The Reuben Brothers filed new renovation plans for the Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach that revealed a New York City steakhouse could take over the former Mr. Chow’s space.
The Miami Beach Planning Board is set to review the renovation proposal for the 20-story hotel at 2201 Collins Avenue at its Oct. 6 meeting, months after developer brothers David and Simon Reuben announced that Hilton’s luxury Waldorf Astoria flag would replace the W South Beach’s branding and operations.
The application pitches the transition as a shift away from the property’s nightlife-oriented identity toward a quieter, more upscale hospitality operation. The renovation would replace several existing venues and introduce new ones, with one of the most notable being the hotel’s signature restaurant.
The former space of Mr. Chow, which closed in June after more than 15 years in business at the property, could be replaced by a steakhouse that currently has only one location, on New York City’s Park Avenue, according to the application. The application says the restaurant name and group is “soon to be revealed,” and is proposed to operate from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, with the option to open for lunch.
Alan Phillips, owner of the Sunshine Coffee chain in Miami Beach who manages the “whatsgoodmia” Instagram account, posted a video June 25 that first revealed the Waldorf Astoria rebrand as well as a rumored Major Food Group concept replacing Mr. Chow.
Major Food Group operates The Grill steakhouse in Manhattan’s Seagram Building at 375 Park Avenue. The restaurant’s menu features prime aged steaks with prices ranging from $95 to $295.
The firm is one of New York’s most prominent restaurant groups, with a slew of restaurants and private clubs across Miami-Dade, including the famed Carbone and a separate event space at 404 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, Carbone Vino and Sadelle’s in Coconut Grove, ZZ’s Club and Contessa in the Miami Design District, and Chateau ZZ’s in Brickell. The group formerly operated Dirty French Steakhouse in Brickell, which closed this spring after a few years in business.
Mayfair in the Grove owner Timo Kipp of Whalou Properties previously told The Real Deal that Major Food Group signed a 10,000-square-foot lease for Carbone Vino at the property in 2022 for over $100 per square foot in fixed rent in addition to a revenue-sharing agreement.
The restaurant group appears to have the deep pockets to stomach Miami-Dade’s sky-high rents, with GQ recently reporting that Major Food Group generates more than $500 million in annual revenue.
Neisen O. Kasdin, the attorney representing Reuben Brothers in their application, and spokespeople for Major Food Group and Reuben Brothers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The steakhouse at the Waldorf Astoria could come in addition to an expansion of the hotel’s all-day restaurant. The expansion calls for a larger dining area, removing the Living Room Bar and adding the Peacock Alley lobby lounge to occupy part of the former lobby space.
Another big change to the property would be the replacement of WALL nightclub with a private members lounge operated by the Waldorf Astoria. The application describes the new venue as a members-only space with cocktails, light dining, live jazz and other entertainment to emulate the sophisticated vibe of private clubs and hotel lounges on Park Avenue. It would operate from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m., but would be limited to members and their guests and not open to the public.
The 48,000-square-foot pool deck’s previously approved operating hours would be reduced, closing at 10 p.m. instead of 2 a.m. A new beachfront restaurant is also planned on an underutilized portion of the property, with proposed hours from 10 a.m. to midnight.
The renovation would add a valet drop-off lane along the property’s northern boundary for ultra-VIP members of the Waldorf Astoria private lounge. Existing valet pickup would remain along 22nd Street, and the applicant said overall traffic circulation would remain largely unchanged.
The redevelopment would not add hotel rooms or building area, but instead would redistribute existing indoor and outdoor programming while upgrading the nearly two-decade-old property to Waldorf Astoria standards, according to the application.
The hotel closed for renovations on Aug. 20, and the Reuben Brothers previously released a statement that the property is expected to reopen in winter 2027.
The W South Beach filed a notice in June announcing that the hotel will no longer carry the Marriott brand once the renovations start, which would also result in the termination of over 300 employees.
Reuben Brothers said that the renovation will create employment opportunities for team members to return and for new workers to join.
The company paid more than $400 million in 2024 for the oceanfront condo-hotel, acquiring the hotel component and a chunk of the condo-hotel units from Aby Rosen’s RFR Realty and David Edelstein’s Tricap.
The renovation builds on Reuben Brothers’ growing South Florida hospitality portfolio. In 2020, the firm acquired a 25 percent stake in the 685-room JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, which is majority owned by billionaire Jeffrey Soffer’s Fontainebleau Development. Soffer completed a $300 million renovation of the resort the same year.
In 2022, Reuben Brothers paid $42 million for the 53-room Chesterfield Hotel in Palm Beach, which it recently renovated. The property is set to reopen this year as The Vineta Hotel by Oetker Collection, the German luxury hotel brand.
Collins Avenue has over half a dozen hotels that recently completed multimillion-dollar overhauls or have renovations in the works.
The Delano Miami Beach recently reopened after a six-year upgrade costing more than $100 million. The Shelborne South Beach, now rebranded as Shelborne by Proper, reopened in May last year following a $100 million revamp.
The SLS Miami Beach, Royal Palm South Beach, The Raleigh and the Shore Club are among the Collins Avenue hotels temporarily shuttered as they undergo multimillion-dollar renovations.
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