Hakkasan to Open in Four U.S. Cities as Restaurant Goes Global
Hakkasan Ltd., the Chinese- restaurant business that holds a Michelin star for each of its London sites, plans to expand across the U.S. next year, with venues in four cities.
Outlets are planned in four cities: New York, on West 43rd Street; San Francisco, at One Kearny; Los Angeles, on North Beverly Drive; and in a hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas, Chief Executive Niall Howard said in a telephone interview. Hakkasan already has restaurants in Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Hakkasan is known for stylish restaurants, with staff members dressed in designer outfits serving mainly Asian-themed cocktails and Chinese dishes with fine ingredients and high price tags. It was founded by Alan Yau, who created Wagamama, and purchased four years ago by Abu Dhabi-based Tasameem group.
“You wouldn’t know there was a slowdown,” Howard, 56, said. “Our restaurants are sold out all the time. I think that people might go out less, but when they do go, they want something special. Yes, we have fewer corporate customers, and they are more cautious, but we seem to have more international guests.”
Hakkasan also owns Yauatcha, a midmarket Chinese restaurant that Yau founded in London, and Sake No Hana, a Japanese establishment that he helped create. The company wants to add an up-market Japanese brand -- with an outlet in London next year - - and is in talks to build an Italian restaurant business, Howard said, declining to name potential partners.
There are also plans for Hakkasans in Shanghai and Doha.
The aim is to create a global food-and-beverage business with four regional hubs: the Far East, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Hakkasan will have quality restaurants catering for different sections of the market, Howard said.
“It’s like a BMW, with everything from the 7 Series down to the 1 Series: From fine dining to midmarket and possibly to fast food,” he said. The first overseas Yauatcha just opened in Mumbai. There is a U.S. Hakkasan in Fontainebleau, Miami Beach.
(Richard Vines is the chief food critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. He is U.K. and Ireland chairman of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards. Opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on the story: Richard Vines at rvines@bloomberg.net or Richardvines on http://twitter.com/home.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.
Niall Howard
Hakkasan via Bloomberg
Niall Howard, chief executive of Hakkasan is expanding the brand worldwide. Four openings in the U.S. are planned for next year.
Niall Howard, chief executive of Hakkasan is expanding the brand worldwide. Four openings in the U.S. are planned for next year. Source: Hakkasan via Bloomberg
Hakkasan
Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
The Ling Ling lounge at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai.
The Ling Ling lounge at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai. Photographer: Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
Hakkasan
Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
The dining room at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai.
The dining room at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai. Photographer: Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
Hakkasan
Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
The dining room at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai. The restaurant is designed by Paris-based Gilles & Boissier.
The dining room at Hakkasan restaurant in Mumbai. The restaurant is designed by Paris-based Gilles & Boissier. Photographer: Parhad Goghavala/Hakkasan Group via Bloomberg
Hakkasan Mayfair
Chris Gascoigne/Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
The basement dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London is a good spot for cocktails.
The basement dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London is a good spot for cocktails. Photographer: Chris Gascoigne/Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
Hakkasan Mayfair
Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
The basement dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London.
The basement dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London. Source: Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
Hakkasan Mayfair
Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
The ground floor dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London, with design by Paris-based Guillaume Richard.
The ground floor dining room at Hakkasan Mayfair in London, with design by Paris-based Guillaume Richard. Source: Bacchus PR via Bloomberg
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