Umami Burger to Open Second New York City Location, Launching New Elevated Culinary Concept, Umami Prime, and Privilege Rooftop on Manhattan's Iconic 57th Street

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- sbe, the leading international hospitality group that develops, manages and operates award-winning global hospitality brands, announces the upcoming opening of its second Umami Burger location in New York City, and first Umami Prime. The creation of Umami Prime is part of the evolution of the Umami Burger brand under the new direction of Chief Operating Officer of Umami Burger, Chef Nate Appleman, the recipient of the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef award.

Simultaneously, sbe will be opening its first Privilege rooftop and a "grab and go corner" on ground floor serving everything from coffee to light sandwiches at the newly renovated Le Méridien New York in partnership with Arden Group (AG), a privately held real estate fund manager, investor and operator. The venues are located just steps away from Central Park in Midtown Manhattan on West 57th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Umami Prime and Privilege will make their debut at Le Méridien in Spring 2020.

The Umami Prime space, with over 4,900 square feet, will be designed by award winning interior designer David Rockwell and offers direct access to 57th Street. The space will hold over 130 seats. Privilege rooftop's 2,300 square foot venue will host indoor and outdoor seating for up to 75 guests, with breathtaking views of New York City and Central Park. The Privilege bar program will be led by sbe's award winning Beverage Director, Gui Jaroschy, who will be creating an elevated mixology menu customized for this location.

Sam Nazarian, Founder & CEO of sbe, states: "I am very excited to announce the opening of our second Umami location in Manhattan and our first Umami Prime under the vision of Chef Nate Appleman, COO of Umami Burger, which marks our 28th location globally. I am also thrilled to bring Privilege mixology to New York City, by our very own award winning Beverage Director, Gui Jaroschy. It's an honor to partner with Arden Group and its CEO Craig A. Spencer, owner of the newly renovated Le Méridien located on iconic 57th Street."

Craig A. Spencer, CEO of Arden Group, states: "Partnering with Sam and his world class organization, sbe, in launching the first Umami Prime and Privilege Lounge on our rooftop is an exciting venture that will no doubt enhance the experience and value of the Le Méridien Central Park."

René Bardel, Arden Group Managing Director, added: "This partnership completes our mosaic plan for a total rebranding of the hotel combining the strength of Marriott's Global Le Méridien brand with another global giant sbe, Umami and Privilege."

Umami Burger currently has over 27 locations globally, including 16 locations in major cities in the U.S. including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and five locations internationally in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, as well as in Nassau, Bahamas, Mexico City, Querétaro, and Pueblas, Mexico. In the next phase of growth for Umami Burger, sbe plans to open in the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

In partnership with Arden Group, sbe will also debut Privilege at Le Méridien in New York. The chic rooftop will be the second location, following the successful first opening at SLS Baha Mar, and will showcase sweeping views of Central Park. The Privilege menu will feature the brand's playful decadence of signature cocktails and light bites crafted by sbe's award winning Beverage Director, Gui Jaroschy.

This announcement comes on the heels of sbe and Accor's commitment to open over 100 Umami Burger restaurants across the globe in the next seven years. Umami Le Méridien marks the second location for the brand in New York joining the existing Umami Burger Brookfield Place.

Umami launched in May 2019, 'The Hampton Burger' as an exclusive culinary creation by Jesse Bongiovi. Jesse and his father, Jon Bon Jovi have created an incredible award-winning rosé wine venture known as 'Hampton Water' which is sold at all Umami Burger locations. Jesse Bongiovi and Jon Bon Jovi joined a roster of celebrities who have worked with UMAMI'S ARTIST SERIES including the iconic Cindy Crawford, Jaden Smith, international acclaimed Chef Daniel Boulud, actors Andy Samberg, Cameron Dallas, and music group The Black Keys.

Umami Prime and Privilege will be located at Le Méridien New York at 120 W 57th Street. Umami Prime will be open from 6am to 11pm, 7 days a week offering breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Privilege rooftop will operate from 5pm to 2am offering signature cocktails and light bites.

The Umami Prime menu developed by Chef Nate Appleman will feature breakfast with a mix of items including fresh juices, smoothies, grain porridges with cashew milk, overnight oats, Umami breakfast burgers and eggs with house made "Impossible" breakfast sausage.

Lunch will be burger-focused featuring Umami staples like the namesake "Umami," Original Impossible Burger, Wag-yU-Mami, and Sam's Crispy Chicken but also offer salads like the "All Green Everything" and rice and grain bowls with plant based and non-plant based proteins.

Dinner will also feature burgers but will host a more upscale offering, including everything from dishes featuring raw fish to American bred Wagyu steaks and finishing off the menu with Umami's famous UFO dessert - a tempura fried oat and chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauces.

For more information on Umami Burger visit umamiburger.com or follow @umamiburger or #umamiburger on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Umami Burger

Founded in Los Angeles in 2009, Umami Burger has been named GQ's "Burger of the Year," Men's Journal's "Best Burger in America" and one of the "25 Most Innovative Consumer Brands of 2016" by Forbes' CircleUp25. Currently, Umami Burger has over 27 locations globally including in California, New York, Illinois, Nevada, Japan, Bahamas and Mexico with additional locations planned around the world. sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hospitality venues, is Umami Burger's majority shareholder. For more information on Umami Burger, please visit umamiburger.com or follow @umamiburger or #umamiburger on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

About sbe

Established in 2002 by Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately-held, leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. Through exclusive partnerships with cultural visionaries, sbe is devoted to creating extraordinary experiences throughout its proprietary brands with a commitment to authenticity, sophistication, mastery and innovation. Following the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, the pioneer of boutique lifestyle hotels, in partnership with Accor, sbe has an unparalleled global portfolio which will see 29 hotels and over 180 global world-renowned culinary, nightlife and entertainment venues by the end of 2019. The company is uniquely positioned to offer a complete lifestyle experience - from nightlife, food & beverage and entertainment to hotels and residences, and through its innovative customer loyalty and rewards program, The Code, as well as its award-winning international real estate development subsidiary, Dakota Development - all of which solidify sbe as the preeminent leader across hospitality. The company's established and upcoming hotel brands include SLS Hotel & Residences, Delano, Mondrian, The Redbury, HYDE Hotel & Residences, and The House of Originals. In addition, sbe has the following internationally acclaimed restaurants and lounges under subsidiary Disruptive Restaurant Group: Katsuya by Chef Katsuya Uechi, Umami Burger, Cleo, Fi'lia, Carna by Dario Cecchini, Leynia and Diez y Seis by Chef José Icardi, HYDE Lounge, S Bar, Doheny Room, Nightingale, Skybar, Bond, and Privilege. To learn more, visit sbe.com.

About Arden Group

Arden Group, headquartered in Philadelphia is a vertically integrated real estate fund manager focused on commercial real estate equity and debt investments in the top 25 US MSA's. Founded in 1989, Arden has acquired in excess of $4 billion of properties through joint ventures and its discretionary investment funds and managed over $9 billion of commercial real estate assets. Arden Group has been ranked #1 globally by Preqin for 2017, 2018 & 2019 as the Most Consistent Closed End Private Real Estate Fund Manager for All Funds, All Strategies". Visit www.ardengroup.com.

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SOURCE sbe