That’ll be $36,000 for a Coconut Cloud smoothie at Kith Ivy.
Photo: Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
Looks like New York is technically getting an Erewhon. Kith CEO Ronnie Fieg shared floor plans for his private padel club at 120 Leroy Street and, as first picked up by Emily Sundberg in her Feed Me newsletter, there’s an Erewhon next to the Living Room — a restaurant that’ll be run by the Cafe Mogador team. Want to overpay for a smoothie in the comforts of your own city? It’ll require a membership to Kith Ivy.
Sundberg reviewed the pitch deck for the project, and the mini-Erewhon will be open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and only to those willing to pony up the $36,000 initiation fee, plus $7,000 in annual dues. Which honestly sounds pretty on brand for the Los Angeles chain.
The private club has, of course, already inspired a bit of a dustup in the West Village. As we reported back in March, residents have been up in arms about the arrival of the private padel club, and those tensions came to a head during a meeting about the club’s liquor license. Protesters at the meeting held signs that read “No Rooftop Restaurant” and “No Private Padel.” The main point of conflict was a plan for a rooftop bar and club, which locals argued would bring “noise, drunken rowdiness, and crime” to the block, leading to a bit of a street fight and, ultimately, scrapping that part of the plan.
So is this what Tony Antoci, Erewhon’s CEO, was hinting at to the Los Angeles Times back in 2021 when he said his chain was “looking at New York City” for a possible expansion? Only he (and maybe Fieg) can say. At the very least, maybe this will give a boost to another niche racquet sport in the city.