Cindy's bar man: Rande Gerber

In investment circles he has been labelled the Donald Trump of the bar and nightclub circuit, but Rande Gerber sounds more than a touch relieved when told that the comparison stems from their achievements rather than from their hairstyles ('Thank you for clarifying that'). As a former model, husband to the beauteous Cindy Crawford and great pal of a certain George Clooney, however, sporting even a whiff of a combover wouldn't seem much of a viable option.

While Gerber possesses The Donald's skill for turning all that he touches into gold, with an empire of 35 establishments largely spanning America (with four pending), he is as far removed from Trump's brash persona as it is possible to be. Softly spoken, well-mannered and with features arranged in the model of square-jawed handsomeness that only American men seem to be able to manage, Gerber is surprisingly modest, too. 'Yes, it's true, we've never closed a place down, which is quite rare,' he admits when pushed. 'But then I've always been in it for the long haul. A lot of people go into the bar and nightclub business thinking: "Hey, we can make money for a year or two, close and then open again," but for me, it's always been a business and it's always been about longevity. It's like having 35 children and every time I open a new place, it feels like the first time with the same nerves and the same excitement.'

'We have been in talks with the W and we have a great relationship with them and are offered properties for all the W projects,' says Gerber, 'but I honestly don't know yet what's going to happen in London. I'd love to do some kind of project in London, though, just because I love spending time there. I was there recently for a benefit in aid of Darfur [hosted by Clooney] and if I could spend time anywhere, it would be in London. I usually stay at The Lanesborough and I love the elegance of the bar combined with the vibe and energy and feel of the city. It's just such a long trip from Malibu where we're based,' he sighs dolefully.

Although the two rarely discuss each other's career plans, 'my wife is great at giving input for my projects,' says Gerber generously. 'She's good at naming places, she has pretty good taste in music, and as a model, of course, she's excellent when it comes to lighting. She's not really a night-time person, though, and to be honest with you, I think she prefers going to my bars with her friends rather than with me.' For while Gerber's establishments are renowned for their mellow, loungy vibe, creating such an atmosphere requires him to come over all Patrick Bergin à la Sleeping with the Enemy - straightening and tidying things like a man with Mr Sheen in his veins. 'Oh, I'm terrible with that,' he chuckles heartily. 'We'll go to one of my bars and I'll try to relax, but then after a few minutes I'll go: "Can you turn the music up a little bit?", "Can you dim the lights a little more?". And I'm even like this at home. I think I've loosened up quite a bit, but my wife will just look at me and go: "It must be really hard being you sometimes." '

Still, it is Gerber's fine nose for detail that has no doubt contributed to his success. 'Oh, the secret of a great club is all in the detail,' he admits. 'When I walk into one of my bars, I have to have all my napkins a certain way and all the pourers in the bottles facing a certain way. It drives some people crazy, but I figure if I notice something's off, then other people will notice it, too. Likewise, I'm very fussy about smell. None of our bars smell like a bar at all - that's our number one rule - and we use certain scented candles and certain types of incense in order to give our bars a specific feel and ambiance. Someone recently told me that they'd walked into the Whiskey Blue bar in New Orleans and knew instantly that it was one of ours because it smelled so good.'

'This whole thing came about simply out of a desire to have a place where me and my friends could go other than my apartment in New York,' laughs Gerber. 'There were always ten or 15 people in my apartment and the atmosphere, music and lighting was always good - the only thing missing was the pretty waitresses. I wanted to create that atmosphere in a bar with good music and comfortable couches so people could sit and talk, and so I started out with this lounge concept which didn't exist in those days and it seems to have turned out pretty well.

'The premise is that we want everyone to feel at home and comfortable, and we basically ensure beautiful design and great lighting because we want everyone to look and feel good. There's no direct lighting and it's mostly a candlelit setting. Although we have over 30 venues now, I'm not very strict and I want the general managers to treat it as their own place because they're the ones who are there every night, meeting the customers. They'll recommend music and will send it over to me to listen to and they usually have good suggestions. Most of our employees have been with us since we first started and I think one of the reasons we've done well is because we run it like a family business and inspire loyalty and we treat our employees with respect.'

Everything is much friendlier now, and Gerber's bars are renowned for having some of the prettiest bar staff imaginable. 'Oh yeah, it's a good-looking staff and, you know, I used to handpick them, but I just haven't got the time these days,' he adds almost wistfully.

For a man who consorts with the likes of Brad Pitt, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz, the most surprising aspect of Gerber's bars is that there are no VIP areas. 'That was very important to me because I wanted everyone to feel that their seat was the right seat to be in. We do have high-profile clientele but they want to enjoy the atmosphere of the place they're in, otherwise they may as well be at home, and I think that adds a lot to the feel of one of our places.'