The Miami-based restaurant group Groot Hospitality likes to stay in its lane.
But it so happens that its lane—or at least that of co-founder and celebrity magnet David Grutman—is one that includes big, glamorous restaurants, nightclubs and hotels that serve as a playground for A-list celebrities. They are often described with terms like “over the top” and “eyewateringly expensive.”
Oh, and also making movies, TV shows or documentaries. And potentially providing food-and-beverage services for voyagers in space balloons that will travel to the edge of the atmosphere for six hours.
That said, it’s clear Groot Hospitality has a certain expertise.
“When people come to our venues, they look for this experience. I think that’s one thing we’ve been able to deliver on,” said Chris Cuomo, Groot’s director of operations. “They want the glitz. They want the glamor. They want the luxury. They want the vibe and the energy, along with the food and service. They come to us for that.”
Three of Groot Hospitality’s restaurants are among the highest-grossing venues in the country, according to this year’s Top 100 Independent Restaurants published by Restaurant Business.
Komodo Miami, Grutman’s first restaurant, was launched in 2015 with restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow (China Grill, Asia de Cuba and “The Restaurant” reality show). It’s a 350-seat venue that ranked No. 3 on the Top 100 list, boasting $37.2. million in sales in 2022 with an average check of $126.
At No. 27 on the list is Papi Steak, a relatively more intimate concept with only about 100 seats created by David “Papi” Einhorn (not the hedge fund billionaire, a different David Einhorn). The way Cuomo tells the story, Einhorn was a friend of Grutman who used to grill terrific steaks in his backyard. The grill master told Grutman of his dream of opening a restaurant in Miami.
“We were working on something else, and David called me and said, ‘Hey, I want to make a steakhouse with Papi,’” said Cuomo. It opened in 2018.
Now the concept is known for extravagance and spectacle. A signature menu item is a $1,000 tomahawk cut that can be ordered in a diamond-crusted “Beef Case” and, with great fanfare, is branded tableside before being cooked. Papi Steak’s sales last year topped $23 million with an average check of $230 per person.
@ashlivvv @papisteak is an experience 🥩🍾✨ #fyp#papisteak#miamirestaurants#tiktokfood#miamifoodie#wagyu♬ Major Bag Alert (feat. Migos) - DJ Khaled
And then there’s Swan at No. 45 with more than $19 million in sales last year in Miami’s Design District. It’s another big restaurant with 218 seats, opened four years ago in partnership with music producer Pharrell Williams, who is also a partner in Groot Hospitality’s Goodtime Hotel in South Beach and a resort under development in the Bahamas.
Swan is a partnership with music producer Pharrell Williams in Miami. |Photo courtesy of Groot Hospitality.
On the Top 100 ranking, there are other large, multiconcept restaurant groups with more high-volume restaurants on the list. Starr Restaurants, for example, takes the prize this year with eight Top 100 concepts.
But it’s a crown Starr may not hold for long.
Opening big
For Groot Hospitality, 2023 was a big year of growth, and the restaurants the group opened are likely future contenders for the Top 100.
Last year, the concept Gekko joined the mix, a Japanese steakhouse in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood that was opened in partnership with rapper/singer Bad Bunny, in the former space of Katsuya in the SLS Hotel. It’s on the same street as Komodo, Cuomo notes, “but it was a no brainer to take over this amazing second-generation space.”
In October this year came Casadonna, a stunning 20,000-square-foot indoor/outdoor restaurant on the waterfront in Miami in a historic spot that was once the Miami Women’s Club. Guests can pull up on their boats and the venue offers a glittering view of the Miami skyline.
The indoor/outdoor Casadonna was a revamp of the historic former Miami Women's Club. | Photo courtesy of Ngoc Minh Ngo.
This 366-seat restaurant was opened in a unique partnership with Tao Group Hospitality (Tao Asian Bistro, Hakkasan, Lavo), another group known for big, glamorous restaurants that was acquired by Mohari Hospitality earlier this year. Tao Group was co-founded by Noah Tepperberg, who, as it happens, is Grutman’s best friend.
“Noah was the best man at [Grutman’s] wedding, and they always talked about doing business together,” said Cuomo. “A lot of people were surprised by the partnership, but it’s something we wanted to do for a long time.”
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Then in December, the long-awaited Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened on the strip, a 67-story, 3,644-room luxury resort. There, amid a gathering of big name celebs ranging from Kim Kardashian to Sylvester Stallone, Groot Hospitality opened second locations for Komodo and Papi Steak, as well as Groot’s nightlife venue Liv.
Groot Hospitality’s locations in Vegas are as big, if not bigger, than the original locations in Miami. The Papi Steak here has 60 more seats, for example.
Papi Steak Las Vegas at the Fontainebleau is 160 seats, bigger than the original. | Photo courtesy of Jeff Green.
In fact, the Las Vegas openings were really a continuation of Grutman’s relationship with Fontainebleau Development, which opened the resort. Grutman’s nightclub concept Liv first opened at the Fontainebleau Miami.
“The plan was always to be a part of Vegas,” said Cuomo, who also met Grutman at the Fontainebleau Miami.
Before he joined Groot eight years ago, Cuomo was the GM at Scott Conant’s Scarpetta concept there (which has since closed), where Grutman would hang out and talk about plans for Las Vegas. And Cuomo ended up being pulled into Groot to lead restaurant operations.
Deep pockets
All of this growth has been possible in part with support from Live Nation Entertainment, which acquired a 51% stake in Groot Hospitality in 2019.
“Having such an amazing entertainment group as our partner has really allowed us to help build our infrastructure and plan a growth strategy,” said Cuomo. “They’ve been such amazing partners to us.”
Now with Fontainebleau Las Vegas almost entirely open (Groot will add another “day-life” venue called Liv Beach next year), Cuomo said the company is looking at both domestic and international growth elsewhere for existing concepts.
In the meantime, however, Grutman continues to throw new ideas into the mix, like the entertainment production company and space balloon opportunity.
It should be noted that the space balloon isn’t operational yet, and, when and if it is, Cuomo isn’t going up in it. “I’m afraid of aliens,” he said. “It’s kind of a personal thing.”
And, besides, Grutman will probably want to go and they can’t both go up in space, he said. Someone has to stay on earth and manage things like the hiring of 500 or so workers for the Las Vegas venues and navigating the brands through what Cuomo sees as a softening in the industry—even within the money-is-no-object stratosphere in which Groot concepts operate.
“People are curbing their spending and how frequently they dine out,” he said.
But when they do go out and splash some cash, diners know they’ll get the vibe and energy they expect at star-studded restaurants like Komodo, Papi Steak and Swan, he said.
“That’s what we deliver, and that’s why we’re successful,” said Cuomo. “For us, it’s important to stay in our lane and focus on what we’re good at.”