2014 RH 25: Altamarea Group

Headquarters: New York City

Annual Sales: $50 million

Units: 15

Key Personnel:
• Ahmass Fakahany, partner
• Michael White, chef/partner

SINGLE CONCEPTS:
• Marea (an ode to Italian seafood)
• Due Mari (modern Italian food in New Brunswick, NJ)
• Ai Fiori (in NYC’s Langham Place Hotel featuring cuisine inspired from the Italian and French rivieras)
• Nicoletta (a pizzeria that also features snacks, appetizers, pasta and entrees)
• The Butterfly (classic American bar snacks, entrees and cocktails)
• Chop Shop (a butcher shop-inspired restaurant in London)
• Al Molo (classic Italian cuisine in Hong Kong)

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS:
• Osteria Morini (food from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy with outposts in New York City, Bernardsville, NJ, and Washington, DC)
• Ristorante Morini (a more upscale version of Osteria Morini, with outposts in NYC and Istanbul, Turkey)
• Costata (a contemporary steak concept featuring prime dry-aged beef)

UPCOMING PROJECTS:
• Nicoletta Pizzera (expansion into New Jersey and DC)
• Ristorante Morini (expansion into Culver City, CA)
• Future Chop Shop sites to be determined

WHY IT’S COOL: With most restaurant companies, getting the food right is far easier than making a profit. But Altamarea has a secret weapon—Ahmass Fakahany, a former Merill Lynch financial genius who retired to bring a Wall Street sensibility to running restaurants. When you’ve got a financial guy like this, and a culinary genius like Michael White, who is among the best Italian chefs in America, you’re going to go places. Their empire of mostly Italian restaurants has now extended to London and Istanbul. And because of the powerhouse partnership, they have garnered 11 Michelin stars for their restaurants, while running a very lucrative business. Every company should have a one-two punch like this.

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