The Groucho Club is a well-known private arts and media club in Dean Street, Soho, London, England that opened in 1985 as "the antidote to the traditional club." In this spirit, the club was named for Groucho Marx because of his famous remark that he would not wish to join any club that would have him as a member. Membership is difficult to obtain and its members are mostly drawn from the media, entertainment, arts and fashion industries. The club is known as a haunt of Young British Artists including Damien Hirst, whose behaviour caused him to be banned several times from the club. The Groucho has rooms on several floors, including three bars, two restaurants (dining room and brasserie), nineteen bedrooms, a billiards room, and four function rooms available for hire. There are also bedrooms available for members or their guests. In 2001, the club was purchased by a trio of men, Rupert Hambro, Matthew Freud and Joel Cadbury (the son of Peter Cadbury), for £11.8 million. In 2006 the club was bought by private-equity firm Graphite Capital for £20 million.
