C.L.A.S.S. Steakhouse Soiree, located in Hollywood, Florida, held its first nude dining event several months ago and has since drawn national headlines.
Owner and chef Maurad Ali traces the concept back to an unexpected moment when a nudist group privately rented the space and dined without clothing.
"Once the event was finished, my idea said, 'Let's do it ourselves,'" Ali said, according to NBC Miami. He framed the decision as a survival strategy in a crowded industry: "Everyone has a New York strip, everyone has a ribeye, everyone has cool dishes. We have to be different."
The dinners are held on the first Monday of every month. Tickets run $250 for men, $150 for women, and $300 for couples. The evening includes a five-course prix fixe meal with appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, a surf-and-turf centerpiece, and a champagne toast. The August menu featured filet mignon, Florida lobster tail, vegetable spring rolls, truffle mac and cheese, French-style mashed potatoes, and beignets with ice cream. Per the event’s invitation, vegan options are available.
The restaurant blacks out its windows for each event, provides sanitized leather seat cushions, and offers guests both robes and lap towels. Most guests decline the robes. All staff remains fully clothed throughout the evening, and Ali describes the atmosphere as strictly professional with no physical contact between guests.
"I'm the chef and owner, my crew, we are all professionals," he told a local news station.
Ali has been clear that the food is the main event, not the nudity.
"You'd think [with] a concept as risqué as this that the main attraction is nakedness, but for us it's the food. We want people to feel fancy and have themselves an upscale meal," he said. His pitch to skeptics: "This is not your grandpa's steakhouse; this is Chef Ali's experience for people who want to do something different. The goal is to survive in this economy."
Hostess Tashaeba Hart, who sells tickets and gives the restaurant a cut of the proceeds, said her own participation helps set guests at ease. "Once you walk through the door, I'll most likely be nude, no clothes on, so when you come in, you do feel more comfortable," she told Miami New Times.
The next dinner runs Sept. 7 from 7 to 10 p.m.
