Jay-Z and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin hosted an invite-only pop-up of the reimagined 40/40 Club this past weekend at Fanatics Fest NYC.
The newest version of the mogul’s famed sports bar — expected to reopen some time in 2025 — will have the Fanatics Sportsbook integrated, allowing customers to place live bets as they’re inside watching games.
The 40/40 Club has been closed since August of 2023, but Memphis Bleek told TMZ that the sports bar is “coming back bigger, stronger than ever.” In a recent exclusive interview with Us Weekly, vice president of operations Sheldon Robinson confirmed a comeback, telling the outlet, “It’s always been the plan to open a new spot. Finding the right location that makes sense to the brand is key, and that takes some time. We’ve narrowed it down to our last few choices and now we’re in the negotiation phase.” Adding, “Hopefully by the end of this year we’ll have a lease signed and we can break ground. The idea is that we’ll have a club in 2025.”
Robinson also revealed that Jigga has been very involved in the process and has been to meetings and checked out potential sites. “Jay definitely wants to keep it as part of his legacy,” he said. “It just shows, whether it’s a young entrepreneur or just people that work around him, that when you envision something or dream something, you can make it happen. He’s a living testament to that.”
And he promised that they plan on keeping some of the same things that made the club unique in the first place, just with an updated vision. “You’re going to feel like you’re walking into the club, a renewed version of it” Robinson explained. “Similar feel, similar texture. Seeing the cool jerseys walking down our Hall of Fame wall like we had on the second floor. Seeing the champagne tower above the main bar. The gigantic screens, as well. We’ll have all the same touches that people grew used to in the old club.”
He concluded the interview by saying, “It is all the reasons that Jay and his partners originally opened the club. They wanted to create an environment where guests have this sense of luxury, good service, good food, while watching their favorite sports team play, and also listening to their favorite artists. It’s combining sports and music… and we’re gonna remain consistent.”
