A nightclub is an entertainment venue open later in the evening that stays open usually until the early morning hours. Nightclubs are usually located in urban areas. The music and dance floor are big draws of a night club and they may serve some type of food as well as drinks.

Food in nightclubs is often limited to appetizers and lighter fare such as chicken wings and nachos. These types of foods are popular, require minimum fuss and go well with alcoholic drinks. Some nightclubs that are more upscale may feature sophisticated dishes. The food as well as the drinks served in nightclubs varies according to the clientele.

The location of a nightclub should depend on where the target customer is located such as near bars that they also attend. Nightclub clientele may go to a bar first earlier the same night. Rather than just depend on one type of clientele, however, many nightclub owners try to attract a mix of customers to ensure they can keep a full enough house to make a profit. For example, a night club may want to target young professionals, office workers, tourists and college students.

The main difference between a nightclub and a bar is a dance floor. Whereas many bars don't have a dance floor, every night club is likely to have a large dance floor in the middle of the club. A disc jockey (DJ) booth is often located right near the night club's dance floor and some dance floors also feature laser light effects. The decor and music in a night club is targeted to attract the types of clientele wanted. Some nightclubs have a modern metal and leather decor while others may have a more rustic look with a lot of wood accents.

The ratio of nightclub staff to its clientele varies as to the size of the club and the average amount of customers they regularly serve, but a basic industry level of service is often considered one service person per 35 or less customers. Nightclubs are often popular with younger people. Many nightclubs offer drink specials for birthday parties as well as bachelor and bachelorette parties.