Schulson Collective Llc

Name

Schulson Collective Llc

Legal name

Schulson Collective

Website

https://michaelschulson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Revenue: The primary revenue stream comes from food and beverage sales across 15+ restaurant locations. Each concept generates revenue through per-cover spending, with menu items ranging from casual to upscale price points.
2. Catering Services: Collective Catering provides drop-off and full-service event catering, serving private events, corporate functions, and weddings with restaurant-quality food.
3. Takeout and Delivery: Restaurants offer takeout and delivery services including DK Sushi carry-away concept, expanding revenue beyond dine-in.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Schulson Collective LLC is a multi-concept restaurant group that owns and operates more than 15 restaurant brands across Philadelphia, Miami, and New York. In addition to its dine-in restaurants, the group runs Collective Catering, an off-premise catering service for corporate events, private parties, and weddings. The company was founded in 2009 by chef Michael Schulson.

Product overview

Schulson Collective is a hospitality company operating a portfolio of 15+ distinct restaurant brands and one catering service across Philadelphia, Miami, and New York City. The portfolio spans multiple cuisines including Japanese izakaya (Double Knot), Mediterranean (Dear Daphni), Italian (Giuseppe & Sons, Via Locusta), American (Harp & Crown), steakhouse (Alpen Rose, The Lesieur), seafood (Pearl & Mary), Asian (Sampan), and pizza (Prunella). The company also operates specialty concepts including an outdoor beer garden (Independence Beer Garden), a sushi carry-out concept (DK Sushi), and a cocktail bar with bowling (Graffiti Bar, Harp & Crown speakeasy). Collective Catering extends the restaurant experience to off-site events. The restaurants are primarily concentrated in Philadelphia's Midtown Village, Rittenhouse Square, and Old City neighborhoods, with expansion to Miami's Wynwood area and New York City's Midtown Manhattan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Double Knot: Japanese izakaya restaurant with sushi, robatayaki, and cocktail lounge, operating in Philadelphia, Miami, and New York.
• Harp & Crown
• Sampan
• Independence Beer Garden
• Giuseppe & Sons
• Via Locusta
• Alpen Rose
• Prunella
• Pearl & Mary
• The Lesieur
• Dear Daphni
• DK Sushi
• Collective Catering
• Graffiti Bar
• Monkitail

Quantifiable outcome

• Best New Restaurant of 2016 - Philadelphia Magazine
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Elixr Coffee RoasterscoreTechnology or IntegrationElixr Coffee Roasters partnered with Double Knot to operate the coffee bar component of the bi-level restaurant. Evan Inatome of Elixr oversees the coffee program featuring Modbar pour-overs and nitro cold brew.
• Termini Bros. Bakery FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Schulson partnered with the Termini family (famed for their 100-year-old South Philly bakery) on Giuseppe & Sons restaurant, bringing generational Italian-American culinary heritage to Center City.
• Rohe CreativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design firm ROHE Creative designed multiple Schulson Collective restaurants including Harp & Crown and Dear Daphni, creating the distinctive ambiance and aesthetic for the portfolio.
• Yards Brewing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependence Beer Garden partnered with Yards Brewing Company to create exclusive beer offerings, including IBG Wheat beer.
• University of PennsylvaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDK Sushi operates within Franklin's Table Food Hall at UPenn's campus, partnering with the university for student dining.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves21 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Major Food Group: New York-based hospitality group operating multiple award-winning restaurant brands (Carbone, The Grill, Sadelle's) across cities. Comparable for multi-brand premium dining strategy and aggressive national expansion model Schulson is pursuing with Double Knot.
• Hillstone Restaurant Group: Privately-held, multi-brand upscale casual restaurant operator with national footprint including steakhouses and American concepts. Comparable for diversified portfolio spanning casual to upscale dining across multiple markets.
• Union Restaurant Group: Philadelphia-based multi-concept restaurant group. Closely comparable given shared Philadelphia footprint, similar multi-brand strategy, and overlapping trade areas with Schulson Collective's Center City venues.
• STARR Restaurants: Philadelphia-founded, multi-concept restaurant group operating 15+ restaurants across multiple cities and cuisines. The most direct comparable: similar Philadelphia roots, similar scale, similar celebrity-chef-founder (Stephen Starr) model, and similar approach to award-winning design-forward venues.
• Constellation Culinary Group: Hospitality group specializing in restaurants, catering, and special event venues on the East Coast. Directly comparable for the combination of restaurant operations and large-scale catering/event services Schulson provides through Collective Catering.
• Tao Group Hospitality: Multi-concept hospitality group operating restaurants, lounges, and event venues in major US cities. Directly comparable for the Double Knot NYC flagship competing in the same premium NYC dining market with Asian-influenced cuisine.
• LDV Hospitality: Operator of restaurant, bar, and event venues in NYC, Las Vegas, Miami, and other markets. Comparable for multi-concept urban hospitality group model with event/catering capabilities (similar to Collective Catering) and shared Miami presence competing with Double Knot Miami.
• David Burke Hospitality: Chef-founded multi-restaurant hospitality group. Comparable for celebrity-chef driven concept development, multiple NYC and regional venues, and design-forward premium positioning — Schulson previously worked at David Burke's Park Avenue Cafe.

Broad incumbents

• The ONE Group Hospitality: Public hospitality company operating STK Steakhouse and other premium restaurant/lounge concepts globally. Comparable for multi-brand steakhouse/izakaya-style concepts and urban expansion strategy; broader public-market incumbent.

Regional players

• Avenue Restaurant Group: Mid-Atlantic and East Coast multi-concept restaurant operator. Comparable for the multi-brand dining strategy with concepts at varying price points, though more concentrated in different regional markets than Schulson.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schulson-collective

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries16 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 Schulson Collective Llc