Demolition crews had Thomas Street blocked off yesterday, since they were filling a dumpster at 62 Thomas, the former home of Buddha-Bar. Then J. caught an Instagram post for The Thomas, which describes itself as a restaurant and supper club, opening in January.

Clearly more to come if and when they reply to my email. “The concept is inspired by the glamour of the great New York supper clubs, combining elevated classic American dining with live music and theatrical entertainment in a beautifully designed Art Deco setting,” owner Brandon Voss said in an email.

The venue will have two distinct experiences. Upstairs is a more traditional restaurant and cocktail lounge, while downstairs is the showroom, or Supper Club, where guests can have dinner with a performance — live bands, vocalists and specialty performances. The room then transitions late night into a more theatrical experience with ticketed performances. “The focus is on seated dining and entertainment rather than a traditional nightclub experience,” Brandon said.

Supper club rendering

Buddha-Bar was pretty short lived, given the massive investment in the space (and they never paid me for advertising!) — running from 2021 to July 2025. The concept was five years in the making there; they first pitched to Community Board 1 in 2016. They went out with a whimper, taking reservations after another concept had applied for the liquor license. When they opened with a whole steamed crab on the menu for $600, one commenter called it a “Zoolander-level of silliness.”

Megu was in the space from 2004 to 2014.

In November 2025, CB1 approved — with a lot of caveats — a restaurant for the space from Voss Events NYC LLC dba Erte — that was Brandon’s presentation. At the time he was planning a full service, reservation-only restaurant, with dinner theatre and immersive decor for holiday and themed events and a theater in the cellar; this is similar but with a new name.

All in, there is 9897 square feet with a maximum capacity of 527 people, as we learned at the CB1 presentation, thoug The Thomas says it will have dining for 280.

More TK, of course, as things take shape.

The space when it was Buddha-Bar