Former Coconut Grove Hot Spot the Key Club Closes After Two Years

It's hard to believe that nearly 100 restaurants and bars have opened in Miami since the beginning of January. We're not even joking. Unfortunately, for every restaurant that opens, one of equal or even more value closes.

This unnerving turnover of restaurants in Miami is disheartening to those in the industry, but far too common for those who are familiar with New Times' restaurant coverage as of late. Just this past June, the iconic ice cream parlor the Frieze in Miami Beach closed after 38 years in business. One day earlier, news broke that longtime favorite Shuckers Waterfront Bar and Grill in North Bay Village would shut down in December in order to make way for a new beach club.

To add insult to injury, New Times has one more closure to share to end the month of June: the Key Club in Coconut Grove.

Just as Miami restaurants hit their annual dreaded slow season (the summer months when residents flock to cooler temperatures on vacation), the CocoWalk restaurant announced its closure on Friday, June 28, just one day before closing its doors. The restaurant has since deleted its Instagram account and removed its website, which now redirects to Groot Hospitality's homepage.
Opened in March of 2022 to plenty of fanfare, the American bar and grill reminiscent of an elevated Hillstone was founded by Groot Hospitality and run by renowned restaurateur David Grutman. He chose the tree-lined enclave in the resurrected CocoWalk area to offer his take on the classic American bar and grill with a menu of steaks, local seafood, and cocktails. The restaurant quickly drew in crowds of Miami's elite in April of 2022, including the likes of Lenny Kravitz and David Beckham.

Despite the fanfare, according to sources familiar with the closure, the Key Club closed solely "due to the sale of the building it occupies." Additionally, Eater Miami spoke to representatives of the restaurant who confirmed the news of the sale.

"I believe David Grutman is undoubtedly one of the best operators and restaurateurs in the industry, so, it’s also not just the Key Club [being bought out]," explains Felix Bendersky, owner and founder of F+B Hospitality Leasing Brokerage based out of Miami. "There are five other newer Coconut Grove concepts quietly being shopped around for massive amounts of key money."

This means no matter how popular a spot may seem, the market is so hot right now, that any Miami restaurant can essentially be up for grabs at any moment.

Groot Hospitality currently operates numerous other Miami hot spots including Papi Steak, Casadonna, Swan, Gekko, and others.