When the West Village speakeasy Employees Only opened on Hudson Street two decades ago, there was a flood of stars wanting VIP treatment.
But that’s not the bar’s MO
Months after the splash opened, Madonna’s handlers attempted to clear the space so that the singer and her entourage could receive a private reception.
“We were happy to welcome him, but he didn’t like the layout of our dining room because it was too open. There were no separate booths. His team was worried they would be harassed,” co-founder Dushan Zarik told The Post.
“She was turned down because she wanted the entire dining room to herself and we couldn’t accommodate it. Of course, we felt very bad,” he said.
It was nothing against Madonna. Zaris also recalled that the team rejected the Olsen twins’ party of 12 because they did not have a reservation. (Prince William and Kate Middleton, on the other hand, dined in the back garden after getting reservations, while Elon Musk stayed until last call at 4 a.m.)
This week, Only Employees – dubbed one of the world’s best cocktail bars by the Spirited Awards – is celebrating its 20th anniversary by welcoming guest bartenders from around the world.
And the usually tight-lipped staff also told The Post about treating celebrity guests like Bill Murray, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Cuban like any other New Yorker who managed to get in the door.
“We never want to make a big deal if a celebrity comes. That’s not our style,” Zarick told The Post. “A lot of these people are used to living in places where everyone kisses their ass.”
Murray came for the first time because he wanted to have his palms read by the restaurant’s resident psychic.
“He came to get his palm read by our psychiatrist present at the front. When he peeked through the curtain, there was indeed a bar inside. [then] Asked, ‘Can you make me a dirty martini?'” Zarick remembered of the “Lost in Translation” star.
“I was speechless. I’ve never been starstruck, but he’s my favorite actor. I said ‘Sir, I will make you the best dirty martini ever.’ And I personally hate dirty martinis,” Zarick said. “So I made him an extra dirty martini and he tried it, and said ‘You’re not lying, I’m coming back next week for another martini.’ He picked up his drink and continued his session with the mental patient.
Other A-listers preferred to slip under the radar. When a manager approached Leonardo DiCaprio – who had come late one Sunday night to watch a burlesque show with a “very young model” – he said, “No pictures, please.”
But the woman told him: “No, I want you to go ahead with the demonstration.”
Before marrying “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost in 2020, Scarlett Johansson used to mingle with the crowd at Employees Only.
“We put him on a corner table – no one bothered him for over a year. She had not come well dressed. She was really down to earth,” Zarick recalled.
But, he added, he saw less of the “Avengers” star after a fan recognized him and asked for a photo.
One person who didn’t mind posing for fans is “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban, who also left a $1,000 tip — and tried his hand at bartending, too.
“He came back there, put the jacket on and played around a little bit,” Zarick said. “Got a kick out of it.”
But the best part happened when everyone started posting pictures on social media.
“People used to get up and dance in the bars. We didn’t have iPhones. We didn’t have social media. You can really go under the radar,” Zarick recalled.
Patrons routinely get so lax – and sneaky – that the staff-only staff dubs a cozy corner between the bar and the front window the “bad corner.” And the bar’s lost-and-found is filled with souvenirs of patrons’ wild nights out: designer shoes, jewelry, even a diamond engagement ring found tucked away in one of the booths.
When Employees Only opened in December, 2004, five mixologists – Zarik, Henry Lafargue, Igor Hadzismajlovic, Jason Kosmas and Bill Gilroy – saw the potential of a craft cocktail bar that focused on fresh ingredients, but didn’t take itself too seriously. Took. With high-proof rye, inverted proportions of vermouth, and a touch of Grand Marnier, its take on the Manhattan sparked both imitators and outposts in Singapore, Sydney, and Los Angeles.
And two decades later, everything old is new again, Zarick said.
In 2004, the espresso martini was a thing. “I poured rivers of that stuff. Then it died,” Zarick said, calling it “dead and buried.”
Now, the drink is still not on the menu — but it is EO’s most frequently ordered cocktail, generating a million dollars in revenue per year, an employee told The Post.
Zarik said: “It came out of the grave.”
