Management and Concepts
Aquavit
65 East 55th Street, NYC
www.aquavit.org
Håkan Swahn opened Aquavit in 1987 and quickly defined haute Scandinavian cuisine on the New York restaurant scene. Marcus Samuelsson brought the restaurant additional acclaim when he became its Executive Chef in 1995. Only 3 months later Aquavit received a coveted three-star review from Ruth Reichl at The New York Times.
Seventeen years and several awards and reviews later, Aquavit made a bold move into the future, relocating from 54th street & 5th Avenue to 55th street & Park Avenue in December 2004. After a momentous redesign, the traditional cuisine of Scandinavia is now linked with the extraordinary design of modern Scandinavian masters.
August
359 Bleeker Street, NYC
www.augustny.com
In 2005, TRG was retained by August, a casual regional European bistro, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the business, to increase profitability and to improve overall operations. At August, TRG implemented a 6-month program addressing menu offerings, service standards, physical plant issues, human resource procedures, and financials.
Additionally, TRG scouted and hired a new General Manager to oversee operations. Presently, TRG is working with August to address operational improvements and marketing opportunities that will help ensure continued success for this neighborhood favorite.
C-House
166 East Superior Street, Chicago
www.c-houserestaurant.com
C-House, an American inspired seafood and chophouse, opened in June 2008 in the Affinia Chicago Hotel. Focusing on seasonal seafood and regional produce, C-House serves a wide array of exceptional seafood and meat items prepared simplistically. The restaurant boasts a bar & lounge and a year-round roof-top deck, ideal for cocktails and small bites. The C-Bar is a focal point of the restaurant, a beautiful show kitchen in the heart of the space where guests can watch their food being prepared right before their eyes.
Riingo
205 East 45th Street, NYC
www.riingo.com
Riingo, a modern New American/Japanese fusion restaurant, opened in January 2004 to rave reviews. Located in the David Rockwell-designed Alex Hotel on Manhattan’s East Side, TRG developed the concept and identity for the restaurant, supervised the design and construction, hired the Executive Chef, General Manager and other key personnel, and implemented all operational systems.
TRG continues to manage the restaurant on an ongoing basis, including all restaurant operations, the private dining facilities and any in-house and off-site events and other marketing initiatives.
Streetfood
Centralen, Stockholm, Sweden
www.streetfoodrestaurant.se
In collaboration with SSP, Marcus has created recipes inspired from his journeys around the globe to bring you the genuine flavors of the world's greatest street foods. At Street Food, we serve food for those who want to eat and feel great, creating well-balanced flavors prepared with thought and care.
AQ Café
58 Park Avenue, NYC
www.aquavit.org
TRG, in partnership with Aquavit restaurant, owns and operates AQ CAFÉ, a casual Scandinavian quick-service restaurant, located in Scandinavia House on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. AQ CAFÉ opened in 2001 as small casual lunch destination that would introduce Scandinavian comfort food to New York City, while giving back to the Scandinavian community.
Since opening, AQ CAFÉ has consistently increased sales and profitability while garnering a following of loyal customers. This has inspired the development of a scalable, niche, fast casual spin-off of AQ CAFÉ. TRG anticipates the the first two units to open in New York 2008.