New reservations-only bar in downtown Las Vegas focused on making customers feel appreciated

Ryan Doherty remembers the first time he heard the word “sleek.”

It was one of the words his dad used to describe their family’s pet Doberman pinscher, in addition to “dangerous” and “sweet,” when Doherty was just 6 years old. His childhood self was struck by the illustration, Doherty said, and he told everyone who would listen that his dog was “sleek.”

Years later, that conversation has inspired Doherty’s latest business venture: a dangerous, sweet — and, yes, sleek — bar in the Las Vegas Arts District, called Doberman.

“When we were getting into the design of this new bar, I kept saying those words over and over again for some reason,” he said. “There’s a lot of black and brown woods in this design. I kept saying I wanted the bar to be sleek, but still feel downtown. I don’t know why I kept saying, ‘It should feel a little bit downtown, a little dangerous, but we don’t want to be too fancy.’ ”

Doberman is the first foray into the Arts District for Corner Bar Management, which Doherty founded more than a decade ago. The company operates nine venues in the Fremont East District, including Cheapshot and Park on Fremont, offering a variety of cocktails, craft beer, food and entertainment.

Its latest social club will be a “premium cocktail bar,” Doherty said, more focused on socializing than the group’s other concepts that are driven by dancing or DJs. He compared Doberman to the Laundry Room, Corner Bar Management’s speakeasy located inside the Commonwealth, saying it will also have an “ambitious level of mixology.”

Whereas the Laundry Room can only host 22 people, however, Doherty said the 3,400-square-foot Doberman will be able to host closer to 10 times that amount.

Doberman will also be a reservation-only bar. There will be a membership option for regulars, Doherty said, though he emphasized that anyone, including nonmembers, can still make a reservation.

“The reason that there’s memberships for Doberman is not to exclude anyone, or be this elitist atmosphere,” Doherty said. “It’s really just — if you’re a great customer of ours, and you want to be able to show up without a reservation or get a reservation that night, we certainly will have tables held aside for people who are members. That’s really what it came down to.”

One of the lessons he’s learned over the years is that Corner Bar Management has a customer base of regulars who want to be guaranteed a seat, Doherty said, which is difficult at a venue like the Laundry Room — where tables are sold out weeks in advance and people are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Doberman will seek to reconcile that.

“We have a clientele that is definitely more focused on having a conversation with their friends and being part of an atmosphere that lends itself to that, and not so much being in a loud nightlife venue,” Doherty said. “Doberman will provide that. … We want it to feel like you’re in your friend’s living room drinking.”

While Doberman is also a “bar for everybody,” there will be members-only nights or other events for members, which Doherty said he believes is important to provide for people spending money on a membership.

“That’s mostly for us to do something special,” he said. “Everything from opening the last case of a certain wine that’s in town to tapping the very first keg of a certain beer that’s coming to town or just came to town, and stuff like that.”

Aspiring members of Doberman can join the waitlist by filling out a form online that asks questions like, “What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned in life?” and “What conspiracy theory do you secretly believe?”

A lot of Corner Bar Management’s original clientele has “aged out” of East Fremont, he said, and Doberman in the Arts District will be more of a seated cocktail bar, with light bites and a social atmosphere.

A lot of restaurants have been unbelievably successful on Main Street in the Arts District, Doherty said, and he wants Doberman to be a place for people to go to after dinner.

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz said she’s ecstatic that Doherty is bringing Doberman to the Arts District, especially considering how Corner Bar Management has established itself as a successful operator on Fremont East.

“There’s so many eccentric, eclectic, unique and different offerings of the Arts District that continue to pop up,” she said. “And I’m sure that the Doberman will offer locals and visitors alike another spot to hang out, decompress, have a good time — and also come down to our fabulous downtown and see the growth and the renaissance that it’s undergoing.”

The city has worked hard and intentionally to provide the infrastructure necessary for small businesses to thrive in the Arts District, Diaz said, pointing to parking and utility upgrades as just a few examples.

“So we’re just very, very excited that small businesses do make the leap of faith,” she said. “I know how much it takes to open and operate your own business, and we’re just grateful for the vision and the investment in the Arts District.”

Doherty recommended Doberman for anyone looking for a downtown cocktail bar that feels like drinking at home with friends or family.

“This is the place for you,” he said. “It’s a really comfortable place to come extend your night, have a cocktail, have a chinwag — just have some fun with your friends, and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out at a typical nightlife venue.”

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