After a $1,100 lost coat fiasco, this NYC club said goodbye to paper tickets and hasn’t lost a coat in two years, thanks to Chexology's tech

After a $1,100 coat went missing, NYC’s Deluxx Fluxx knew paper tickets had to go. Two years later—with zero misplacements and faster lines—Chexology’s digital coat check has become the unsung hero behind one of New York’s most vibrant underground nightclubs. The NYC nightclub tech adds security features that both the staff and customers love.

Key NYC nightclub tech takeaways 

1. Deluxx Fluxx paid $1,100 for one lost coat claim because they had no photo proof. 

2. Chexology enabled Deluxx Fluxx to go two years without one lost coat claim.

3. Both Deluxx Fluxx and its customers love the added photo security.

4. The club's Manager of Operations loves Chexology’s real-time inventory tracking. 

It’s a cold Saturday night in Manhattan’s East Village. Beneath the glow of the historic Webster Hall marquee sits Deluxx Fluxx—a nightclub with no visible entrance; yet, this New York club has built such a following that it may not need a grand entrance. In less than an hour, a line of people will be stretching down the block. But for the moment, 11th Street is still. 

An unmarked metal door creaks open. Schwabby, the club’s Director of Operations, steps out with a grin. 

“C’mon in,” he says, waving me through.

I follow him downstairs through a narrow corridor, the hum of soundcheck vibrating through the walls. Then, the venue reveals itself—a collision of color, light, and sound. The walls are alive with Deluxx Fluxx’s signature glowing murals, flickering arcade cabinets, and a ceiling glittered with moving lights. 

Schwabby gestures around the room. “Deluxx Fluxx is a place where sound and vision marry.”

The art inside Deluxx Fluxx is the brainchild of Brooklyn-based artists FAILE (Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller) and BÄST, who collaborated to infuse the space with their signature styles, combining elements of pop culture, punk rock, and urban artistry. Customers are enveloped in a sensory-rich landscape that’s not just visual. Deluxx Fluxx also keeps its turntables warm with a popular rotation of touring DJs. 

“We are a very accessible nightclub doing really amazing programming. We’ve created a space in New York City where you can see international and touring DJs in a quaint space.” Schwabby explains. “You don’t have to go to a festival to see them. You don’t have to go to a big arena; we bring those types of acts into a bashment vibe here. I think we’re one of the few venues in New York that’s doing this.”  

NYC nightclub tech trends: Elevating the customer experience with smart coat check

While Deluxx Fluxx is shaping the city’s underground music scene, Schwabby has brought new nightclub technology into the mainstream, improving both the customer experience and the club’s bottom line. 

Over the past few years, Schwabby has carefully considered every aspect of the customer’s experience. He's found ways to reduce steps and digitize transactions, from music curation and the digital pay screens at the bar to the flow of their coat check line. 

As he showed me their Chexology kiosk and their reusable NFC hanger tags, I asked him why he no longer uses paper tickets, and his answer could not have been more blunt. 

“Because paper coat check tickets were just ridiculous!” he says with a laugh. “Paper tickets are very antiquated, you know? Tickets were getting lost... Paper tickets at nightclubs are not a fun thing to deal with. So adding Chexology made it easy to streamline the process for the venue side of things, as well as for our customers.” 

Enhancing NYC nightclub security with digital coat check as a theft-prevention measure

Before Chexology, Deluxx Fluxx’s coat check ticket system was a logistical nightmare. The old ways relied on tiny paper stubs, which were easy to misplace and impossible for the Director of Operations to track. It got so bad that the coat check staff had to beg customers to take a photo of their own ticket. All of this led to long waits, frustrated customers, and—on at least one occasion—a very expensive mistake.

“Some guy said he had this ridiculous (coat) brand, and I said, 'Did you?'" Schwabby recalls. “He couldn’t present a photo of him wearing it or a receipt for the coat; it was just the fact that he did check in a coat, and we just don’t know what kind of coat it was. He said it was a $1,100 coat– and we had to pay it! It was shitty. But since then, with Chexology, we’ve been solid.” 

“After losing that $1,100 coat, we switched to Chexology. Since then, we’ve gone two years with zero dollars in misplacements.” ~ Schwabby, Director of Operations

Schwabby knew something had to change and took a chance on Chexology. Since adopting Chexology, the NYC club has gone two years now without misplacing one coat. “After losing that $1,100 coat, we switched to Chexology. Since then, we’ve gone two years with zero dollars in misplacements,” Schwabby says. 

NYC Nightclub inventory tracking: No more nightclub lost & found nightmares

Chexology’s paperless system makes the process dead simple, fast, and foolproof. Because of this, Chexology has quickly become the preferred coatroom system for concert venues like Live Nation, Tao Group, and AEG Presents. 

When customers check their coats, staff snap a quick photo and link it to their phone number. That’s it! There is no ticket, no app to download, and no confusion. The customer’s phone becomes their claim ticket, making lost tickets a thing of the past.

“Chexology made it super easy,” Schwabby says. “Our staff was really tired of paper coat check tickets. Having Chexology’s digital item check was a no-brainer for us. We can review our inventory through Chexology’s app and even look up a customer from my home, which is nice."

The best part? Customers enjoy the process! They’ve embraced the added security with open arms. 

“My favorite part about Chexology?" Schwabby ponders. "I’ll cover for my coat check staff from time to time, so I get to see the customer’s reaction when their photo is taken for the security of their coat,” Schwabby says. “It’s the funniest thing ever! Every reaction is the same. They’re always surprised, and it makes the experience fun.” (You can witness a few of those reactions in the video above.)

This moment—a simple security photo—turns an otherwise mundane transaction into something memorable for the patrons of Deluxx Fluxx. It adds an extra layer of trust and security, making customers feel not just taken care of but also entertained.

A club where New Yorkers can actually dance

Deluxx Fluxx didn’t build a dance club out of following trends but instead on fostering culture, something Schwabby takes pride in shaping. 

“We’re not a stuffy space. We’re not ‘too cool for school.’ People come here, and they dance,” Schwabby says. “In fact, a movement that we have helped elevate here in New York and which has brought a following to our dance floor is that we are the place for Afrobeats and Amapiano music. So if you want to see amazing DJs at a reasonable price and dance your butt off for six hours straight, then this is the place to be.”

The club’s forward-thinking approach to music curation, technology, and community building has set it apart, something New Yorkers have embraced with enthusiasm. 

In a city that never stops moving, the best venues find ways to set the standards for the rest of the nightclub industry, and Deluxx Fluxx has done so in more ways than one. 

Deluxx Fluxx is leading the charge in modern New York nightclub operations, proving that digital transformation in nightlife isn’t just about flashy lights and sound systems—it’s about streamlining the customer experiences from the moment they enter to the second they leave. By replacing outdated paper coat check tickets with Chexology’s digital item tracking system, they’ve eliminated long lines at coat check, reduced the risk of lost or disputed coat claims, and improved nightclub security with photo-based coat identification. For NYC nightclub owners, concert venue managers, and hospitality professionals looking to increase venue efficiency, speed up coat-check operations, and enhance guest satisfaction, paperless coat-check solutions are becoming a must-have. Whether it’s preventing lost coats, reducing customer disputes, improving your Google reviews, or simply ensuring a faster, more secure check-in process, clubs that embrace smart nightclub technology will set themselves apart in an industry where guest experience is everything. Chexology is proving that faster service, better security, and increased revenue all start at the coat check.

How Chexology (formerly known as CoatChex) went from Shark Tank to the must-have coat check system for New York nightlife

Chexology, formerly known as CoatChex, appeared on Shark Tank in season 4, episode 1, where founder Derek Pacqué pitched his ticketless coat-checking system. He ultimately turned down an offer from Mark Cuban for a 20% stake in the company. Despite turning down a risky deal, the exposure from the show significantly boosted Chexology's brand recognition and market reach. 

Over the next few years, Chexology added a slew of app features based on client feedback and expanded its reach into NYC’s top concert venues and nightclubs, working with household names like Live Nation, Tao Group, and AEG Presents to name a few. Chexology quickly became the must-have NYC nightclub tech thanks to its simplicity and added security.

Today, Chexology is trusted worldwide, giving clients of all sizes the ability to check almost anything. From checking golf clubs at your favorite country clubs, valeting cars while checking into your 5-star hotel, to checking jackets at one of London’s most famous casinos, Chexology is there, providing a modern, ticketless experience.