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Wolfgang Puck at The Borgata: Sets His Sights on Doha

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: One Borgata Way [map], Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, 08401
November 28, 2012 at 5:17 PM | by | Comments (0)

We had the pleasure of being invited to the recent Savor Borgata Event in Atlantic City where chefs Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, Geoffrey Zakarian and others were there presenting food demos and a huge culinary showcase for a crowd we were delighted to see come out in droves to support the city just a week after Hurricane Sandy hit.

We were lucky enough to spend a few minutes interviewing some of the chefs. We talked about some of their holiday plans, and more importantly what’s on their hotel horizon.

We spoke with the personable Wolfgang Puck:

HC:What's next on your hotel restaurant agenda?
Wolfgang Puck:We expand very slowly. Every year there are 50 deals presented to me. We are very choosy with who we go with, just like you're choosy with who you marry. The number one thing, we know we only want to be with very upscale hotels. So if someone would have asked me if I wanted to go with Caesars, I would have said no. We have not gone to bed with Marriott or Sheraton. Not that we won't one day, they are first class hotels internationally. The Hyatt in Tokyo is amazing.

HC: Is there a particular hotel group you are interested in right now?
WP:We are talking with the Waldorf in Shanghai, a hotel in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and in Doha. We will be opening four restaurants in the Middle East. But there will be a restaurant in Bahrain, and a Spago in Doha for sure by 2014. We are also talking to Rosewood Group. Maybe take over the Mansion? I did consulting there already. We will move forward. Slowly, though. If I don't have the people, I don't move forward.
WP: I think what's really important is that a restaurant brand, at whatever level it is, needs to make sense in the hotel it's in. It doesn't make sense to have a CUT in a Marriott if the room rate is $160 and the dinner is $140. If the room rate is $600, then it's okay. But, a Bar &Grill or a Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar would be fine inside a Marriott.

Next we'll speak to Michael Mina, who has a few bites to share!

[Photos: Chanize Thorpe/HotelChatter]

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