New club provides Houston area young professionals with dining opportunities

Houston businessman Nick Florescu created The Urbane Society club because he wanted to give young professionals and opportunity to enjoy fine dining. Houston businessman Nick Florescu created The Urbane Society club because he wanted to give young professionals and opportunity to enjoy fine dining. Photo: The Urbane Society Photo: The Urbane Society Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close New club provides Houston area young professionals with dining opportunities 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Houston businessman Nick Florescu, who has a penchant for fine dining, has created The Urbane Society, a members only club that provides young professionals a 20 percent discount to fine dining venues.

The Urbane Society, which is “exclusive by choice, inclusive by design,” provides professionals aged 21 to 34 with dining opportunities that they may have not had before due to budget restraints.

Florescu, who is married to KPRC2 news anchor Dominique Sachse, noted that he loves going to out eat with his wife, and also eats out a lot when she is working. Because of that, their children have also grown up in the fine-dining atmosphere.

“The idea came to me because of my son. He was lucky to have the privilege to dine alongside mom and dad. Now he is a young professional, and young professionals don’t all have the same budget. I was looking for a way to give these young people a break,” Florescu said.

Florescu notes that it is a win-win because the young professionals get to enjoy an affordable fine dining experience at a new venue, and the restaurants have the potential to gain new loyal customers and fill up their tables.

“I find that the restaurant business is not just a good place to eat, but also a form of entertainment,” Florescu said.

Florescu added that he hopes the club will be an easy way for young people to meet and make new friends.

“Houston is different because we don’t have the constant contact in our every day lives like you would in New York. You can’t mingle all the time because there isn’t a street life. In Houston, we have to get in our cars to go anywhere. You are limited to your exposure of people,” Florescu said.

The club has partnered up with Houston restaurants B&B Butchers & Restaurant, Emmaline, The Grove, La Table and Le Colonial. Floresu hopes to add many more in the future.

“I would love to add every type of ethnic food,” Florescu said.

The Urbane Society will primarily communicate with its members through a mobile app available for download in the Apple and Google Play stores. Those who are interested in joining can do so for a launch special $100 annual membership fee.

The app was created by Kubis Interactive, an international creative agency specializing in branding and digital, headquartered in Houston, and owned by Florescu.

The app provides a seamless dining reservation experience, which Florescu says is important for both the member and the restaurant.

“We feel like it could cheapen the experience for the member if they have to pull out a discount card. The 20 percent never comes up, it is just deducted from your bill automatically. It also doesn’t cheapen the restaurant brand either,” Florescu said.

In addition to the restaurant discounts, The Urbane Society will also provide access to special members-only events and perks such as first looks for new restaurants.

The app launched a few weeks ago, and Florescu says that initial feedback has been positive from both restaurants and members.

“Everyone is really excited,” Floresu said.

“You have your professional groups for realtors, nursing and energy, but is there a social club that crosses over all of those? I don’t think so. The Urbane Society is a way for them to meet new people and be in an comfortable environment,” Florescu said.

For more information, and to join the club, go to www.urbanesociety.com.

rebecca.hazen@chron.com