Located on the stretch of waterfront between the East 34th Street Heliport and Waterside Plaza, the venue served classic American cuisine and seafood; it overlooked Long Island City, Queens and Greenpoint, Brooklyn across the river.

[6] The venue was developed by Michael D. (Buzzy) O'Keeffe, who owned The River Café in Brooklyn and had prior experience with the challenges associated with opening a waterfront restaurant in New York City.

[8][9] The following summer, O'Keeffe decided to expand the venue, adding a third 140-foot-long (43 m) barge filled with 200 tons of sand that functioned as an artificial beach for the use of restaurant patrons that had lounge chairs, umbrellas and a bar.

In a news conference that followed the incident, O'Keeffe explained that he decided exclude the food critic because he thought her reviews were inaccurate and was particularly unhappy about the one-star rating that she gave his River Café in Brooklyn.

[32][33][34] Subsequent to what was originally announced as renovations,[35] The Water Club closed permanently in 2024 when the remaining time on the venue's lease was turned back over to the city.