
David Grutman: From Bartender to Miami’s Nightlife King | Ep. 338
From Founder's Story by IBH Media
April 13, 2026 · 19 min · Episode 338
About this episode
David Grutman shares his journey from bartender to a key figure in Miami's nightlife and hospitality scene.
Daniel Robbins sits down with Miami hospitality icon David Grutman, founder of Groot Hospitality, to break down how relationships, details, and relentless “value add” turned him into the city’s ultimate connector. David shares how he built Miami’s pull by controlling the full experience for influential guests, why the goal is never to “keep score,” and what it takes to create restaurant and nightlife moments people can’t stop filming. They also dive into his new book Take It Personal, the stress behind the scenes, and why his proudest legacy is his family.
People in this episode
Host: Daniel Robbins
Guest: David Grutman
Topics covered
- hospitality
- nightlife
- entrepreneurship
- relationships
- family legacy
Keywords
- David Grutman
- Miami nightlife
- Groot Hospitality
- Take It Personal
- entrepreneurship
- hospitality industry
- family legacy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Groot Hospitality
Books & works: Take It Personal
Places: Miami
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