New High Tech Bar is for Members Only — and You’ll Need a Special App to Get In

Among the trendy restaurants at Trinity Groves, one spot in particular stands out. Network Bar isn’t your average watering hole. For starters, it’s a members-only club, and the doors only open for those who have the Network Bar app on their phone.

More importantly though, it’s a place specifically designed for mixing business and pleasure. The high-tech bar is a hub for making professional connections, conducting meetings, and doing work.

Conceptualized by entrepreneur Phil Romano, who also founded restaurant incubator Trinity Groves, Network Bar is a new kind of gathering place for the modern business person. As he told PaperCity in September, “Men don’t come in chasing women, women don’t come in chasing men. Men and women come in chasing business deals.”

The aforementioned app is the driving force behind Network Bar. The app allows members to see other members’ profiles – including information like their professional experience, education and interests – and even shows which members are currently at the bar. Members can then connect with other members to get additional information – it’s like exchanging business cards. To join the exclusive network, you must be recommended by a current member.

“You walk into a bar and no one is a stranger anymore,” says general manager Gerardo Munguia. “We believe that we have created the proper tools to make sure that our members become better at networking, meeting, connecting and growing their skill sets.”

The bar hosts frequent lectures and educational events. There is also a mentorship program through the app, where experienced professionals can give guidance and advice to younger members.

In addition to the bar and dining room, there are meeting areas, conference rooms and work spaces. The bar is decked out in furnishings from Restoration Hardware and the largest single collection of David Yarrow photographs in the United States. Leather armchairs and fireplaces give it an old-school feel – but don’t be fooled – Network Bar is steeped in modern tech more than tradition.