apres cru

What apres cru does

Apres Cru Hospitality is a New York-based, privately-held hospitality investment and management firm founded in 2021. The firm creates and invests in restaurant and hospitality brands, partnering with chefs and operators to provide capital alongside operational support across finance, operations, marketing, real estate, and technology. Its portfolio spans approximately 11-14 concepts, including fine dining (Restaurant Marc Forgione, Peasant, One Fifth, Petit Trois, Trois Mec), cocktail bars (PDT in NYC and Hong Kong), and casual/fast-casual concepts (Crif Dogs, Glaze, Pig & Khao, Delphine, Kees, Mixteca, Tacos1986) across NYC, LA, Chicago, Hong Kong, and Baja.

The firm's model combines equity ownership with hands-on management services. Revenue streams include investment returns from portfolio company exits and ongoing operations, management and strategic advisory fees, and, more recently, branded CPG product lines (PDT custom cocktail mixers, distributed via B2B channels including JetBlue's Mint class). Underlying technology consists of a data-driven operations platform providing real-time financial and operational visibility across portfolio brands. The firm's core technology appears to be standard restaurant operations tooling — POS integrations, financial reporting, and BI dashboards — rather than proprietary AI or ML infrastructure.

The go-to-market approach is relationship-driven, targeting hospitality entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and established hospitality corporations with flexible partnership structures rather than running structured outbound sales. The firm was founded by three partners — Sabato Sagaria, Dustin Wilson (Master Sommelier, formerly Eleven Madison Park), and Eric Engler (finance, formerly Reservoir Capital Group and D.E. Shaw) — and has built an operating team of 1-10 including a CFO, VP of Marketing, and regional operations directors. The firm's competitive differentiation rests on its roster of celebrity chef partners (Ludo Lefebvre, Marc Forgione, Leah Cohen, Jeff Bell, Paul Krug), whose collective credentials include 15 Michelin stars, 6 Wine Spectator Grand Awards, and 5 five-star hotel postings.

Name

apres cru

Legal name

Apres Cru Hospitality

Website

https://aprescru.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Apres Cru Hospitality is a New York-based, private hospitality investment and management firm founded in 2021 that creates and invests in restaurant brands, partnering with celebrity chefs to provide capital and operational support across a portfolio of ~11-14 concepts in NYC, LA, Chicago, Hong Kong, and Baja.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Investment & Management

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer & Retail Growth Equity (FSANACAC)

Keywords

• Hospitality investment
• Restaurant management
• Hospitality consulting
• Restaurant partnership
• Hospitality advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Apres Cru creates and invests in hospitality brands, generating returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies and successful restaurant exits.
2. Management and Strategic Advisory: Provides strategic insights and resources across operations, finance, technology, real estate to portfolio brands, likely earning management fees or advisory income.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Apres Cru creates and invests in hospitality and restaurant brands, providing capital alongside operational, financial, technology, and real estate expertise. The firm partners with chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality entrepreneurs through flexible equity and management structures, taking operational roles in portfolio brands such as PDT, Crif Dogs, Pig & Khao, Restaurant Marc Forgione, Peasant, One Fifth, Glaze, Petit Trois, and Trois Mec.

Product overview

Apres Cru Hospitality is a hospitality management and investment firm that creates and invests in extraordinary restaurant and hospitality brands. The company offers a portfolio of invested/partnered restaurant brands including fine dining establishments (Restaurant Marc Forgione, Peasant, One Fifth), cocktail bars (PDT), casual concepts (Crif Dogs, Glaze teriyaki), Southeast Asian cuisine (Pig & Khao), and French dining (Petit Trois, Trois Mec). Beyond brand investment, the company provides operational support including strategic insights across operations, finance, technology, real estate, and business development to help partners grow their businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospitality Management & Investment Services End-to-end hospitality investment and management partnership offering capital investment, strategic insight, and operational support across finance, operations, technology, real estate, and marketing for independent chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality companies.
• PDT (Please Don't Tell)

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PDT (Please Don't Tell)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaging partner Jeff Bell leads PDT in New York and Hong Kong. Under his leadership, the PDT brand has expanded to include a location at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. PDT has also launched a line of custom cocktail mixers for B2B clients.
• Crif DogscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner brand managed alongside PDT under Jeff Bell's leadership. A NYC-based hot dog establishment with cult following.
• Pig & KhaocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef-Owner Leah Cohen operates this acclaimed NYC restaurant featuring Southeast Asian street food-inspired cuisine. The 74-seat restaurant has received notable praise from The New York Times, New York Magazine, and The Huffington Post.
• Respect Hospitality (Marc Forgione)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Marc Forgione is chef/partner of Respect Hospitality, owning Restaurant Marc Forgione in Tribeca, Peasant in Nolita, and One Fifth in Greenwich Village. Chef Forgione is known for winning 'The Next Iron Chef' Season 3.
• L'Esperance Hospitality (Ludo Lefebvre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Ludo Lefebvre operates L'Esperance Hospitality, including Trois Mec and Petit Trois in Los Angeles. Ludo is one of the most influential chefs in LA dining and is named among the 'World's 50 Greatest Chefs' by Relais & Chateaux.
• GlazecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Krug founded Glaze in NYC in 2010 with the goal of elevating the American teriyaki shop. Glaze has locations across NYC including Union Square, Williamsburg, Midtown East, Bryant Park, and Hudson Square, plus a ghost kitchen in Chicago.
• Bluestone LaneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Krug co-founded Bluestone Lane in 2013, a Melbourne-inspired NYC-based cafe concept. He served as Co-CEO and was instrumental in building the multi-unit business.
• KeesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio brand included in the Apres Cru hospitality portfolio.
• MixtecaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio brand included in the Apres Cru hospitality portfolio.
• Tacos1986minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortfolio brand included in the Apres Cru hospitality portfolio.
• DelphineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelphine restaurant in Baja, included in the Apres Cru hospitality portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tao Group Hospitality: Restaurant and nightlife operator/investor (TAO, Hakkasan, Lavo, Cathedrale) with a multi-concept, multi-city portfolio approach to upscale hospitality. Publicly traded (Nasdaq), providing a capital-structure contrast to Apres Cru while sharing the multi-brand operator thesis.
• Mercer Street Hospitality (Starr Restaurants): Stephen Starr's Philadelphia/New York restaurant group operating 30+ concepts across fine dining, casual, and event spaces. Closely comparable as a multi-brand operator with strong chef partnerships and award-winning concepts.
• Hogsalt Hospitality: Chicago-based restaurant group (Au Cheval, Bavette's, 4 Charles Prime Rib) that operates and invests across a portfolio of chef-driven concepts. Comparable to Apres Cru's model of building a curated portfolio of distinct, award-winning brands under one operational umbrella.
• Altamarea Group: Restaurant investment and management group founded by Chef Michael White and partners (Marea, Costata, Osteria Morini, Due). Shares Apres Cru's investment-and-partner-with-chefs approach in upscale Italian and Mediterranean dining.
• Union Square Hospitality Group: Danny Meyer's multi-concept restaurant group encompassing fine dining, casual, and hospitality-adjacent brands (Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, Shake Shack historically). Directly comparable to Apres Cru as a portfolio-style operator/investor in chef-driven brands; Apres Cru's CFO Will St. Pierre spent 10 years at USHG, evidencing shared DNA.
• Major Food Group: Restaurant investment and operating group behind Carbone, Sadelle's, The Grill, and Dirty French. Directly comparable business model of partnering with celebrity chefs (Rich Torrisi, Mario Carotenuto) to build and scale premium restaurant brands across multiple cities.
• Catch Hospitality Group: Operator of Catch, Catch Steak, and The Daisy across NYC, LA, Las Vegas, and Aspen. Comparable premium-positioned, multi-city restaurant portfolio model with strong brand-equity leverage.
• EMM Group: Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum's hospitality group (Catch, Lexington Brass, The Musket Room). Shares Apres Cru's chef/brand partnership approach and NYC-based portfolio strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Delaware North: Large, diversified hospitality and food service company (sports venues, airports, parks, restaurants). Comparable in that Apres Cru's VP of Marketing Chris Quinlan previously led Brands & Concepts at Delaware North; however, Delaware North is a much broader incumbent operating at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Wonder: Multi-brand meal delivery and ghost-kitchen platform featuring celebrity chef concepts. Comparable as a portfolio-style operator partnering with high-profile chefs (Bobby Flay, José Andrés); Apres Cru's Chris Quinlan was previously Director of Partnerships at Wonder, evidencing shared talent-network relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apres-cru-hospitality

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 apres cru