bar. The former St. Felix location is owned by Roger Taylor and his wife Serena, along with chef Michael Solis and Adam Lambert. Bobby lives in West Hollywood with his husband and is full of excitement and enthusiasm for his role as Managing Director, working with great partners in his hometown. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, he met his husband shortly after arriving in Los Angeles. I am the general manager, with a history in gastronomy. I have always been attracted to Saint-Félix, and my husband says to me: you showed it! Some of the best people watching in Los Angeles are here. When asked about the owners, Applebaum defers to the customers: That's not my goal. I focus on guests and employees. Are the owners gay? I asked. Everyone is gay, but I don't think Roger is because he's married to a woman, he says with a big smile. We are gay owned and operated. I'm so excited about this pride because I get to be a participant and a host! One of the owners, Michael Solis, is the chef. We have some serious eating to do. My favorite dish is Churro French Toast. Saturday and Sunday we open for brunch. I think it's so special that our owner is himself in the kitchen and cooking with his family recipes.

Erik Braverman has been a resident of West Hollywood for 30 years. Braverman and her husband Jonathan Cottrell are the new majority owners of GYM BAR, along with fellow WeHo residents John Manelski and Jordan Brusso. Joe Edwards lives just outside the WeHo-Beverly Hills border. Justin David and Jeff Healy live just outside WeHo in Hollywood, Braverman said. We are all WeHo. Braverman is Senior Vice President of the Los Angeles Dodgers and brings his marketing acumen to WeHos' most famous sports bar. GYM BAR, which bills itself as Los Angeles' first and only openly gay sports bar, can now tout a new authenticity with Braverman's vision. We work on interior design, remodeling, improvements and complete reinvention of the food offering. I’m excited to be a part of my community in a more meaningful way. I love West Hollywood. I love sports and I love when the community comes together.

With Braverman and his team at the helm, we could expect to see a GYM BAR franchise in the future. Don't be surprised if you see Cottrell dragging her husband on Shark Tank and making a deal with Mark Cuban to go national.

After all, all of the faces above have a dream come true.