David Grutman has been the most influential nightlife and restaurant operator in Miami for the better part of two decades. That’s not a subjective read โ itโs just a fact. LIV became the benchmark against which every other club in the country got measured. Komodo redefined what a restaurant could be in a city already full of great ones. Papi Steak is, right now, one of the most talked-about steakhouses in the country. And Groot Hospitality, the company he built around all of it, keeps growing in markets and categories that most operators wouldnโt attempt from a standing start.
On paper, the story writes itself. Right?
No, because what youโre missing is the system heโs built. Itโs not a system, not in the rigid, MBA-approved sense of the word, but in the way that the best entrepreneurs build things: intuitively, iteratively, through a thousand small decisions that, over time, compound into something that just works. Underneath all of it is a philosophy rooted in relationships, value creation, and what it means to care enough about the people around you to actually win. That last part is his words, not mine. Heโll tell you directly: Taking it personally is not a weakness. Itโs why he wins.
Iโve watched him operate for a long time. And what strikes me, every time, is how deliberate he is beneath all that energy. People see the room he walks into and think they understand whatโs happening. In my experience, theyโre usually a few steps behind.
Thatโs the thing about Grutmanโs book, Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game, it captures what most business books miss. The tactical stuff is in there โ how he thinks about relationships, how he scales a brand, when to be the face, and when to hand someone else the platform. He did that with Papi Steak, backing David โPapiโ Einhorn and watching him build something that stands on its own. But the real argument of the book is much simpler: that the way you treat people is a strategy in and of itself. One that doesnโt show up on a balance sheet but is often the only thing that matters.
He taught this in a college course at Florida International University for five years before it became a book. Broke down what he does every day into something clear enough to teach. And the result is a blueprint that works whether youโre running a hospitality empire or opening your first business. The principles donโt change. The stakes just get bigger.
Grutman is in his prime right now. Or, as he says, โthe sweet spot.โ Hotels on the horizon. A production studio. Consumer brand investments. A membership concept still taking shape. He is not winding down. He is loading up. And Take It Personal is less a look back than a declaration of intent. This is how he got here. And this is how he plans to go further.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Boardroom: Of all the things I’d imagine weโd be talking about in this interview, I probably wouldn’t have guessed author. Not that I didnโt think you could and should write a book. I just donโt know if I saw it in your โ
David Grutman: Youโre saying the ADD is so intense.
How did you lock in and get convinced at this point in your life to write a book?
At FIU, Iโve been teaching a college course for the last five years. That course gave me a great outline. And I thought, why not give someone the blueprint for how I live my lifeโput everything down on paper? At the end of the day, itโs about building legacy. For me to have a book while Iโm still in it is really important.
What does legacy mean to you?
At this point in my life, Iโve checked a lot of boxes. And Iโm at the point where I really care about legacy โ how people regard you, what your impact was.
The class you taught at FIU โ what did you get from it that ultimately put you on this path?
It was about taking the time to break down what I do every day into a syllabus and being able to teach it. People are always asking, โHow do you have such great relationships?โ To really sit there and break it down takes a lot of time and energy. If I take the time to put it into a book, hopefully itโll help the next generation.
The title โ Take It Personal โ I understood exactly what it meant with you. You react to things, and people immediately say, โIt’s business. Donโt take it personally.โ
When someone says that, thatโs crazy. I think itโs why weโre both so successfulโwe do take it personally. If I donโt take it to heart that youโre not getting this deal done, or youโre not eating at my places, it hurts me so badly that I kind of donโt want to be friends with you anymore. Why donโt you tell the audience, when you do stuff at other places that arenโt mine, whatโs that call like?
This dates back to my DJ manager days. You used to get very mad if I booked a DJ at another club.
You used to manage a DJ โ we wonโt say Mark Ronson โ who had a stepbrother who owned other nightclubs in Miami. And youโd be like, โDavid, his brother owns another nightclub.โ And Iโd go, โI really don’t care. Donโt you care about your clientโs career? Forget the family for a second.โ And somehow, someway, that DJ would wind up at one of my spots.
I knew you were different then, because I remember saying, โItโs his family, bro,โ and you were like โ
โI donโt care. Itโs about him playing with us.โ
Do you feel like you ever take it too personally?
No. Never.
Do you ever regret a reaction youโve had?
I’ve had some very bad reactions, and probably some that werenโt justified. But I think thatโs why I win. I want to win at all costs.
Relationships are a through line in this book. Itโs clear the impact youโve had on people, from Kim Kardashian writing the foreword to the quotes on the back. You gave me the honor of being listed alongside Mark Wahlberg, Serena Williams, Tom Brady, and David Beckham.
I thought it was important to have you, Rich, since you’ve been there from pretty much day one. You really know me, and Iโm so proud of your success โ watching how much youโve grown. I wanted your name on the back of my book.
When people talk about relationships and networking, every entrepreneur talks about the need to build relationships, but itโs not necessarily a recipe you can give to someone else. And yet you clearly found an actual lesson that could be taught.
It started even in college. David Guettaโs agent is my friend. Tiรซstoโs manager is my friend. I knew them in college. Itโs never too soon to start building relationships. People say, โIโll start doing this when I reach a certain level.โ I always thought I am at that level.
You never zero in on the celebrity. You understand the importance of the people around the talent, not just the talent in the room.
Still to this day. As you try to move talent around or get them to do different things, itโs the voices in their ears that make everything happen. And knowing their stories matters, because those people usually control a lot of other people as well.
Thereโs a part in the book where you talk about doing a deal for Kim Kardashian, and then the founder of the company wanted to offer you shares.
After the deal was done, the owner came to me and said, โAs a thank-you, I want to give you this.โ It’s happened a few times now. I think itโs so important to be transparent, because for that person to find out I accepted something without telling them first would be really bad. So I never accept it until I talk to them and say, โYour dealโs done. They want to give me a thank-you. Are you OK with it?โ I never went into this to even try to get anything. Iโm just here to add value. And the response has been the same every time: โAre you kidding? Of course, David. We want you to win, too.โ
Did you learn more about yourself writing this book?
Yeah. Just breaking everything down, going through my day, when you slow it down enough to show someone else how to do it, it takes a lot of time and energy.
What did you learn about yourself trying to streamline all that noise?
How authentic it is for me. And, honestly, I didnโt realize how much I really do care about people. More than I think. I really, really care, man.
What would you say is a lesson you wish youโd learned at 25? Or do you feel like everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to?
People always ask, โIf you had a hot tub time machine, what would you do differently?โ For me, all the mistakes I made are part of the journey that made me who I am. So I want to go through those mistakes. I want to go through those challenges and those failures.
This isnโt a book written at the end of your journey. I think you have some of your most successful years still in front of you. I remember feeling that same angst a few years ago, and I went to see Jimmy Iovine. He broke it down simply: Unless youโre Mark Zuckerberg, LeBron James, or Jay-Z, your best earning years are from 45 to 60.
Iโm in the sweet spot.
Youโre in the sweet spot. Letโs talk about your business. Over the last decade, you built Groot Hospitality into a real enterprise. Where are you today?
On the hospitality side, itโs LIV Miami, LIV Las Vegas, LIV Beach, Casadonna, Gekkล, Papi Steakโwhich is growing in multiple markets โ and, of course, Komodo, my first restaurant, now in three markets and expanding.
Letโs talk about Papi Steak. Itโs almost like you built a whole other world, and this character whoโs bigger than life, which is hard to do in your shadow.
David โPapiโ Einhorn is my partner and really the face of Papi Steak. Itโs great to see someone take a platform and just run with it. Iโd love to say this is all my shtick โ this is Papi. He’s used the platform and really made it his own. Iโm so happy to just be along for the ride. I back him up differently than Iโd back myself โ operations, some marketingโbut at the end of the day, itโs his shtick thatโs on fire right now.
As my career gets longer, Iโm investing in other founders whose faces should be out front, and Iโm just adding value where I can. How important is patience in building these relationships? Understanding that the opportunity is in the longevity, not the transaction?
People think it has to happen right away. Theyโre here for two days, and if they donโt get something out of it โ OK, man. Iโm so happy years and years later when someone randomly calls: โDave, what do you think about doing something together for F1? Or โwhat’s going on in Miami?โ Even when we were both doing tennis events, we were strategic together โ how do we help each other?
Tennis has been a big part of your life the last few years. Is that your release?
Itโs not about release. I never had any hobbies. My only hobby was to dominate. When I went on my fitness journey, I wanted to find a sport Iโd become obsessed with. By owning the Prince brand with Authentic Brands Group, I thought, I have this iconic tennis brand โ how could I not play? During COVID, I started hitting, and I just became completely obsessed. I play every morning from eight to nine. When it rains in Miami, and I canโt play, I get very upset.
Where do you want to evolve the hospitality side of the business now?
I like it being a springboard: an ecosystem for my production studio and consumer-brand investments to see how they all work together. I also want to build a members club. I have the fun, exciting restaurants, but I also want to give something different. As we get older, we want to be around like-minded people and have more of a luxury product.
You talk about hotels in the book as the epitome of legacy.
Through this whole journey, Iโve learned what my people react well to. Anytime I do something mid- or low-budget, they donโt react well. They expect a certain experience from me. When I did a hotel with micro rooms โ 150 square feet โ youโre my friend, and you love me, but youโre not staying in a 150-square-foot hotel room.
Did you enjoy writing the book?
I loved it, man. I think you should do one, Rich.
Iโve thought about it. Think you have another book in you?
Letโs hope so. Letโs hope the story keeps going.
And while Grutman has built Groot Hospitality into one of the most recognizable names in the business, his wife Isabela is quietly constructing an empire of her own โ from her jewelry and fashion brands to a starring role on a Prime Video docuseries. Read her Cover Story here.
Interviewer โ Rich Kleiman
VP, General Manager โ Paul Beckles
VP, Content โ Damien Scott
VP, Revenue & Brand Partnerships โ Abigale Smith
VP, Partnership Strategy & Marketing โ Bernadette Doykos
Art Director โ Michelle Lukianovich
DP, Sr. Producer โ Craig Newton
Director, Producer, Camera Op โ Audrey Blackmore
Video Editor, Camera Op โ Matt Strickland
VP, Social Media โ Yoni Mernick
VP, Audience Development โ Jonathan Wiener
Sr. Manager, Content Operations โ Griffin Adams
Sr. Director, Marketing & Content Operations โ Stephanie Talmadge
CMO โ Sarah Flynn
Co-Founders โ Rich Kleiman & Kevin Durant
Photographer โ Erik Umphery
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