Lorena's Restaurant

What Lorena's Restaurant does

Lorena's Restaurant is a privately held, family-owned French-American fine dining establishment founded in June 2005 by chef-owner Humberto Campos Jr. (a 1997 Culinary Institute of America graduate who trained at Nicholas, Daniel, and March) and his wife Lorena Perez Campos, who manages front-of-house. The restaurant operates from a single 4,500-square-foot location at 160 Maplewood Avenue in Maplewood, New Jersey, featuring a 35-40-seat formal dining room, a larger casual dining room, and a chef's table for special tastings, totaling approximately 52 seats. The culinary program is rooted in classical French technique applied to seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients from New Jersey farms, with proprietary methods including sous vide cooking and signature dishes such as the lump crab and wild mushroom crepe in beurre blanc that have been on the menu since opening.

Lorena's generates revenue through a multi-format dine-in operation: a weekday 3-course prix fixe dinner ($49/person), a 2-course prix fixe lunch ($28/person), à la carte lunch and dinner menus, weekend jazz brunch, Tuesday-Thursday happy hour, Tuesday no-corkage and Wednesday 50%-off-bottle wine promotions, and a private events program supported by a dedicated events inquiry channel and formal back dining room. The BYO (bring your own) operating model eliminates liquor-license overhead and enables the wine promotional cadence. Additional revenue streams include Toast-powered online ordering for takeout and a year-round gift card program. Reservations are managed via phone and Resy, with a 60-day advance booking window, and the restaurant is listed on OpenTable where it has earned multiple Top 100 and Most Romantic placements.

The restaurant serves affluent discerning diners in Essex County and the broader Tri-State area (including Manhattan and Brooklyn), with approximately 65% of customers identified as repeat regulars. Distribution and marketing rely on OpenTable, Resy, the company website, earned media (New York Times, Star-Ledger, NJ Monthly, Zagat), social channels, and experiential programming such as Thursday live jazz and weekend jazz brunch. The restaurant has accumulated 20+ years of consistent regional and national recognition, including OpenTable Top 100 placements (2013, 2015, 2016), the 2025 DiRōNA Award of Excellence, and consecutive NJ Monthly Best of the Best wins (2021, 2022).

Name

Lorena's Restaurant

Legal name

Lorena's Restaurant

Website

https://restaurantlorena.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lorena's is a family-owned French-American fine dining restaurant in Maplewood, NJ, founded in 2005 by Chef Humberto Campos Jr. and his wife Lorena, serving affluent Tri-State diners seasonally driven cuisine across a 52-seat single location with prix fixe, à la carte, jazz brunch, and private events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)

Keywords

• French American cuisine
• Fine dining restaurant
• BYO wine dining
• Prix fixe menu
• Private event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Maplewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fine Dining Table Service: Lorena's generates revenue primarily through in-restaurant dining, offering prix fixe menus and an extensive a la carte menu for lunch, dinner, and brunch. The restaurant is BYO (bring your own), meaning it does not hold a liquor license but allows guests to bring wine and beer, often with a no-corkage-fee policy on Tuesdays.
2. Private Events: Lorena's accommodates private event inquiries via [email protected], generating additional revenue from exclusive dining experiences.
3. Online Ordering (Takeout): The restaurant offers online ordering through Toast, enabling takeout revenue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, half-priced takeout became a significant revenue driver.
4. Gift Cards: Lorena's sells gift cards year-round through Toast, providing a pre-paid revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lorena's is a seasonally inspired French-American fine dining restaurant in Maplewood, NJ offering prix fixe and a la carte lunch, dinner, and brunch menus built around classical French technique and locally sourced New Jersey ingredients. The restaurant operates a BYO (bring your own) beverage model with on-site dining across two rooms, complemented by private events, takeout ordering, and gift cards.

Product overview

Lorena's Restaurant is a seasona lly inspired French American fine dining establishment offering multiple dining services including brunch with live jazz on weekends, weekday lunch and dinner service, and special event catering. The restaurant operates a 4,500-square-foot space featuring formal and casual dining rooms, with offerings including à la carte menus, prix fixe options, happy hour bar bites, and a Half-Price Wine Wednesday promotion. Additional services include online ordering via Toast Tab, table reservations via Resy, private event hosting, and gift cards. The restaurant is BYO (bring your own) with corkage fee promotions on Tuesdays and has been recognized with the DiRōNA Award of Excellence and multiple regional Best Restaurant accolades.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full-Service French-American Fine Dining
• Private Events & Dining
• Jazz Brunch
• Online Takeout Ordering
• Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognized as one of the top 100 best restaurants in America by OpenTable for 2013, 2015, and 2016 based on 5+ million verified diner reviews
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Toast (Toast Tab)coreTechnology or Integration · 11 January 2020Lorena's uses Toast (Toast Tab) as its online ordering platform and marketing email signup provider. The partnership enables the restaurant to offer online ordering for takeout and sell gift cards through the Toast platform.
• ResycoreTechnology or IntegrationLorena's accepts reservations through Resy.com, allowing diners to book tables up to 60 days in advance through the Resy platform. Resy serves as the restaurant's primary digital reservation system alongside phone reservations.
• OpenTablecoreTechnology or IntegrationLorena's is listed on OpenTable, where diners can make reservations, read reviews, and access the restaurant's accolades. The restaurant has been featured on multiple OpenTable Best Restaurants in America lists.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Elements: Chef Scott Anderson's contemporary American fine dining restaurant in Princeton, NJ. Comparable to Lorena's as an award-winning NJ independent with strong chef pedigree and a focus on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
• Restaurant Latour: A Forbes-rated fine dining restaurant at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ. Comparable as a high-end NJ destination offering seasonal French-influenced cuisine at luxury price points, also part of the DiRōNA-recognized regional peer set.
• Mistral: A French-Mediterranean fine dining restaurant in Princeton, NJ. Comparable to Lorena's as another high-end French-influenced independent in suburban NJ competing in the same discretionary-dining segment.
• Ninety Acres: A farm-to-table fine dining restaurant at Natirar estate in Bedminster, NJ. Comparable as a contemporary seasonal American fine dining concept emphasizing locally sourced ingredients, also serving the affluent suburban NJ market.
• The Ryland Inn: A Relais & Châteaux-affiliated fine dining destination in Whitehouse Station, NJ. Comparable to Lorena's as a New Jersey suburban fine dining establishment serving contemporary American cuisine with strong chef-driven pedigree and similar price points.
• The Bernards Inn: An independently owned fine dining restaurant in Bernardsville, NJ that, like Lorena's, has operated for decades with a chef-driven contemporary American menu. Comparable as an award-winning NJ suburban destination with strong wine programming and similar ticket prices.
• Pluckemin Inn: A long-standing contemporary American fine dining restaurant in Bedminster, NJ. Comparable to Lorena's as a similarly sized independent NJ fine dining operation competing for the same affluent suburban clientele.

Broad incumbents

• Restaurant Nicholas: A James Beard-recognized fine French dining destination in Middletown, NJ where Chef Campos himself trained. Comparable as a more established and longer-tenured NJ French fine dining benchmark against which Lorena's positions itself.
• Daniel (restaurant): Daniel Boulud's flagship French fine dining restaurant in NYC. Comparable not as a direct NJ competitor but as a NYC French fine dining benchmark whose cuisine and techniques Chef Campos trained under; sets the reference point for what Lorena's style aspires to.

Regional players

• The Stage House: An upscale American restaurant in Scotch Plains, NJ where Chef Campos previously trained. Comparable as an NJ independent that has hosted Campos-era culinary talent, though it operates a more casual concept than Lorena's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lorena's-restaurant

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Lorena's Restaurant