A Day in the Life: Daniel and Derek Koch

Brothers Daniel and Derek Koch are renowned as two of the most sought after tastemakers in New York’s dining and hospitality scene. Upon transplanting to New York City from their native mid-west, Derek and Daniel began their careers as models, but earned their first entrance into the hospitality industry working at Le Bilboquet, notorious for its signature, raucous parties. Following their initial success, the Koch brothers used their intuitive promotional and marketing skills to design the concept for what is now known as Day & Night, a Saturday brunch at the Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel that begins innocently enough, but quickly evolves into a bacchanal afternoon nightclub.

Since the success of Day & Night, the twins expanded the concept to Southampton and recently launched their own contemporary French-American restaurant in the autumn of 2010, MPD (Mon Petit Dejeuner), at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington streets in the Meatpacking District. We recently caught up with entrepreneur Derek Koch to get a glimpse into his typical, and frantically busy, day and night.

A typical Saturday for Derek Koch, Partner at Dual Groupe (MPD, Day & Night)

9:30AM Alarm Sounds. Snooze. Must wake up! Last night was a busy one at MPD as I stayed late with clients at the restaurant.

11:00AM Run out the door, hail a taxi, and head to the Oak Room at The Plaza Hotel to begin working on Day & Night. The next few hours will be crazy—I can’t wait!

12:00PM Conduct sound check at Oak Room. Music is such a huge part of the Day & Night concept that I do sound check every Saturday to ensure it’s on point. Then, I do an inventory run, review the day’s floor plan with management, and confirm seating chart and reservations—almost there!

2:00PM Guests are arriving, and everyone looks sharp. The room begins getting busy, and the rose is flowing.

3:00PM Almost a full house. Music is playing comfortably, mostly hits and 80’s. I walk around the room, providing the best service to the guests, catching up with clients, conversing with friends, making introductions, managing waitresses, and the list goes on.

5:00PM The champagne is popping, corks are flying, dancers are shaking (some on chairs, some on the Oak Room’s centerpiece), people are spraying champagne all over each other, and our DJ is killing it with Swedish House Mafia. Suddenly we’re in the hottest nightclub in NYC, and its only 5PM.

6:30PM After a short encore for the restless crowd, we break down the event.

7:30PM Dinner with friends at Le Bilboquet on 63rd and Madison.

9:00PM Head over to my other venue, MPD, a restaurant my brother and I own in partnership with Ginza Project.

2:00AM MPD dinner service has come and gone. Some lingering clients are still enjoying drinks at their tables. I say my goodbyes and head to a neighborhood nightclub to say hello to a few clients and friends. Networking is my middle name.

4:00AM Time to sleep. It’s been a helluva day. Good Night!

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