The Under-the-Radar Power Player Opening Four Super-Sized NYC Restaurants
The restaurateur will also be opening the 11,300 square-foot Giulietta (200 Park Avenue, at East 45th Street) in the MetLife Building in late January, on the bones of Cafe Centro and Beer Garden. With 275 indoor seats and 100 outside, it will be an Italian Riviera-inspired all-day casual spot celebrating coastal cuisine. Look for veal Milanese on the bone, large-format salads, pizzas, pastas, and a one-pound burrata. There is a separate 150-seat outdoor bar and lounge area called Giardino that will stay open nine months a year. 'We are trying to create a Mediterranean escape in the middle of Grand Central,' Barak said.
Outside Mama Mezze. Heather Willensky
Even on his expansion tear, he has not abandoned La Pecora Bianca; Barak is planning one in the Theater District at 1633 Broadway between West 50th and West 51 streets, with 175 indoor seats and 125 outside; and another at 61 Columbus Avenue, in the space that has been home to Rosa Mexicano, across from Lincoln Center. Though he signed the lease nearly a year ago, Rosa Mexicano wouldn't vacate the sprawling space with 250 seats inside and 50 al fresco.
'They refused to leave, but after the landlord took them to court they finally agreed,' said Barak, who will be doing a gut renovation on the space, with plans to open next summer.
Each location will have unique dishes and design. 'We will have a more maximalist design approach,' he said, pointing to plans for Neapolitan pizza on the menu as well as homemade pastas.
La Pecora Bianca will also expand outside of New York for the first time, opening in Coral Gables, Florida, in the fall of 2026.
Barak maintains he has a greater goal than just growing his business – he wants to increase the level of compensation and benefits for restaurant employees.
'We've had a lot of opportunities coming to us, and the more we expand, the more we can do for our team,' he said. He intends to offer industry benefits 'that I took for granted in the corporate world,' such as 'medical security for themselves and their families, equity plans, and a 401K with a six-percent match by the company, which most restaurant groups don't offer.'
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