Last year, celebrities like Kendall Jenner taylor swift and travis kelsey Eugene Rehm's restaurant has become so popular that bouncers are needed to keep the crowds away.
And his latest Manhattan venture, The Corner Store, opened in SoHo last month and has already hosted events such as: Gigi Hadid and Swift – It's a high-class “diner” that Rem has always wanted.
“It's a New York City joint, and it's unapologetic…all the New York food you love, with a touch of nostalgia thrown in for fun,” Lemm said. “At the end of the day, every brand we've ever been a part of started with the idea, 'We want to eat here.' ”
Lem, who started Catch Hospitality Group in 2011, has not focused on marketing or social, despite its success, hundreds of requests, expansion and social media proliferation, which he believes He says that the only “branding” is to provide a service. effective product.
“I don't think Nike or Apple or Range Rover want to make something that celebrities use. I think they just make great products and great people use them…Celebrities. I also like what other people like.”
As for novelty menu items like pizza rolls and sour cream and onion martinis, he concedes. “Some people might say it's kitschy. No, we're just happy. And I think it's okay to have a little fun when it comes to food. We don't have to take it so seriously. But if you want to make hot cream cheese croutons, you should have the right to do so.
And he said the city allows him to work at least 11 hours a day. Part of the reason is that social media is changing the restaurant business.
Instagram and TikTok are obsessed with The Corner Store. And while social media posts can almost singlehandedly make a restaurant depressed or popular, Lem admits that complicates matters.
“If you go back in time, [former New York Times food critic] “Pete Wells was trying to review a restaurant and thought it would take a month or two to get the restaurant off the ground,” Lem explained.
now?
“We found that people who have an opinion about restaurants need to go there in the first week because they want to spread that opinion further. It makes the stakes much higher and the pace is faster. You just have to get promoted in…” he said.
“The window for what makes something warm or not is very narrow…The only thing that sets you apart is how quickly you can get to the good stuff.”
Catch's social media accounts highlight moments such as the New York Rangers naming Catch Steak as their favorite restaurant, but Rehm acknowledges the need to stay organic.
“The truth is, so far we've been focused on creating good moments on Instagram, and we've failed every time,” he said. “And the other truth is that when you focus on creating great food that tastes really good and that people love, those are the most iconic moments.”
Lem's family moved from the Soviet Union to Rockaway, Queens, when he was 3 years old. After graduating from college on Long Island, I got a job in the mailroom of a major PR firm.
He went from mailroom to assistant, co-founded Casamigos Tequila with George Clooney, and started the nightlife world founded by Rande Gerber, who is married to Cindy Crawford, and New York restaurateur Steve Hansen. connected with the giant Gerber Group. They hired Lem to run Level V, a popular nightclub in the then-upstart Meatpacking District.
“I wasn't very good at school or the traditional American corporate world…so this was the only way I could support myself,” Lem jokes.
In 2011, he and partner Mark Birnbaum opened their own nightclub, Catch, which quickly grew into an entire hospitality group that included restaurants in Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, Las Vegas, Aspen, and New York. Refusing to be boxed in, Lem launched Rumble, a popular boxing fitness class that has spread across the United States.
Catch got a big boost in 2017 when The Landry Group was bought 50% by Texas billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who owns major chains like Bubba Gump's and Del Frisco's.
Although his brand has spread across the country, Lem believes it's important to remain based in New York.
“It's so hard to be on the beach and be a murderer…” he joked.
And Lem explains that now more than ever, he needs to become a killer to maintain what he's built, as he opens new restaurants and expands into new cities.
“So what is the definition of a brand? It's a promise. It's a promise that you'll have some kind of consistent experience from start to finish. One bad experience can ruin 20 years. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but a moment to lose it.”
Put another way:
“Steve Jobs always says marketing is stupid, right?'' Lem said. “Because if you have to market something, that means it's not good.”
