SBE Entertainment Group

Just not a personal fan of this company. I have a lot of friends employed by SBE and have visited so many of their Restaurants, clubs and what not but I don’t ever leave feeling it was worth it… Sadly I’ll probably still end up visiting their establishments and spending insane amount of money because they bought out all the competition and nearly killed the nightlife experience of variety, it’s all the same with them. who knows maybe one day they will decide to change things up.

Sad to say that I went for a job interview here thinking that they were a half decent establishment… the sad part is that I was so wrong and my thoughts were so far from the truth. I supposed any company that has you sign an NDA for a job interview with HR should just SCREAM «NOT A GOOD IDEA»!!!
They interviewed me for nearly 2 hours…
Wanted me to meet with the VP within the next week of my interview. At the interview, they got ideas and ideas and ideas of how I «would improve certain aspects of their company within the social media sector»…
here is where that NDA comes into play…
I never heard from the company ever again. I called repeatedly, sent emails… NOTHING! It’s like the head of HR fell off the face of the earth…
Just 2 weeks later, wouldn’t you know it…
My ideas showed up in some email blasts that I get from SBE.
Imagine that.
When everyone says they’re a douchey company, believe them…

SBE has the nicest people and I really mean that! I’m glad they’re in Vegas now too. Bravo guys!

I love, love, love SBE. This is a business that knows how to take care of its customers, which in turn (by design) encourages repeat visits.
Unlike other major cities which have many different hotspots owned by different corporate entities, SBE kind of has a monopoly on the mainstream nightlife in Los Angeles (and they’ve now branched out to Vegas and soon South Beach). Their properties are fairly diverse — from young-​crowd clubs like Greystone Manor and MyHouse to classic mature-​crowd restaurants like Gladstones — but their brand offers the same sort of feel no matter which property you happen to be at.
Again, this is all by design (unless I’m giving the owner Sam Nazarian too much credit, which I don’t think I am). The idea is to catch you as a customer when you’re 21 and then keep you as you age and develop different interests.
Now that I’m in my mid-30’s and prefer a more upscale and exclusive experience, my wife and I find ourselves visiting The Sayers Club, Mercato di Vetro, SLS and Katsuya more often (I didn’t love Cleo, but many others do).
What I love about the properties is that you can expect the same level of customer service from each location, and if you ever want to try a new property, you can use your existing relationships from one venue to get introduced to new people at another property. In other words, they take care of you. They even have VIP hosts whom you can call or e-​mail who will generally be able to get you in wherever, even on late notice (I’m a procrastinator). I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-​out to Houston Rhines, who has always taken care of me.
I recently joined their Preferred Friends club, which operates much like a Rewards card (ie, spend $X at any of their properties and you will receive a gift card for $Y). There are different levels of membership (which is free, btw), depending on what your discretionary income allows you to spend.
Two final notes:
1) these are not what people would think of as «cutting-​edge» properties. Hotspots, yes. Cutting-​edge, no. So, if you’re an East-​LA or Silver Lake kind of hipster, then these properties probably won’t be your cup of tea; and
2) There is a price for exclusivity: these places, if done right, are not cheap. To experience Mercato di Vetro, for example, you should expect a dinner for two to run around $ 125-​$ 150 (or more if you’re a heavy drinker). A basic room at SLS will run about $ 400. Etc. So, forewarned is forearmed.
But if your budget allows for the occasional indulgence, I highly recommend getting in with SBE. And you can trust me on this one; I’m an Elite. ;)

As a current sbe* ‘preferred friend’, I have to say that I am pretty pleased with the way the program is run.
Benefits are gained by a point system that never expires, as you use your card at all sbe venues with every transaction (with the exception of the Mammoth and Staples Center locations of Hyde). There are a few different tiers within the membership: Basic, Gold and finally, Black.
Now I wonder if they grant access to EVERYONE that applies to be a ‘Friend’, but so far I cannot complain. The only glitch so far is that I tried to email customer service about a name switch and have not heard back (been two weeks). Now that I have the welcome packet, I have other forms of communication so perhaps I’ll look there and get my questions answered.
I look forward to giving this card more usage in the near future…
*sbe=SamyBoyEntertainment, if you were wondering.

The SBE entertainment group is a treasure in LA, developing and controlling some of the best food and nightlife in the city. The website claims that SBE brings exquisite balance to the interrelated worlds of luxury hospitality, real estate development and events and this is true. The Bazaar is probably my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, and I went to Cleo for my birthday and could not believe how each dish was more delicious than the next. SBE creates the most beautiful environments for eating and drinking without compromising taste for the lavish and outstanding décor at each of its establishments. I write about SBE today because well over a year ago I had a negative dining experience at XIV, and the manager who oversees all of SBE dining, Matt Erickson, quickly contacted me to apologize and told me if I ever needed any help at any SBE establishment to let him know. I had some special guests in town this past weekend and figured I would see if Matt’s offer still stood. I asked him if he could help get me into the Colony. Matt responded to my e-​mail within a few hours, wrote the individuals in charge of the Colony and offered to help me with dinner reservations if we wanted to eat at an SBE Hollywood restaurant before heading out (Cleo or Katsuya). The girls wanted to dine at Katsuya, where there was no availability for reservations, and Matt set me up with the restaurant manager, Ryan, who had a reservation confirmed for me in less than an hour. Ryan came up to us while we were waiting for our table and brought us an appetizer and gave us his card. He stopped by our table while we were dining to make sure that everything was delicious at Katsuya and it truly was. I lived in Japan for a year and had always been wary of Katsuya because I prefer traditional Japanese cuisine, but the dishes were fresh, inventive, perfectly executed, and delicious. The service was prompt and fabulous despite the restaurant being packed on a sat night. The conclusion is SBE entertainment is a tremendous group that is dedicated to keeping each and every client satisfied. There is no reason that a group with such popular establishments had to reach out to me, let alone organize the night of an individual customer based on one bad dining experience– but they jumped at the opportunity and, as a result, I will continue to frequent SBE owned establishments and know they will not disappoint.