{"id":1236,"date":"2026-06-04T20:10:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T20:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236"},"modified":"2026-06-04T20:10:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T20:10:45","slug":"summer-already-heating-up-in-the-hamptons-as-montauk-locals-challenge-hotelier-over-surf-lodge-rival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236","title":{"rendered":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A California hotelier is riding a wave of backlash in Montauk.<\/p>\n

Locals are petitioning the East Hampton Town Planning Board to stop construction of Este, a two-story restaurant with rooftop access, claiming developers pulled a bait-and-switch \u2014 submitting permit approvals for a \u201ccasual restaurant\u201d they fear will turn into a rowdy nightclub.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | The \u2018Bible Diet\u2019 is getting the weight-conscious holy, hot and healthy for summer 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEste restaurant was approved as a 39-seat cafe with 12 parking spaces. The rooftop venue has banquet tables, fire pits and lounge seating \u2026 that\u2019s not how a restaurant works,\u201d Laura Michaels commented in the Montauk Village Facebook group.<\/p>\n

But owner Marley Dominguez, who also runs the luxury seaside hotel Offshore Montauk just 50 feet away, exclusively told The Post the controversy has been stoked by rivals fearful that Este, slated to open next summer, will encroach on business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not until a competitor received this information that the false rumors started,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

The planning board approved Este as a 39-seat, two-story restaurant on Montauk Highway last November.<\/p>\n

However, a liquor license application, building permit application and private investor packet, all leaked to The East Hampton Press in April, suggest the space is intended for a larger crowd \u2014\u00a0sparking the petition distributed by anonymous locals on May 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can a venue claim a 450-person public assembly with only 39 seats and 12 parking spaces approved? This doesn\u2019t add up,\u201d the petition asks. \u201cIs this a restaurant or a nightclub? \u2026 we think the latter. Was the Planning Board duped?\u201d<\/p>\n

The petition continues: \u201cTwelve parking spaces cannot serve 450 persons. Twelve parking spaces cannot serve a rooftop event venue. Twelve parking spaces cannot support a multi-floor nightlife complex generating $7 million in annual food and beverage revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Dominguez told The Post: \u201cTwelve is inaccurate, it is 20 [parking spaces between Este and the hotel] and this is clearly noted on all applications and plans. This amount is well in line with a 39-seat restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that locals are confused about seating numbers. \u201cLike every restaurant throughout Montauk, New York and the US, occupancy and formal seats are two different numbers that are not related. Restaurant seat count is based on factors primarily focused on infrastructure. Occupancy count is based simply on the square footage of a property.<\/p>\n

\u201cA place like Gurney\u2019s [in Montauk] may have 100 formal dining seats but an occupancy of over 1,000 due to the large square footage. Same for Montauk Yacht Club, Mavericks and so on,\u201d he told The Post, referencing other hotspots. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Leaked investor documents show plans for the property to transform into a \u201clarge DJ venue\u201d similar to the area\u2019s Surf Lodge, a restaurant and live music venue that can host up to 450 people, according to The East Hampton Press. <\/p>\n

Dominguez claims the documents were leaked by a \u201cmajor investor in a competing property\u201d who misrepresented himself as a \u201cpotential investor\u201d in Este, with the goal of \u201ctrying to get us not to open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Billionaires\u2019 Row developer calls his luxury supertall a financial \u2018disaster\u2019 \u2014 weeks after its trophy penthouse was discreetly delisted<\/a><\/p>\n

He also insisted the documentation were merely a quick draft meant to account for private events such as weddings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ground floor is going to be a wide open co-working space \u2026 The second floor is the members\u2019 club, and the main dining area most of the day,\u201d he added. \u201cWe may have DJs or a band but we will close after sundown [unless for a private event]. It\u2019s not going to be an open-until-2 a.m. rager.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a hotel [property] first, and do not want noise to affect our guests who would be the most impacted by any noise. This is in stark contrast to what the petition would have you believe \u2014\u00a0that we are somehow increasing or misleading the intention.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday, Dominguez met with the East Hampton Town Planning Board to present his vision again \u2014\u00a0which, he told The Post, is similar to what the Surf Lodge was \u201c15 years ago, prior to the crowds, when it was a more casual, relaxed environment with \u2026 familiar local faces.\u201d <\/p>\n

TownPlanning Director Tina Vavilis LaGarenne told The Post in an email the board determined \u201ca modification is necessary to strictly bind the applicant to restaurant operations, consistent with both the original approval and applicable Town Code provisions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Patrick Derenze, a public information officer for the town of East Hampton, told The Post the Planning Board may yet determine further modifications are needed to Dominguez\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intent is to bind them to operating as a restaurant, and nothing else,\u201d Derenze told The Post via email.<\/p>\n

To appease the town, Dominguez decreased the approved square footage \u201cby hundreds of square feet,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have also decreased the size of the venue area on the second floor. This was not required, we did this to create more of an intimate experience for guests. We\u2019ll have people on the rooftop, but it\u2019s not going to be shoulder to shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The heated summer saga is similar to the battle that played out when East Hamptonites pushed back on Zero Bond owner Scott Sartiano exporting his city hotspot Sartiano\u2019s to the Hedges Inn in 2023.<\/p>\n

Locals told The Post at the time a letter from village administration was sent to neighbors urging them to call in noise complaints \u2014 sparking an all-out war. Sartiano\u2019s left the Hedges inn after about two months (one full summer season). <\/p>\n

Dominguez insists he is trying to be a good neighbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have spent over two years working through this project and have done everything that has been asked of us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will operate the restaurant exactly as we have always stated and the property will not be a nightclub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mamdani guru reportedly working with Graham Platner wanted to put his penis in creepy \u2018puberty guide\u2019 for 10-year-olds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hamptons locals are petitioning the East Hampton Town Planning Board to stop construction of Este, a two-story restaurant with rooftop access, claiming developers pulled a bait-and-switch \u2014 submitting permit approvals for a “casual restaurant” they fear will turn into a rowdy nightclub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nSummer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hamptons locals are petitioning the East Hampton Town Planning Board to stop construction of Este, a two-story restaurant with rooftop access, claiming developers pulled a bait-and-switch \u2014 submitting permit approvals for a "casual restaurant" they fear will turn into a rowdy nightclub.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236\"},\"wordCount\":999,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236\",\"name\":\"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=1236#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"Hamptons locals are petitioning the East Hampton Town Planning Board to stop construction of Este, a two-story restaurant with rooftop access, claiming developers pulled a bait-and-switch \u2014 submitting permit approvals for a \"casual restaurant\" they fear will turn into a rowdy nightclub.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival","datePublished":"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236"},"wordCount":999,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236","name":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-04T20:10:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/81e5e9f827b9804ada848c6edbb06108.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1236#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Summer already heating up in the Hamptons as Montauk locals challenge hotelier over Surf Lodge rival"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}