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And let me say, before the pitchforks come for me, we need that. They're kind of gay Hooters, but really they're gay TGI Fridays.
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They are about as explicitly erotic as a cover of Men's Fitness." Promoter Daniel Nardicio, who co-owns the cabaret-style East Village gay bar Club Cumming, said of Boxers: "They're not bland, but they're basic. The formula for their allure cuts a cunning line between candid and crude. Richard Morgan of New York Times wrote, "mid a gay renaissance of broader, nonconforming sensibilities- queer, transgender and woke-Boxers has bet on old-school, meat-market machismo. The Boxers NYC franchise has been referred to as "the gay Hooters". On September 29, 2020, the bar's management announced that it had closed permanently. Fluet attempted to renegotiate the bar's lease to mitigate the financial strain caused by the pandemic, but he was unable to do so. In May, it briefly operated as a food pantry for needy New Yorkers, and it reopened for outdoor dining and takeout in July. Like other New York nightlife venues, Boxers WaHi was ordered to shutter in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, I feel like soon going to transition to the Upper West Side and Harlem." Monét X Change, a resident of the Bronx nearby, stated: "There are new gay bars being built up in Washington Heights and Harlem. Hynds and a number of local drag queens noted that because New York City no longer had a single, centralized gay scene, it was possible that Washington Heights would soon become a hotspot for that community. The local community board nevertheless approved the bar's application without much opposition, and the venue's soft opening on September 10, 2018, attracted a crowd of hundreds.
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Some locals expressed concern that Boxers WaHi's presence would make the area more attractive to businesses and drive up the cost of rent. Hynds stated that Boxers WaHi would be welcoming to all demographics, that it had hired a diverse staff, and that it would feature events appealing to different audiences. Ī September 2018 article in Instinct magazine questioned whether the bar's arrival would contribute to gentrification and displacement of the local Dominican community. Fluet and Hynds selected Washington Heights because the area was "increasingly popular among New York City's millennial and LGBTQ residents, yet known for businesses that service these groups". At that time, Boxers WaHi was the only gay bar in that neighborhood, which had been without such a venue since 2014. In March 2018, the chain was approved for a 15-year lease on a new location in Washington Heights it opened on September 14, 2018. Throughout the 2010s, the business expanded within New York City, including into Hell's Kitchen and the Upper East Side, as well as into Center City, Philadelphia. History īob Fluet and Rob Hynds founded the Boxers NYC chain in 2010, when they opened the brand's flagship venue in Chelsea, Manhattan. It also hosted a number of weekly events, including National Football League (NFL) game screenings, Latin nights, RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties, karaoke, urban nights, open mic events, and drag shows starring artists like Marti Gould Cummings. In addition to alcohol, it served a selection of bar food. Like other Boxers NYC venues, Boxers Washington Heights was a gay sports bar that featured male bartenders in red boxer shorts and female bartenders in athletic tops and red shorts.