it’s not just ambiance. it’s foreplay.
I created Do Not Disturb to be more than a cocktail bar or restaurant —I wanted to build a sensory sanctuary. A place to let go, indulge, and feel held. Like slipping that sign onto your hotel door or switching your phone to silent, walking into Do Not Disturb is a decision: to disconnect from the noise and reconnect with yourself—and each other.
This space was born from my love of hosting—and my belief that true hospitality is about more than great food and drinks or stylish decor. It isn’t transactional—it’s a ritual. It’s the sacred act of making someone feel like they belong, it’s about how people feel in your presence. I’ve spent over two decades behind the bar—refining my craft, building community, and earning the trust of regulars across the West Village. Do Not Disturb is the culmination of those years: a love letter to the art of service.
As a black man, I’ve often felt the quiet weight of being “other” —attuned to spaces where I was welcomed, and those where access and opportunity didn’t come easy. I built an answer to that: a space rooted in belonging, unmistakably inclusive, designed to welcome everyone with warmth and intention.
Music runs through my veins. Before I ever mixed a cocktail, I was touring across Europe and North America with my bands, living by rhythm and resonance. That musical spirit lives on in Do Not Disturb—from the genre-bending playlists that score our nights and tell stories, to the way the atmosphere shifts with each beat. Sound is one of our most sacred design elements.
Not just music, every element of Do Not Disturb is designed to awaken the senses— Our culinary director’s aphrodisiac-inspired dishes don’t whisper they moan. Pleasure is plated with intent. Cocktails are crafted to seduce —each pour is a cheeky, deliberate flirtation between spirit and alchemy, made to be savored.
Bathed in candlelight, our space glows like the inside of a secret. Velvet tones and low light flattering every sin. The ceilings blush—reflecting the delicious audacity of being watched. Slow down, sink in, it’s foreplay,
This is the house I built. Step inside, hang the sign on the door, and allow yourself to be nowhere else but here.
Love,
Daud Sturdivant | Owner