NYC’s most anticipated bar opening has been delayed and turned into a DIY project — with the help of AI
NY Post
It’s the bar that AI built.
When the internationally renowned mixologists concocting New York City’s most anticipated bar, Schmuck, were run dry by their contractors, they opted for an unorthodox approach: They went from craft cocktail masters to craftsmen and built the East Village watering hole themselves — with the help of ChatGPT.
Moe Aljaff, 34, and Juliette Larrouy, 30, set aside their shakers, strainers, bar spoons and glassware, picked up their toolboxes — and set off sawing wood to build elevated seating sections, drilling the ceiling in place, installing tiling and tinkering with water filtration systems.
“In order for us to try to fulfill the vision and really make it the place that we wanted to make it, we’re like, ‘OK, screw it. We’ll do this ourselves and we’ll just try to get it done,’ ” Aljaff said, looking back at the moment the team decided to roll up their sleeves and take on the DIY project which cost more — both money and muscle — than they typically expend behind the bar.
In a sign of their dedication, Aljaff even went into 2025 with just $10 and change in his checking account.
The duo was the talk of the town last summer after hosting a packed pop-up in Midtown and a who’s-who cocktail party at Overstory in the Financial District, all to stir up excitement for their new bar opening in August at 97 First Ave.
