Top Chef Alumni Newsletter

Onetime Top Chef Finalist Brian Malarkey Eyes San Francisco Expansion

He's a hat guy.
He’s a hat guy. Photo: Courtesy of Searsucker

San Diego chef and Top Chef: Miami finalist Brian Malarkey has built quite the empire for himself down south, with five restaurants in and around San Diego all with fabric-based names — Denim, Burlap, Gabardine, Gingham, and his Gaslamp flagship, Searsucker. (Sidenote: Grub Street has eaten at Searsucker in recent months, and it’s pretty good! Especially for San Diego.) He and business partner James Brennan are opening a branch of Searsucker in Scottsdale, Arizona this fall, and he just told Eater LA that he’s got expansion plans for San Francisco, Santa Monica, and Orange County in the works, and he hasn’t yet decided which will come next. Given what a tough crowd S.F. can be, we’re going to wager that he’ll stay down south for now, but who knows! And re: Eater’s possible name suggestions, we’ll vote for Tweed or Wool over Hemp. [Eater LA]

Onetime Top Chef Finalist Brian Malarkey Eyes San Francisco Expansion