Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 8, 2008 3:03:56 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Jean-Georges Has Appetite for Empire

Posted Jul 23, 08 1:00 PM CDT in Arts & Living,  Glossies,  Business 

(Newser) – Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been busy indeed outside the kitchen—too busy, in the minds of some. In the next 5 years, the restaurateur plans to open between 30 and 50 new establishments in Starwood Hotels worldwide. The dramatic move, brokered by a private-equity firm, will make consistency a challenge and could lessen his cachet before long, Portfolio reports.

The celebrity chef's restaurants aren't being imported wholesale: The communal dining of New York's Spice Market, for example, didn't charm Atlantans. Despite the risks of losing control over far-flung tables, Vongerichten sees beyond the 18 respected restaurants under his belt—and even has ambitions to run a hotel. "I know this can't be it," he said. "I have too many ideas, too many dreams."

Source Portfolio

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Chefs Going Underground to Test Limits

    Aug 27, 08 7:52 PM CDT
    Chefs Going Underground to Test Limits Across the country, stealthy foodies are dropping coin and risking, if not imprisonment, then a strong reprimand, to dine at so-called “underground restaurants,” the New York Times reports. Intrepid chefs are experimenting with creative recipes in communal settings, skipping from apartment to apartment, often just steps ahead of local health departments. Though prices are steeper than Applebee’s, they are often at cost. More »

  • Genitals On the Menu at Beijing's Penis Bistro

    Apr 26, 08 4:27 PM CDT
    Genitals On the Menu at Beijing's Penis Bistro If your idea of good eating doesn't stretch to yak's penis or duck testicles, then Beijing's Guolizhuang restaurant definitely isn't the place for you. The exclusive restaurant's menu is made up almost entirely of penis and testicle dishes, Der Speigel reports. Well-heeled businessmen flock in for dishes such as "Jasmine Flowers with 1,000 Layers"—otherwise known as sliced donkey penis. More »

  • Restaurants Hungry for Economic Recovery

    Apr 24, 08 1:04 PM CDT
    Restaurants Hungry for Economic Recovery Rising costs, tightening credit, and trimmed consumer spending are giving restaurateurs indigestion as they struggle with a slowdown the industry says is its worst in decades, reports the Wall Street Journal. A spate of bankruptcy filings and woeful earnings reports have chains slowing expansion and cutting amenities. With a minimum wage hike set for this summer, things could get worse. More »

  • Em-Bottled SF Mayor Urges Restaurants to Tap City's Water

    Mar 21, 08 3:00 PM CDT
    Em-Bottled SF Mayor Urges Restaurants to Tap City's Water San Francisco’s mayor called on restaurants yesterday to quit selling bottled water and favor the tap, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Gavin Newsom, a former restaurateur, says the plastic containers pile up in landfills and hurt the environment. The request—which isn’t a requirement—follows Newsom’s ban last year on using tax dollars to buy bottled water for city employees. More »

French chef Jean Georges Vongerichten   (Getty Images (by Event))
Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten   (Getty Images (by Event))
Vongerichten's Spice Market peddles South Asian street food.   ((c) Novecentino)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 2)

Tags

restaurant  • restaurateurs  • hotels  • empire  • W Hotels


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Business Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »