How the Owner of a Nightclub and a Roller Rink Spends His Sundays

New York Times

22-03-2025

Varun Kataria wore many hats before he became a nightclub owner.
'I took a vow of unemployment at the age of 23,' Mr. Kataria, 41, said. 'So I never had, like, a proper job since then.'
He once owned a music studio in Minneapolis, where he was born and raised. He has taken travelers on what he playfully calls 'Eat, Pray, Love' tours of India with his mother. He also studied law. 'I'm not sure that it was time well spent, although I don't regret it,' Mr. Kataria said.
He later moved to New York and, in 2019, opened three businesses in the Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn: the Turk's Inn, a restaurant modeled after a Wisconsin eatery Mr. Kataria used to visit as a teenager; Doner Kebab, a kiosk; and the Sultan Room, a nightclub and music venue with a rooftop. All of them are interconnected, allowing guests to weave their way through the spaces.
After the coronavirus pandemic upended the city's nightlife, Mr. Kataria said he was inspired to open a business that would emphasize 'connection and fostering joy, to almost correct the impact that the pandemic had.'
Last year, he unveiled Xanadu, a roller rink that hosts skate sessions, concerts and dance parties. 'Skating is the most intergenerational, intercultural activity that I can think of,' Mr. Kataria said.
The early part of his Sundays is set aside for a spiritual and creative refresh. 'Every other day I have to get up and run,' he said. 'So all the stuff that I like to do, all the things that I would do if I had plenty of time on my hands, I sort of jam into a Sunday.'
Mr. Kataria lives in a studio apartment in Bushwick with his Russian Toy terrier, Mushroom.
SLOW START My routine depends on what happened on Saturday. If I'm going out dancing into the wee hours, my Sunday might start a little later than normal. I'll either wake up around 9 a.m. or around 2 p.m.
MORNING PAGES There's a book that my therapist recommended. I didn't read it, but I did read the first chapter on this practice called morning pages. It's meant to get you connected with your creativity. I'll sit down and free associate, either with writing or with doodles. I might sketch shapes that relate to an interior or a table. It was pushed on me by my therapist, to wake up, make tea and create a soft, uninterrupted moment for myself.
DUTY CALLS After that, I have to take the dog out. I like to walk him through Maria Hernandez Park. I also take that opportunity to buy groceries.
I'll usually do a little meal prepping. I recently was taught how to make kichri by my mom and grandma. That's an Indian rice and lentil porridge. It's easy to make a large batch of it and eat that for the week.
I also like to do food experiments. It might be ideas that I want to work on and develop before bringing them to our chef at the Turk's Inn. I recently made a Turkish French onion soup where I used sumac and oregano.
FREE FLOW I studied multiple forms of percussion and I'm a multi-instrumentalist, so I'll sit down and give some focus to any one instrument. I have flutes. I have different drums from different percussive traditions. I just got myself a little recording setup, so Sundays are my day to practice that and try recording some things. Then it's time to suit up and go out.
SCHVITZ AND SOCIALIZE I will frequently meet a spa buddy, and we'll go to Bathhouse in Williamsburg or Spa 88 on Wall Street and we'll do a little afternoon schvitz. I will often also go visit a friend's studio, or do some kind of social outing but with a creative bend to it.
SHOP LOCAL There's a local fashion boutique called Vers. It's all queer, gender-fluid clothing. I would say a good chunk of my closet comes from their shop. It's right around the corner from Xanadu, so I usually pop in there on my way into work. It's really cool.
MAKE THE ROUNDS I live a block and a half from where I work. I'm always flowing through my spaces, and I think that's the benefit of proximity. My move is always to do a loop, take the temperature of each space. Is it busy? Is it slow? Does staff seem happy? Do they seem stressed out? I'll try to ascertain all that information as quickly as possible. If the restaurant's going really well, I'll pop into the Sultan Room. If there's a show underway, I'll enjoy the show and check in with staff. Once I feel like I have a good sense of it, I'll move on.
HOLD UP There are from time to time things that happen in any given space that might anchor me there. If I'm a big fan of an artist in particular or I run into someone that I know, that can hunker me down. I'll want to think about whether I want to start or finish at Xanadu because once I get there, the skates go on. And once the skates are on, they kind of want to stay on for a little while.
These are living spaces that are constantly in motion. There's always some kind of project, whether it's, 'Hey, it's getting cold, let's add a weather vestibule out front' or 'Hey, that speaker's blown, let's replace it.' I don't think it ever really stops.
NIGHTTIME STROLL I like hanging out at the Turk's Inn, the Sultan Room and Xanadu until 10 or 11 p.m. Then I'll pop back home and make a list of key priorities for the week, so I don't have to carry those thoughts to bed with me.
Then it's basically just Mushroom time. I finish every day, no matter what time I get home, with a walk. We'll do a lap around a few blocks before we officially call it bedtime. It's a forced contemplation. These walks are great times to reflect on whatever comes before or after.