The Genuine Hospitality Group Llc

What The Genuine Hospitality Group Llc does

The Genuine Hospitality Group LLC is a Miami-based restaurant group founded in 2007 by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz. The company operates a portfolio of chef-driven restaurants across South Florida, including Michael's Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District, Harry's Pizzeria (with three South Florida locations), Amara at Paraiso in Edgewater, Tigertail + Mary, and the hotel-managed Traymore at the COMO Metropolitan Miami Beach. The group has extended beyond traditional owner-operated dining into hospitality partnerships, notably licensing the Michael's Genuine Pub concept to Royal Caribbean International for cruise ships, operating hotel F&B under a deal with COMO Hotels, and launching the delivery-only Genuine Burger concept with Reef Technology's ghost-kitchen network.

The business model centers on full-service restaurant operations serving local diners and South Florida tourists, supplemented by licensing and management-fee income from hospitality partners. The founder's celebrity-chef platform — built over ~18 years of media coverage and anchored by the 2010 James Beard Award — functions as the primary brand asset driving reservations, press, and partnership deal flow. Operating leadership is provided by CEO Sunil Bhatt, who joined from e-commerce backgrounds at Expedia and MyUS.com and is credited with ~3x group growth over six years. The group runs on standard third-party restaurant technology (OpenTable, InKind, Tripleseat, Google Analytics) and has no disclosed proprietary software, data assets, or AI/ML capabilities; its primary defensible assets are brand, talent, and partnership distribution.

Name

The Genuine Hospitality Group Llc

Legal name

The Genuine Hospitality Group, LLC

Website

https://thegenuinehospitalitygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Genuine Hospitality Group is a Miami-based, chef-driven restaurant group founded by James Beard Award winner Michael Schwartz in 2007, operating multiple South Florida concepts and licensed hospitality partnerships with Royal Caribbean, COMO Hotels, and Reef Technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Dining Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Dining Restaurants (THAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH), Delivery-Only Restaurant Brands (No Dine-In) (THAFAJAC), Special Occasion & Destination Restaurants (THAFACAK)

Keywords

• Chef-driven restaurants
• Farm-to-table dining
• Upscale casual dining
• Waterfront dining
• Neighborhood pizzerias

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Revenue from multiple restaurant concepts including fine dining (Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Amara at Paraiso, Traymore), casual dining (Tigertail + Mary), and quick service (Harry's Pizzeria, Genuine Burger). The company operates 2 currently owned and operated restaurants with multiple concepts spanning casual to upscale dining.
2. Catering and Events: Revenue from private dining, events, and catering services across restaurant concepts. Tripleseat platform referenced for event management.
3. Gift Cards and Merchandise: Sale of gift cards through the company's website and branded merchandise. Gift cards available for Amara at Paraiso, Harry's Pizzeria, and Michael's Genuine Food & Drink.
4. Cookbooks and Media: Revenue from cookbook sales including GENUINE PIZZA: Better Pizza at Home (Abrams Books, 2019) and MICHAEL'S GENUINE FOOD: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat (Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2011).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Genuine Hospitality Group operates a collection of chef-driven restaurants spanning fine dining, casual neighborhood, waterfront, and quick-service concepts under James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Schwartz. The portfolio includes Michael's Genuine Food & Drink (flagship), Amara at Paraiso, Harry's Pizzeria, Tigertail + Mary, Traymore, and Genuine Burger ghost kitchens, emphasizing fresh local ingredients and seasonal sourcing.

Product overview

The Genuine Hospitality Group is a collection of award-winning restaurants founded by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Schwartz. The portfolio includes the flagship Michael's Genuine® Food & Drink (opened 2007), Harry's Pizzeria (2011), Amara at Paraiso (2018), Tigertail + Mary, and Traymore. The group also operates Genuine Burger in partnership with Reef Technology. The restaurants range from fine dining to casual pizzeria concepts, unified by the 'Genuine' philosophy emphasizing fresh, local ingredients and world-class service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Michael's Genuine Food & Drink: Flagship restaurant in Miami Design District featuring homemade, unpretentious cuisine with emphasis on great local ingredients and fair prices
• Amara at Paraiso
• Harry's Pizzeria
• Tigertail + Mary
• Traymore
• Genuine Burger

Products and services

• Michael's Genuine Food & Drink Flagship restaurant opened in Miami's Design District in 2007, featuring farm-to-table cuisine emphasizing fresh local ingredients with a laid-back bistro atmosphere. Named one of the top new restaurants in the country by the New York Times.
• Harry's Pizzeria Three neighborhood pizzerias founded in 2011, taking a thoughtful approach to ingredient selection and menu creation. Won numerous awards including Food & Wine Best Pizzerias in America.
• Amara at Paraiso Miami waterfront restaurant serving bold Latin American flavors on Biscayne Bay, bringing together coastal ingredients and South Florida's diverse food culture.
• Tigertail + Mary Lush neighborhood retreat in Coconut Grove offering relaxed American cooking by Chef Michael Schwartz, celebrating vegetables and fresh, thoughtfully-sourced proteins.
• Traymore Partnership between Genuine Hospitality Group and COMO hotels offering American cuisine with fresh Floridian flavors in a Brasserie-style setting using locally sourced produce.
• Genuine Burger A partnership between Reef Technology and the Genuine Hospitality Group, a growing group of ghost kitchens featuring the famous burgers originally created at Michael's Genuine.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named top 15 finalist for Best Restaurant in America by James Beard Foundation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered growth, flagship, core and minor.

• Reef TechnologygrowthStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between The Genuine Hospitality Group and Reef Technology for Genuine Burger, a growing group of ghost kitchens featuring Michael's signature burgers. Similar to how Harry's took pizza from Michael's and made it its own restaurant, Genuine Burger allows expansion to more customers through delivery-only operations.
• COMO HotelsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between The Genuine Hospitality Group and COMO Hotels for Traymore restaurant at COMO's Miami Beach property. Michael Schwartz's menu celebrates in-season, local ingredients in line with COMO's award-winning restaurants worldwide that embrace sustainable sources and pay homage to local flavors. The partnership aligns with COMO's Brasserie-style approach.
• Royal CaribbeancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Caribbean partnership led by Paolo Bazzani for Michael's Genuine Pub concepts aboard cruise ships. Paolo served as first Lead Bartender for the inaugural ship Quantum of the Seas and assisted with the launch of Spectrum of the Seas. This partnership brings the Michael's Genuine brand to international cruise passengers.
• OpenTablecoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading brand for booking online restaurant reservations. OpenTable is integrated with The Genuine Hospitality Group's services to facilitate online reservations across their restaurant portfolio.
• Rethink FoodminorOthersCharitable partnership with Rethink Food, an organization working to create a more sustainable and equitable food system. Referenced in website footer.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Darden Restaurants: Large publicly traded full-service restaurant operator (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Capital Grille, Eddie V's). Operates broadly in the same full-service restaurant category but at vastly greater scale and with a corporate (non-chef-founded) identity; useful as a broad-incumbent benchmark for the segment.

Direct peers

• Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises: Chicago-based, privately held multi-concept restaurant group founded by Rich Melman, operating dozens of concepts ranging from fine dining to casual. Comparable as a chef/restaurateur-led portfolio operator running a diverse mix of full-service restaurants under a unified management platform.
• José Andrés Group: Celebrity-chef-founded multi-concept restaurant group operating fine dining, casual, and fast-casual concepts (e.g., minibar, Jaleo, Beefsteak) across multiple U.S. cities. Directly parallels The Genuine Hospitality Group's structure of a James Beard-recognized chef leading a portfolio of differentiated restaurant brands with a shared culinary philosophy.
• Major Food Group: Celebrity-chef-founded restaurant group (Carbone, Dirty French, Sadelle's, The Grill) operating fine dining and casual concepts in multiple cities. Comparable to The Genuine Hospitality Group in structure: small portfolio of chef-driven, high-velocity restaurants under a single hospitality brand.
• Hillstone Restaurant Group: Privately held restaurant group operating upscale-casual concepts (Hillstone, Houston's, South Beverly Grill, R+D Kitchen) across multiple states. Comparable as a privately held operator of multiple full-service concepts targeting similar fine-dining/casual crossover occasions as The Genuine Hospitality Group.
• Union Square Hospitality Group (Danny Meyer): Danny Meyer's multi-concept restaurant group (Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, Union Square Cafe, Maialino) representing the archetype of a celebrity restaurateur scaling fine-dining and casual concepts under one umbrella. Highly comparable to The Genuine Hospitality Group in founder-led brand and portfolio diversity across price points.
• Tao Group Hospitality: Multi-concept hospitality group operating upscale Asian-themed restaurants, lounges, and event venues (Tao, Lavo, Marquee) across major U.S. markets. Comparable to The Genuine Hospitality Group in operating destination/special-occasion full-service restaurants with strong brand identities and licensing-style expansion.
• Stephen Starr Restaurants: Philadelphia-based multi-concept restaurant group operating upscale and casual restaurants (Le Coucou, Buddakan, Parc, Continental). Closely comparable to The Genuine Hospitality Group as a private, chef/owner-driven group operating multiple full-service concepts across price points with strong brand identity.

Regional players

• Grove Bay Hospitality Group: Miami/South Florida-based restaurant group operating multiple full-service concepts (Seasons 52, Ocean Prime, Rock Sugar, Crazy About You). Directly parallels The Genuine Hospitality Group's Miami base and multi-concept portfolio structure within the same regional market.

Others

• Reef Technology: Ghost-kitchen/urban kitchen operator that runs Genuine Burger as a partnership with The Genuine Hospitality Group and operates thousands of delivery-only kitchens for other brands. Adjacent as the infrastructure/operating partner behind Genuine Hospitality's ghost-kitchen expansion vehicle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLqjOamXvPO85D5zKnxSl0A/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/amaraatparaiso
• Instagraminstagram.com/amaraatparaiso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 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 The Genuine Hospitality Group Llc