Longtime best friends and entrepreneurs Lonnie Moore & Mike Malin fulfilled a lifelong dream to open a bar in 2001 when they opened a small tapas lounge called Belly on Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Boulevard. Belly was built on equal parts sweat and credit card debt, and soon became a popular industry hangout. Belly reigned as a top nightclub and well respected lounge before closing in 2004, with Malin and Moore looking to focus more specifically on the restaurant industry.