Starr Power

Stephen Starr Says He’s ‘Addicted’ to Opening Restaurants

He's got a few more on the way.
He’s got a few more on the way. Photo: Getty Images

Though consultant Clark Wolf jabs at Stephen Starr by saying his restaurants “do stuff that’s familiar and safe,” they nonetheless do well financially. His next big batch of plans includes a New York branch of El Vez, a Bronx Botanical Gardens project, and a Chelsea Market restaurant, so Crain’s gets the restaurateur to slow down to talk for a few minutes. “I’m like an addict,” he says. Starr says he’s hit his stride with Morimoto, Caffe Storico, and Buddakan — the latter, incidentally, pulls in $22 million a year — and his “bucket list” projects include a vegetarian place that isn’t “granola or hippie,” and also a “sexy” Indian restaurant. [Crain’s, Earlier]

Stephen Starr Says He’s ‘Addicted’ to Opening Restaurants