Breakfast Clubbing #44
W/C 2.24.25. Breakfast is served in PDX, MIA, Hamptons, Wmsburg, CDMX, SF, DTBK, Manhattan, DC, Cincy, & SOMa
Hi all.
We had a record (I think, anyway) EIGHTEEN breakfast gatherings last week.
In fifteen cities.
Across four continents.
This little miracle is turning into something big.
So I know I’m speaking for my co-hosts all over the world when I say that we’re grateful to all of you reading, sharing and especially attending Breakfast Clubs wherever you are.
There’s a lot to get through below but the gist is the same everyplace: it’s yours. So make something cool with it!
See you for breakfast. If not this week, another one soon.
Ben
The Breakfast Club Esprit de Corps:
* Everyone’s invited - especially you.
* Feel free to share, bring friends, colleagues, family, anyone.
* No agenda, no required buy-in, no need to RSVP. And no pitches.
* Everyone pays their own way.
* Everyone is welcome to subscribe.
Join the Linkedin group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14449223/Breakfast Club Editions Around the World (cities added regularly):
Weekly:
Portland, OR [Tuesday]
Mexico City [Wednesday]
Williamsburg Brooklyn [Wednesday]
Miami [Wednesday]
The Hamptons [Wednesday]
San Francisco [Wednesday]
Downtown Brooklyn [Thursdays]
Manhattan [Thursdays]
SOMa, NJ [Fridays] Bi-Weekly:
Washington, DC [Thursdays]
Melbourne [Fridays, alternating between Fitzroy and Victoria]
Amsterdam [Fridays, alternating between locations East and West)
Monthly:
Barcelona[First Wednesdays]
London[First Thursday]
LA (West):[Second Fridays]
Berlin
Ibiza
Vienna
Paris
Milan
Lugano
Philadelphia
Boston
Portland, Maine
Burlington, VT
Panama City
SeattleBreakfast Club This Week:
PDX, MIA, Hamptons, Wmsburg, CDMX, SF, DTBK, Manhattan, DC, Cincy, & SOMa
Tuesday, February 25th
Portland, OR
Co-hosted by Nina Sers
9a @ Proud Mary
Wednesday, February 26th
Miami
Co-Hosted by Jeff Carvalho and Jesse Kirshbaum
8:30a @ Novella Cafe Social
Brooklyn (Williamsburg)
Hosted by me and a gang of regulars
8:30a @ Le Crocodile at The Wythe Hotel
The Hamptons
Co-hosted by Mike Kilcoyne
8:30a @ Tutto Cafe
Mexico City
Co-Hosted by Steve Bryant
8:30am @ Mendl
San Francisco
Co-Hosted by Eve Lewis and Chris M. Gillespie
8:30am @ Terreene in the 1 Hotel
Thursday, Feb 27th
Washington DC
Co-Hosted by Michael Hastings-Black
8:30a @ Tryst Cafe
Downtown Brooklyn
Co-Hosted by Kat Popiel, Marina Garcia-Vasquez and Lynn Juang
8:30am @ Ace Hotel Brooklyn (Lobby)
Manhattan
Co-Hosted by Heidi Hartwig
9am @ Eva’s Kitchen on Grand
Cincinnati
Co-Hosted by Theo Erasmus and Emmit Jones
8:30am @ Mom and Em Coffee
Friday, Feb 28th
New Jersey (SOMa)
Co-Hosted by James Friedman and Evie Bear
9:15a @ Arties
Upcoming Breakfast Club Events
3.4: Portland OR, Boulder3.5: Barcelona, Miami, Hamptons, Williamsburg, CDMX, SF 3.6: Downtown Brooklyn, Manhattan, Seattle3.7: SOMa (New Jersey)3.14: Amsterdam3.21: Los Angeles (West Side) 4.3: Portland, MEBreakfast Club Event Recaps [Last Week]:
[Milan, Philly, Wmsburg, Miami, Hamptons, CDMX, SF, Vienna, Paris, Portland ME, DTBK, Manhattan, Cincy, Melbourne, London, SOMa, Panama & LA (West)]
Breakfast Club Milan Report 2.19.25
Per Charla’s Post: Yesterday morning, more than 50 people gathered at the Occhio GmbH space in Milan. The coffee was abundant, and the atmosphere was buzzing with conversation.
Discussions centred around several topics. First, there’s speculation about Prada Group potentially acquiring Versace, with many believing this could be a beneficial move, as Versace needs renewed energy and a reestablishment with a domestic group. On the other hand, there’s the situation with Gucci, which has experienced a noticeable decline. The question of whether Kering can revive Gucci remains a mystery.
Additionally, there’s excitement around an online wine club based in Bergamo, Winefully.com, and the opening of the Sabine Delafon exhibition in Milan. The MEGA art fair is generating buzz due to its innovative approach to art exhibitions.
Recurring themes in conversations include coaching, mediation, and the importance of clearing the space mentally before meetings, along with discussions about AI, the job market's potential recovery, and the ever-present influence of Trump on life in Europe.
Other points of interest include the Salone di Mobile and the distinctive qualities that differentiate outerwear brands like Canada Goose from Patagonia and Arc'teryx, which sparked lively product discussions. We also discussed the "comparative analysis" of Italian trap music against the global scene, with a consensus that the rest of the world is far better at trap than the Italians. Sorry Italy.
On the entertainment front, Apple TV has made a notable comeback with series like "Severance," "Silo," and "Shrinking."
The Breakfast Club remains a popular subject, especially among newcomers who appreciate its simplicity and inclusivity and the approach of hosting BC in venues that embody art, design, creativity, culture, and communication.
Stay tuned on the following channels for BC's happenings around the globe 🌐
https://lnkd.in/eJZpdZDp
https://lnkd.in/dqMq6mWh
https://lnkd.in/eurjBVPF
Just a reminder: There's no agenda. No RSVP is necessary. No pitching.
And everyone's invited. Especially you.
Ben Dietz Giorgio Bartoli Sofija Nikolic Lisa Russ Moritz Gaudlitz
Breakfast Club Philly Report 2.19.25
Per Julie’s Post: Philadelphia Breakfast Club is so back! Today we had record attendance, including Nina Korsh, Eric Korsh, Sadie Mendlow, Ted Passon, @alison macrina, Abigail Bruley, Sarah Haman, Brian Adoff, and Kelley Garrard. Topics discussed included whether it's better to be a non-profit museum or for-profit, Eric's iconic vintage Eagles letterman's jacket, the Philly punk scene (OFC), documentaries about disabilities, two guests at two different companies named Scout, a fart museum ( 😳 ), incarceration/penal volunteering (someone coined "punk to monk"), "car flip guy" stories and more. Special shout to Kristina Dechter, who documented it!
Breakfast Club Classic / Williamsburg Report 2.19.25
Per my post: Breakfast Club Classic (Wmsburg) Report 2.19.25:
At my end on this frrrreeeeezing morning we talked Traveling West, hashtag#CampCultivate, quarterly retreats, moving studios, finally getting cleaned up, getting fully outfitted by work, Carhartt WIP (Work In Progress), the next workwear wave, Tough Duck, free beanie with purchase, coming to BC for the first time from Miami, 8:30a feeling different in Florida, On Air Fest, the new Brooklyn Industries being from Turkey, dry cleaner repairs, operating under new ownership, brand values over time, employee education, products that sell themselves, retail development in Williamsburg, store shipping from Manhattan to Brooklyn, maintaining separate inventories in store and online, POS systems, Shopify, BIRKENSTOCK, puppy dog eyes, NPS scores, Patreon, creators relationship with fans, independent media sustainability, doing my little vegan thing, ordering off menu, dialing back on alcohol, A24 membership, new content franchise generation, e-commerce tactics, developing a record label inside a studio, moving away from NYC because of the Weather, Starface World and Overdrive, podcast networks and networking, Arc'teryx Equipment targeting the 65+ audience, hipster boomers, trying not to be creepy around muffins, the internal machinations within Supreme, disposition: superposition = zen, the TV series "Prime Target," "Anora," "American Fiction," taking a marketing approach to physical retail and lots more
It was me, Dan Barman, Sami Abdou, Stephanie Alexis Smellie, Ariel Abramov, Zaira Stefani Vallejo, Leann Abad, Paul Greenberg, Nick Bodor, Jenny Montgomery, Nikolai Berger Ian Edgar, Zachary Mallard, Julie Stein and Xavi Portillo
We do this every Wednesday from 8:30am at Le Crocodile Restaurant. Everyone pays their own way. And Everyone's Invited. Especially you.
BC on Linkedin: https://lnkd.in/eHAWrG6n
BC on IG: http//https://lnkd.in/eXPFTKTA
Breakfast Club Hamptons Report 2.19.25
Per Mike’s Whats App: “I think we covered like the entire spectrum of peeps in EH”
Breakfast Club CDMX Report 2.19.25
Per Steve’s WhatsApp DM: mini BC in CDMX this week with a friend of @~Kevin
Breakfast Club Vienna Report 2.20.25
Per Carla’s post: ☕ Breakfast Club Vienna - February edition 🥐
Many first participants today.
It was lovely to start the day in such good company and talk about the most random topics like finding joy in your work, tiger sanctuaries in the Netherlands (yes), the Culture Connectors, the small world of the Viennese creative industry, local tourism and destination management, owning a dog in Vienna, Andrew Hubermann, whatever happened to the whale from Free Willy (Rita Cidre please link the podcast in comments when you get a chance) and so much more.
Thank you for the great conversations Astrid Reiter, Nicole Grierson, M.A. Anna Lena Wagner, Patrik Suenwoldt, Christine Kipke, Rita Cidre, Kathrin Schulz-Bacon and Linda Poláková.
The Breakfast Club will be back in Vienna in March, but it's happening in many places around the world, so if you can't make the Vienna one, check for other events here https://lnkd.in/dexRi2fy
Everyone's invited, especially you. Thanks Ben Dietz for creating this awesome concept.
Laura M. Pana you were missed today, get well soon
Breakfast Club Paris Report 2.20.25
Per Karla’s Post: I truly enjoy a brain-picking gathering! 🧠⚡️Even more so when it is surrounded by people from diverse backgrounds.
The 6th edition of the Paris Chapter of the hashtag#BreakfastClub 🇫🇷☕️🥐was an exciting open-table event—without an agenda—bringing together great people from the worlds of luxury, marketing, human rights, tech, art direction, craftsmanship, and cultural entrepreneurship.
We engaged in a passionate discussion about the dichotomy between authentic artistic work and creating to fuel social media algorithms. We explored how these showcases (if used strategically) can help weave the career of your dreams and achieve your goals. We also delved into the geopolitics of AI regulations and how frameworks can safeguard vulnerable communities in a rapidly changing world.
Finally, we celebrated the beauty of gathering and exchanging ideas IRL with people who are willing to step out of their comfort zones to share laughter, doubts, fears, and a great cup of coffee. After all, building community is a true modern life luxury.
Today📍 CULT Café we had the pleasure of bringing together a multicultural and multidisciplinary crowd: Elina Castillo Jiménez, Jeffrey Bissoy, Jennifer Boyd, Aroa Hernández, Sarah Garcia Delporte and Lisa Ono
Looking forward for the next one ☕️⚡️ stay tuned for March dates 📅🤩 as Ben Dietz says: everyone is welcome, especially you 💌
Breakfast Club Portland ME Report 2.20.25
Per Lydia’s post: We had a small and mighty Breakfast Club today here in snowy Portland, Maine.
Topics included:
- The joys and woes of job searching (and congrats to one of us who just accepted a new role!)
- Seeing the Hearts of Pine soccer team practice and getting oh-so-excited for their debut in a month's time
- Inadvertent mistakes in ad campaigns
- The brilliant connections you make in a small state like Maine
- Circus Tents 😉
- Skiing and what under-the-radar spots we should be trying
Thanks for joining David Goldberg, Jim Hauptman, Jenna Klein Jonsson, and Jess Proctor
You were missed Michele Martin!
See you April 3rd at Salt Yard for our next edition!
Breakfast Club Downtown Brooklyn Report 2.20.25
Per Lynn’s Post: 2/20/25 Breakfast Club Downtown BK, dead of winter edition 🥶 Cold temps outside, wonderfully warm convos inside, including: digital communication vs. IRL community; life in the Rockaways; so many tech tools (CRM, biz ops, etc.) yet so little actual efficacy; how to catalog everything from magazines to contacts; the Telepathy Tapes podcast; what will happen to the downtown BK Macy's building; how to innovate retail spaces for TikTok businesses; and perhaps most importantly, dinner parties featuring BYOB tasting flights (Bring Your Own Bread). 🥖
Thanks to today's crew Ebenezer Bond Michael Barth Tracy Georgiou Cara Cannella Jenny Gottstein Jose Mejia Bridget Russo, my co-host Kat Popiel (and Marina Garcia-Vasquez, there in spirit!) and our intrepid leader Ben Dietz - so good to finally meet you in person!
Come find us at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn lobby every Thursday at 8:30am. No agenda, no pitching, no guest list. And everyone's invited, especially you 🫵🏼. (Is this emoji too aggressive? It's meant to be inviting 😆 )
Breakfast Club Manhattan Report 2.20.25
Per Heidi’s Post: Another fun Breakfast Club Manhattan styles! A wild mix of New Yorkers from all walks of life as I expect nothing less from the Big Apple itself!
Recap convo's
-Duran Duran’s Mohegan Sun performance and if Simon Le Bon still a heart throb at 65+
-$10K film grant flyer made the rounds—New Yorkers get your film off the ground! This grant honors our late friend Shawn Regruto, so apply for 10k at https://lnkd.in/enyiuaeH.
-Karaoke's most-sung songs on cruise ships talent shows—Whitney’s I Will Always Love You, Piano Man, and Sinatra’s My Way-which is linked to a spree of killings in Filipino karaoke bars. Look up "My Way Killings Philippines"
-Tempeh the OG fake meat pre Beyond is super easy to grow.
-New singer/artist rec: Hayden.
-Bushwick’s 24-hour party zone, and our
Breakfast Club singer, Michael from @neverhomenyc has a show tonight a few of us are rolling through! See you next Thursday at Breakfastclub all are welcome especially you! -FFNY
All the convo I can recall, missed getting names. But we got a scribble going
See you next Thursday at Breakfast Club. All are welcome—especially you. CeCe Chin Henry Lee Alex Corporan Randy Scott Slavin Nick Bodor Matt Lenski Jonathan Schenk missing a couple names! Gonna get!
Breakfast Club Melbourne Report 2.21.25
Per Steph’s post: Breakfast Club Melbourne (Richmond edition) kicked off again this morning with our first catch up for 2025.
Nice mix of repeat offenders and new faces this month, and conversations that included….
The highs and lows of writing, self-starting, remembering names, what makes a Penelope, mouth grime of turmeric lattes, the frustrating female experience of using things designed by men, the rort of the NYT bestseller list, ‘catch up’ friends, matchmaking over breakfast, that blind dates are better than dating app dates, how strange it feels talking about creativity on LinkedIn, dream life structures, dream client partnerships, deciding to do something new in a high stakes situation, the joy of riding a bike around windy roads, when big investments don’t pay off, an annual challenge of keeping all your plants alive, neurotic WhatsApp groups, secret Bunnings plant swap, when trips aren’t relaxing, quantifying your life.
🍳 Back on 21 March for Richmond, and 7 March in Fitzroy with Celeste and Josh (give them a follow for details).
Penelope Barr, Adam Murray, Edel Madden, Jess Price, Megan Davis, Anika Nafis, Caitlin Guilfoyle
Breakfast Club London Report 2.21.25
Per Amy’s What’sApp DM: Waving your way from London!
Breakfast Club SOMa Report 2.21.25
per James’s Post: Breakfast Club SOMa was great this week.
A strong crew of regular attendees and a couple new faces around a table at Artie's in Maplewood. Among many other things, we touched on teaching yourself how to paint watercolors, the dangers of hot yoga, group chats, renaming neighborhoods to change the vibe, nerds and their roleplaying games, polyamory, poetry, turkish food vs. italian food, rick ruben, fairy smut, and good attention vs. bad attention
shouts to Shauna Little richard chang Ken Stanek Mason Hedgecoth
we're back next week and everyone is invited. especially you.
Breakfast Club Panama City Report 2.21.25
Per Karla’s What’sApp DM: Greetings from The Panama City breakfast club ! 🇵🇦⚡️☕️
Breakfast Club LA (Westside) Report 2.21.25
Per Anita’s What’sApp DM: “West side LA keeps giving with a huge turnout. I talked about accents and how they set at 13, secret places to get whisky flights, and the fragmentation of music sourcing for film and advertising.
I’m sure Kirsten and Scott had whole other conversation vectors!”
And per Scott’s post: Breakfast Club LA is in the books for February with more than 30 people coming together on this gorgeously sunny morning for coffee & community. Grateful for my co-hosts Kirsten Ludwig and Anita Schillhorn van Veen and our spiritual leader Ben Dietz. Mostly, grateful for all of you who bring this to life just by showing up.
Next outing is planned for Friday, March 21, 8:30 am at the fabulous zinqué venice. Everyone is invited, especially you.
BREAKFAST CLUBBING #44
