A new steakhouse, with a rare ambience

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The New York City launch of "Find Your Facemate" at STK.Getty Images for FaceMate/Getty

Cue the deejay and the ladies will follow.

That's the thinking behind STK Rebel, a restaurant coming to the Seaport District that will forgo heavy wood-paneling and cigar-smoking ambiance of most steakhouses and install a deejay four or five nights a week in an effort to attract female customers.

The men will follow, the thinking goes.

"We went into this with the sole intention to create a different steakhouse that appealed to the female market," said Jonathan Segal, founder and chief executive of The One Group Hospitality Inc., the New York firm that operates the chain in the United States and Europe. "If you want to make a lot of money in this world, focus on the female market and women, because men only get to make 3 percent of the decisions."

STK Rebel, the less expensive counterpart to the STK steakhouse chain, would span two floors in the One Seaport Square development, a three-acre parcel under construction across from Fan Pier and the ICA museum. And it is only the latest entrant in a string of giant new bar-centered venues in the burgeoning district.

Big Night Entertainment Group, the Boston company behind Empire, Gem, Red Lantern, and several other Boston eateries, will open a large Mexican restaurant called Scorpion Bar and a giant upscale nightclub called The Grand at One Seaport Square.

STK Rebel will be an 8,000-square-foot space with first-floor seating for about 220 guests and a private dining area upstairs. It is scheduled to open next year, at a cost of at least $4 million.

STK Rebel patrons will be able to enjoy a live deejay from the restaurant or lounge, a staple in the chain's strategy to create an "infectious, high-energy vibe." The music will be 70s and 80s light rock. Think Duran Duran and Haircut One Hundred, Segal said.

Segal said the concept appeals to a demographic of men in their late 30s and up, women in their 20s and up, and both sexes in their 50s and older who want to dine out and have the option of relaxing in the same place after a meal.

Segal, 54, said he's been waiting for the right opportunity to open in Boston and chose the Seaport District over Back Bay after learning more about the plans for additional development in the area.

The One Group Hospitality has signed a 10-year lease with Newton-based WS Development, the retail developer for the site. WS vice president Brian Sciera said his company sought the chain after visiting STK locations in other cities.

STK has 10 restaurants, including two in Manhattan, and four more in development. The company also plans STK Rebel locations in Denver, Edinburgh, Miami, and Austin, Texas.