Financing

Jose Andres takes over The Bazaar from SBE

The move will allow Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup to expand the concept outside of SBE properties.
The Bazaar by Jose Andres

Jose Andres’ ThinkFoodGroup has taken over ownership of the celebrity chef’s The Bazaar by Jose Andres concept from the SBE hospitality group, the companies announced Tuesday.

The Bazaar, a large-footprint concept serving tapas and Spanish spirits, currently has four units inside SBE’s SLS hotel locations, and the restaurant will continue to expand with SLS. But the acquisition frees up ThinkFoodGroup to grow beyond the hotel chain.

Details of the deal were not disclosed.

“The Bazaar is a concept very dear to me, and one of my most exciting and rewarding creations as a chef, especially its constantly evolving nature that makes each one new and different,” Andres said in a statement.  “While SLS has been and will continue to be an excellent home for Bazaar, now being able to assume full control of the brand allows me and my team to explore all its possibilities and continued evolution, throughout the globe.”

SBE’s portfolio includes multiple hotel brands as well as Umami Burger, Katsuya, Cleo and several other restaurant concepts.

Last month, French hospitality group Accor SA announced it would take a 50% stake in SBE as part of a push to gain more traction in the U.S. market while also growing some of SBE’s brands internationally, according to media reports.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners