Interview with General Manager Robert Esquijarosa. Club Sugar the newest Latin gay hotspot in South Miami (in the old Azucar location) is going strong with 4 nights. Owners Jesus, Tracy and Isa and general manager Robert Esquijarosa have been spending a lot of time remodeling and renovating the location and it is slowly becoming super sexy. They are in the process of remodeling the patio and plan on turning it into a lounge/chill location where their customers can hang out and get to know one another. The lounge will also feature a small stage for intimate performances by some of the best entertainers South Florida has to offer.
Club Sugar, the newest Latin gay hotspot in South Miami (in the old Azucar location) is going strong with 4 nights. Owners Jesus, Tracy and Isa and general manager Robert Esquijarosa have been spending a lot of time remodeling and renovating the location and it is slowly becoming super sexy. They are in the process of remodeling the patio and plan on turning it into a lounge/chill location where their customers can hang out and get to know one another. The lounge will also feature a small stage for intimate performances by some of the best entertainers South Florida has to offer. I sat down with GM Robert Esquijarosa to ask him a few questions about Club Sugar and what they have planned for the future.
How did you come to be involved with Club Sugar?
Unfortunately, I can’t say that it was through my many connections with prominent club owners and employees. As most young people in South Florida, I’ve frequented many clubs throughout the years, but never did I expect to be managing one. Fortunately, for a couple of good friends, they were offered an incredible opportunity, which they jumped on. As in any club, it was important for them to have someone that would be willing to take on the day to day tasks necessary to keep a club thriving, while being someone they could trust. I was willing to take on that challenge. I couldn’t be more thankful to them for this opportunity.
Tell me about the owners.
They are a great group of people to work for. It wasn’t a very easy process at the beginning. It took a lot of work, lots of late nights and early mornings. One thing that I can definitely say about the owners is that they are very hands on. They are constantly involved in the day to day activities of the club, and you can find each of them doing their part each night to keep the club thriving and to keep the customers happy and coming back.
You have some great staff. Tell me more about them?
We really do have some great staff. Besides management, a majority of the staff has been working at this club for many years. In fact, Maria, who works in the main bar, has been working there for almost 20 years, back in the days when it use to be called Concord. Jaime and Luis are two other very handsome faces that you might remember from back then. They are a great part of the bartending staff. We really do appreciate all the help everyone in the Sugar family has given us in bringing the club to be what it is today and for keeping a smile on the faces of all our customers.
This is your first time managing a club. What have you learned so far?
It’s not as easy as it looks. I went into this knowing very little. However, as I said before, I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given, and also for the many helpful hands that I’ve had along the way.
With so many people coming through our doors every weekend, I do my best to make sure that each person leaving that night had the best possible time. I’ve learned that in order to do this, it’s important to take in all the feedback that we’re given…good or bad. It’s the only way to improve and make Sugar a better place for everyone to enjoy.
Now that you are managing do you appreciate club life more?
Absolutely! Now that I see all the work it takes to get a club running, I tend to walk into clubs now looking at them differently. I focus more on the details of what clubs are constantly doing to keep the crowds pumped and going ’till the wee hours and then keep them wanting more to bring them back next week. You’ve got to give props to people in the industry whose sole purpose is to allow people to let loose and have a good time.
How did Marytrini and the Divas coming back to Club Sugar happen?
As most people know, this was originally the home of Marytrini and Las Divas del Jacuzzi. Throughout the first couple weeks of Sugar’s opening there were always questions on whether or not Marytini would be working with us. So when it came time to deciding what was to go on every Sunday at Sugar, we listened to our customers. It was clear that they were interested in seeing Marytrini and the Divas perform their well known hilarious acts every week at Sugar. Luckily, Club Sugar and Marytrini were able to get together and make this happen. It’s an incredibly funny cabaret show and we are very happy to have them here every Sunday night.
Are you guys planning to have a Miss Sugar Pageant? Mr. Pageant?
Yes. We are actually in the process of getting ideas together, planning a date and looking for entrants for the Miss Sugar Pageant. So if there is anyone interested, please feel free to call me or see me at the club. As for a Mr. Sugar, we are also planning on having a pageant for that as well. So boys, stay tuned for more information on that.
What other plans do you have for Club Sugar?
We are currently renovating the patio area of the club. We plan to open it very soon with an incredible atmosphere for our customers to enjoy. We look forward to having a variety of music going on between both areas of the club along with a sitting and a VIP area. Also, along with our current entertainers, such as TP Lords, Sasha Sky, Teresita la Caliente, Victoria Sky and, of course, Marytrini, we plan on bringing many new acts to join our incredible team of performers. During Winter Party weekend we were very pleased to have Wynter Gordon perform her hit songs “Sugar” and “Dirty Talk.” We are currently working on bringing on many other incredible artists, like Wynter, to the Sugar stage.
For more information go to ClubSugarMiami.com
