Taking an elevated experience to a new level, Prime Social Reserve rooftop restaurant and lounge plans an October launch on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples.

Construction is underway at 837 Fifth Ave. S. to create the exclusive high-end venue that will be for VIP access only. Bridging two buildings that are home to Chops City Grill restaurant and Compass Real Estate of Naples, Prime Social Reserve is being built by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, which already operates Del Mar and Ocean Prime on Fifth Avenue.

“It’s an engineering and a construction feat, for sure,” said Naples entrepreneur Christopher Shucart. He owns the real estate where Prime Social is being built and is a partner in the new restaurant, which will be accessible via a new elevator and valet parking on the north side of the building.

The venue’s dining footprint is more than 7,300 square feet, which includes the outdoor space that comprises about 35% of the restaurant’s seating. From a total gross area, the restaurant is closer to 9,000 square feet when figuring in stairwells and common area features, Shucart said.

The 175-seat restaurant with about 25 seats at its two bars will have distinctive areas created with a luxurious ambiance. The rooftop spaces are designed with lush greenery, refined natural woods and yacht-inspired details.

“You have a whole restaurant designed like you’re on a yacht in the finishes of it and the feel of it,” said David Miller, president and chief operating officer of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, which is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

“We cannot call it a private club because it is open to the public per se, but it’s a reservation-only restaurant,” Miller said. “There is an exclusivity to the restaurant.”

Prime Social will not be listed on the OpenTable booking service as other Cameron Mitchell restaurants are. To drink or dine at the VIP-access-only venue, one can pay an initiation fee and an annual fee or be the guest of a VIP. The four specific access plans have different pricing for families, individuals and couples, young professionals and corporations.

Prospective VIPs can request detailed information via a form on the home page of the restaurant’s website, primesocialreserve.com. About 100 have signed up so far.

“We hope to have about 250 members, which is about 600 people, by the time we open,” Miller said, noting that the program may be able to accommodate double that amount.

“As a member, you can walk in anytime. We will have an exclusive elevator that will take you up,” Miller said, noting that these VIPs can gain access with an app on their phone. “Members get guaranteed reservations.”

In addition to exclusive access and guaranteed reservations, amenities for VIPs include priority access to all Cameron Mitchell Restaurants nationwide, dedicated concierge service, the option to make reservations for unaccompanied guests and invitations to exclusive events.

“Part of the programming that’s really critical for the success of a concept like this that we’ve seen around the country is to have what we call curated events,” Miller said. “It gives the members just multiple reasons to keep coming.”

For instance, luxury clothing and jewelry brands will be invited in for sip-and-shop events with passed appetizers and Champagne. Expect immersive art experiences and unique events created by partnerships.

“We might do a tasting where we bring in a winemaker and we pair it with a Wagyu sampling. We’ll have our chef educating our guests on what that is,” Miller said. “People just love learning, especially when it comes to food and wine.”

Miller said there’s definitely a demand in this market for an exclusive product such as Prime Social. He has done market research regarding the viability of members-only venues such as Butcher in North Naples, The Maddox in East Naples and Sterling’s at the future Carnelian hotel in North Naples.

“We’ve done national research. I’ve been researching this for years,” Miller said. “You have to do what you feel most confident in. I think what we’ve designed here is a program that we’ve seen the best of the best be successful at. We also have friends in the industry who say ‘Do this, don’t do that,’ so we’re fortunate in that. The programs here are successful in their own right.”

Near Prime Social’s entrance will be a vibrant lounge. “We just wanted to have a space that would be where our VIP members could come and watch a sporting event or just have a cocktail before or after dinner or after golf, whatever they may be doing. Then there’s the main bar, which is part of the main dining area, and the outdoor terrace, which I suppose would be the third component, but it will have a very active bar scene,” Miller said, comparing it to similar bar scenes at Del Mar and Ocean Prime.

“It’s very important. Bars create energy in a restaurant. So, you want to have an active bar,” he said. “We always want to design a restaurant so when you’re walking in you either see the bar or you’re walking into the bar, one of the two. That energy that plays off of that is critical for the environment of the restaurant.”

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants also has Prime Social Rooftop in Kansas City, Missouri, but other than being rooftop venues with Prime Social in their names, they will differ substantially, Miller said.

“They’re totally different concepts,” Miller said. “We embraced the name for a couple of reasons. One is the connectivity to Ocean Prime; we have such great following and are fortunate in this city what it represents. Adding the element of ‘Reserve’ certainly adds an exclusivity to it with the style of restaurant we’ve created. Other than that, the menus are different, designs are totally different. Prime Social in Kansas City is small plates; it’s a cocktail lounge. This is a full-service restaurant, a great Asian-inspired menu.”

While the menu has not been created yet, the elevated dining experience at Prime Social in Naples is expected to include seasonally inspired dishes, premium hand-rolled sushi, fine steaks, rare wines, signature cocktails and hard-to-find spirits.

“I do feel there’s a need in this market for an Asian-inspired menu,” Miller said. “If you can just imagine a Del Mar-type atmosphere or an Ocean Prime atmosphere with an Asian-influenced menu, that’s what you’re going to get, whether that be Wagyu steaks or maybe that’s a great sushi program, obviously Asian-inspired cocktails. But it’s still going to have an internationally inspired wine list.

“It’s not going to be that limited; there will be certain South Korean influences on the menu. It might be Korean barbecue chicken and some things that appeal a little bit more to the masses. Our guests are going to be very frequent, so we want to design a menu that is certainly elevated, and it will be, but it’s also approachable,” he continued.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants rarely duplicate menu items at its different brands, Miller said.

“We will develop a very unique menu here. I can for sure tell you there will be nothing on Del Mar or Ocean Prime’s menu that will be duplicated on this,” he said.

The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com