By Sarah Preston

As we sit down to do our interview in Playboy's Chicago headquarters, Billy Dec is surrounded by a camera crew that has been following him for four days filming a reality TV series pilot for a major network. This is a typical day in the life of Chicago's most sought-after club juggler. The driving force behind some of the city's most successful nightclubs -- Solo, Circus, Dragon Room and Le Passage -- Dec leads the pack of Chi Town's A-list and even calls celebs like David Schwimmer close pals. So close, in fact, that Dec has made a few walk-on appearances on the mega hit Friends and will even have a cameo in one of the last episodes.

Dec put himself through law school, opened his own law office, founded a PR firm and started his own fitness and martial arts center, all by age 29. But the nightlife biz remains his top priority. This spring, Dec, along with business partner Brad Young, will open Rockit Bar and Grill, his entree into Chicago's highly competitive foodie world. Designer Nate Berkus, an Oprah Show regular and one of People's sexiest men alive, is crafting the concept, and spinoffs in other cities are already being discussed.

We decided to dissect Dec's secret formula for opening a successful club or bar -- a feat that sees more than an 80 percent failure rate.

"It's a 24/7 business, and it's a very hard business," Dec says. Just because you have extra time and money on your hands, and love to party, doesn't mean you belong in the bar business. "It's very important to find an actual liquor license attorney. A lot of people try using a friend, and that is not a good idea," Dec counsels. "Get someone who specializes in liquor license law. And you need an accountant who does work with restaurants and bars -- you have to figure out what it really costs to build, and what it costs to maintain, a business of this sort. Right now the failure rate is over 80 percent within the first year for bars in Chicago."

"Have a definable, intriguing concept -- something that's easily readable, that people know, like and trust," Dec advises. Also talk to friends, family and other people in the biz. "A lot of people just want to open a cool bar. You need a certain edge to get the attention that will draw volume," Dec adds. Whether you're going for the super A-list crowd, or just want sheer numbers, you need to differentiate yourself. "But not so different that it's not likable. There needs to be a demand for it."

next »
01 • 02