What Marcus Samuelsson Group does

Marcus Samuelsson Group is a privately held, founder-owned restaurant and hospitality company headquartered at 273 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York, led by award-winning Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef Marcus Samuelsson. The company operates a portfolio of 12+ distinct restaurant concepts spanning fine dining (Hav & Mar, Red Rooster Harlem, Metropolis, Marcus DC), casual bar and grille formats (Marcus Bar & Grille, Marcus Live! Bar & Grille), and fast-casual (Streetbird fried chicken, Vibe BBQ), with locations across New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta, Montreal, the Bahamas, and Ethiopia. Several units are embedded in high-traffic institutional venues — Four Seasons Hotel Montreal, Baha Mar Resort, the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the American Dream complex, and the Morrow Hotel in D.C. — which provide anchor foot traffic and reduce real estate risk relative to standalone locations.

Revenue is generated across five streams: in-restaurant dining, media and content (cookbook sales, the Emmy-winning Monogram "My Mark" series, television judging on Top Chef Family Style, and brand partnerships such as a Pepsi docuseries), culinary festivals (Harlem EatUp! and the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival), product licensing and merchandise (notably a 32-piece home collection with West Elm), and catering and private events. Go-to-market is event-driven and brand-led, leveraging the founder's celebrity and recurring press coverage in major outlets including The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, and Eater. Customer segments span dining enthusiasts, general public diners, tourism and hospitality (hotel/resort guests), and event and group dining.

Beyond restaurants, the group operates and co-chairs a portfolio of mission-driven platforms: C-CAP (a workforce development nonprofit serving 20,000+ students across seven U.S. regions including Navajo Reservation schools), Caminus Ventures (a Black-owned F&B accelerator with 100+ distribution points), the Rise Residency fellowship (Mellon Foundation-backed), and ongoing crisis-response partnerships with World Central Kitchen and Project Bento. The corporate team numbers 11–50, with the broader restaurant-level workforce not captured in that count. The company holds MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) certification and registered trademarks for Red Rooster Harlem and Ginny's Supper Club, among others.

Name

Marcus Samuelsson Group

Legal name

Marcus Samuelsson Restaurant Group LLC

Website

https://marcussamuelssongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marcus Samuelsson Group is a private, founder-owned hospitality company that operates 12+ chef-driven restaurant concepts across the U.S., Canada, the Bahamas, and Ethiopia, complemented by culinary festivals, a West Elm home collection, and nonprofit workforce and accelerator programs serving Black culinary communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Hospitality Services

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Special Food Services (7223), Caterers (72232), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH), Hotel & Resort Banqueting (In-House Catering) (THAHAKAC), Venue & Banquet Hall Catering (THAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Celebrity chef restaurants
• Culinary hospitality group
• Fine dining concepts
• Restaurant portfolio management
• Culinary arts festivals

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: The primary revenue stream comes from operating multiple restaurant concepts across fine dining, casual, and fast-casual segments. Concepts include Red Rooster Harlem, Hav & Mar, Metropolis, Ginny's Supper Club, Marcus Bar & Grille, Marcus Live! Bar & Grille, Streetbird, Vibe BBQ, and international locations in Montreal, Bahamas, Ethiopia, and Atlanta.
2. Media and Content: Revenue generation through cookbook sales (The Rise), television appearances, docuseries partnerships with brands like Pepsi, and the Monogram 'My Mark' series which won an Emmy. Marcus Samuelsson serves as a television personality with Top Chef Family Style judging.
3. Events and Festivals: The company organizes and participates in culinary festivals including the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival at Baha Mar and the annual Harlem EatUp! festival. These events generate revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, and serve as marketing vehicles for the brand.
4. Product Licensing and Merchandise: Partnership with West Elm for a 32-piece home collection capsule including furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and art. Also includes branded merchandise and potentially cookbook licensing.
5. Catering and Private Events: Restaurants and Marcus Samuelsson's food and beverage expertise are leveraged for catering services, private dining, and events at venues like the Morrow Hotel in DC.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Marcus Samuelsson Group is a hospitality company that operates a global portfolio of chef-driven restaurant concepts spanning fine dining (Hav & Mar, Red Rooster Harlem, Metropolis), casual and bar/grille venues, and fast-casual formats (Streetbird, Vibe BBQ), alongside culinary festivals, a TV/media presence, branded home goods licensing, and nonprofit workforce and accelerator programs.

Product overview

Marcus Samuelsson Group is a hospitality company operated by award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson, encompassing a portfolio of restaurant brands across multiple locations including Red Rooster Harlem, Ginny's Supper Club, Red Rooster Overtown, Metropolis by Marcus, Hav & Mar, Marcus Live! Bar & Grille, Marcus Bar & Grille, Streetbird, MARCUS Montreal, Marcus at Baha Mar, Marcus Addis, Marcus DC, and Vibe BBQ. The group also operates culinary and cultural initiatives including The Rise Residency fellowship program, C-CAP nonprofit workforce development, Caminus Ventures accelerator for Black-owned food businesses, Harlem EatUp! festival, Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, and partnerships with World Central Kitchen and Project Bento. The company is committed to creating outstanding experiences that celebrate food, music, culture and art across high-end restaurants, fast-casual cafes, festivals, media and experiential events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Rooster Harlem: Flagship restaurant in Harlem, NYC featuring American Southern cuisine with global influences
• Red Rooster Overtown
• Hav & Mar
• Ginny's Supper Club
• Metropolis
• Marcus Bar & Grille
• Marcus Live! Bar & Grille
• Marcus DC
• Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House
• Marcus Addis
• Marcus Montreal
• Streetbird
• Vibe BBQ
• The Rise Residency

Products and services

• Red Rooster Harlem
• Ginny's Supper Club

Quantifiable outcome

• Hav & Mar named NYT's 12 Best New Restaurants of 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Central Kitchen (WCK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring the pandemic, Chef Marcus Samuelsson partnered with José Andrés' World Central Kitchen to convert Red Rooster Harlem into a community kitchen serving those in need. The partnership expanded to Red Rooster Overtown in Miami and Marcus B&P in Newark. WCK uses the power of food to strengthen communities through times of crisis.
• Food RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Food Rescue in Miami to support Red Rooster Overtown's community kitchen operations.
• PepsicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarcus Samuelsson partnered with Pepsi for a docuseries spotlighting Black-owned restaurants in America, including vegan burger shop Slutty Vegan. The partnership aimed to support Black restaurants that were among the hardest hit during the pandemic.
• West ElmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarcus Samuelsson launched his first-ever home collection collaboration with West Elm, a 32-piece capsule featuring furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and art. The collection is sold through West Elm stores and online.
• Bombay SapphireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarcus Samuelsson partnered with Bombay Sapphire to support Harlem artists through their Laundromat Project, supporting local artistic community.
• Four Seasons Hotel MontrealcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate MARCUS Montreal restaurant within the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal, a flagship international location.
• Baha Mar ResortcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarcus Samuelsson operates Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas. Additionally hosts the annual Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival, a major cultural event featuring world-renowned and Bahamian chefs, artists, and performers.
• MonogramminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarcus Samuelsson collaborated with Monogram on the 'My Mark' series, a three-part cooking series shot in his home kitchen that won an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Program.
• C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarcus Samuelsson co-chairs C-CAP, a workforce development nonprofit providing culinary, job, and life skills to over 20,000 underserved middle-and-high school students annually across seven US regions including 7 Navajo Reservation schools.
• Caminus VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaminus Ventures is a majority Black-owned accelerator founded by the Marcus Samuelsson Group dedicated to promoting Black-owned businesses in the food and beverage industry. The accelerator provides educational content, commercial kitchen space, over 100 points of distribution, and expertise in launching and growing food brands.
• Perelman Performing Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolis restaurant opened inside the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC), one of the major projects revitalizing the area around One World Trade Center in lower Manhattan.
• Morrow HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarcus Samuelsson is taking over all food and beverage offerings at the Morrow Hotel in Washington DC, including a rooftop bar, cocktail lounge, and seafood-centric brasserie. This represents his biggest foray into the DC food scene.
• McBride Sisters Wine CollectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWine pairings at Marcus at NoHu pop-up featured McBride Sisters Wine Collection, with the groundbreaking women behind the collection highlighted for their achievements.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• José Andrés Group: ThinkFoodGroup / José Andrés Group operates a celebrity-chef-led portfolio of restaurants globally (Jaleo, Bazaar, Beefsteak) with a strong social impact mission through World Central Kitchen. Highly comparable to Marcus Samuelsson Group in founder-driven brand, multi-concept portfolio, and philanthropic integration.
• Union Square Hospitality Group: Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group operates a portfolio of acclaimed restaurants including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, and Shake Shack. Comparable multi-concept fine dining and casual dining portfolio with a strong hospitality and culture focus similar to MSG.
• Dinex Group: The Dinex Group operates Daniel Boulud's portfolio of fine dining restaurants including Daniel, Café Boulud, and DB Bistro Moderne globally. Direct peer as a celebrity chef-led fine dining group with multiple locations and hotel partnerships.
• Major Food Group: Major Food Group operates Carbone, Dirty French, and other high-profile restaurants across NYC, Las Vegas, and Miami. Directly comparable celebrity-chef-driven restaurant group with multiple upscale concepts and global expansion.
• Jean-Georges Restaurants: Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurant group operates multiple fine dining and casual concepts globally including Jean-Georges, abcV, and The Fulton. Direct peer with similar celebrity chef branding, global footprint, and diverse concept portfolio.
• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises: Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises operates over 60 restaurants across multiple brands including RPM Steak, Beatrix, and Joe's Seafood. Comparable in operating a large multi-concept restaurant portfolio across price points and geographies.
• The ONE Group Hospitality: The ONE Group operates STK Steakhouse, Benihana, and Kona Grill as a multi-brand upscale dining platform. Comparable in managing multiple upscale restaurant brands with hotel and venue partnerships.
• BR Guest Hospitality: BR Guest Hospitality operates Blue Water Grill, Strip House, and other NYC restaurants. Comparable New York-based multi-concept restaurant group with similar upscale positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Tao Group Hospitality: Tao Group Hospitality operates Tao, Hakkasan, Lavo, and other upscale restaurant and nightlife venues globally. Comparable in operating multiple upscale dining and entertainment concepts with venue partnerships.
• Hillstone Restaurant Group: Hillstone Restaurant Group operates Hillstone, Houston's, and R+D Kitchen across multiple US markets. Comparable multi-concept casual and upscale dining operator at meaningful scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marcus Samuelsson Group