From maintaining up-to-date files to daily communication, Patrick Fioretti shares his secret to success as the General Manager of Treasure Club.
(NOTE: This story appears in the in the March 2025 issue of ED Magazine)
Patrick Fioretti’s journey into the adult nightclub industry spans decades and multiple cities, beginning in Orlando in the late ‘80s and eventually leading him to Myrtle Beach, where he now serves as General Manager of Joey Bien’s Treasure Club. Originally from New York, Fioretti moved to Florida for college and found his way into adult nightclub management a few years after graduation, working with major clubs across South Florida, including, among others, Michael J. Peter’s Dollhouse, Pure Platinum, Solid Gold, Nero’s and Circus Circus in the Orlando area.
In 1999, Fioretti left club management to start his own consulting firm, Executive Hospitality Management, specializing in opening new adult clubs. He built a reputation by successfully launching 10 new clubs and refining operations in existing others.
Now, under the leadership of Joey Bien, he oversees Treasure Club Myrtle Beach in one of the country’s most competitive club markets, navigating the challenges of a seasonal tourist town, nearby competition and maintaining a thriving team of entertainers and staff. In this interview with ED Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan, Fioretti shares insights into what makes a successful GM, the importance of communication and why structured operations are key to long-term success in the industry.
ED: So what’s it like working in Myrtle Beach? What challenges does that market present and how have you overcome them?
FIORETTI: Myrtle Beach is a tourist town. And with that, we do have a busy season. We also have about two or three really slow months. The main challenge is that we’re directly competing with two other gentlemen’s clubs within walking distance of the Treasure Club. So my daily goal is to make the Treasure Club the best it can be so that when people visit the area and choose the club, we make the experience so good for them that they will continue to come back. We know travelers go to all the different clubs, so we’ve got to do our best to keep them coming back to our place. Other than the off-season, working on in-house promotions and keeping the staff and entertainers happy and uplifted can be demanding. We meet those challenges head-on on a daily basis.
If you’ve been watching the news recently, you’ve seen ICE conducting raids nationwide. Knowing that Joey makes ICE documentation a priority and having all our bases covered in that regard is reassuring.
— Patrick Fioretti
ED: You’ve worked for several owners as well as for yourself. How is Joey different from other owners you’ve managed?
FIORETTI: I’ve worked for many owners over the years. Some of them had patience; a lot of them didn’t. A lot had experience in the industry; many had none, just a lot of money to open clubs. An additional challenge arises when, in addition to having to train hospitality staff, you also have to go ahead and train the owner in all the philosophies of our business. Joey owns four clubs. He’s a very successful businessman who runs a very clean operation. He has a nice corporate structure, but it’s not too stuffy. With Joey, there’s always an open line of communication; he’s always right there with anything that I need. There are many good owners across this country, but I feel a special ownership/GM relationship with Joey. He allows me to go ahead and operate the club, and he’s very open to anything the club or I need to succeed, and that’s really refreshing for me.
ED: Are there any qualities you’ve acquired or refined working with Joey that have helped you become a better GM?
FIORETTI: I’ve always been aware of all aspects of legal and business operations. Joey is a master of keeping all the files, the paperwork and the legalities straight and correct. It’s been quite refreshing to be able to look at the files, incident reports, chargebacks and our ICE and immigration documentation for all our entertainers, which is in line and maintained every week. So, as a GM, knowing that is a priority here is comforting. If you’ve been watching the news recently, you’ve seen ICE conducting raids nationwide. Knowing that Joey makes ICE documentation a priority and having all our bases covered in that regard is reassuring. That’s another area that has been different from an ownership standpoint, and it has opened my eyes to how important it is.
ED: You’re in a different situation than most clubs, with your entertainers being employees. How does this affect you in terms of managing? Does it make things easier or more complex, or both?
FIORETTI: While all gentlemen’s clubs face challenges, the difference between independent contractors and employee-entertainers stands out. With employees, we can manage scheduling and stage attire more effectively, making operations smoother. Although it requires more paperwork at the end of the night, it provides greater control and helps protect Joey from potential labor lawsuits.
The more stressful the situation is, the more you must try your best to be as calm as possible because there’s stress around every corner in this business.
— Patrick Fioretti
ED: If you had other GMs in a room and could share some advice with them, what would you like to tell them?
FIORETTI: I’ve always said, as a manager in this industry, you must do your best to maintain a line of communication with ownership and the executive team, whatever that may be. Joey’s paying me to go and take care of the club, but I text him daily to let him know anything important that may be happening so he’s up to speed. There are a lot of owners around the country who, unfortunately, maintain no routine communication with management. So, I’ve always said diplomacy goes a long way. And the way you communicate with the owner is quite essential. Also, you’ve got to learn to multitask and to have patience. The more stressful the situation is, the more you must try your best to be as calm as possible because there’s stress around every corner in this business. You will succeed if you have a little patience for all of this and communication with the ownership and your staff.
Larry Kaplan has been the legal correspondent for ED Magazine for 24 years. Mr. Kaplan is a broker in the sales and purchase of adult nightclubs and adult retail stores and the Executive Director of the ACE of Michigan adult nightclub state trade association. Contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or larry@kaplanclubsales.com.
