Observer Launches Its List of the Most Powerful People in the Nightlife and Dining Industry

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Nov 20, 2018, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Observer today released its inaugural Nightlife & Dining Power List, a comprehensive look at the most influential players in America's nightlife and dining industry. The list offers a definitive survey of the restaurateurs, chefs and group owners making the biggest impact on the food and beverage business in 2018, from the investors and decision-makers behind the scenes to the game changers in dining tech and operations who are driving innovation and clearing the path for what's next.

"The Nightlife & Dining Power List provides our audience of urban professionals a truly robust resource to find information about the people changing the restaurant and nightlife worlds," said Observer Media President James Karklins. "Plenty of food-world stories exist in other publications, but the Observer will differentiate itself by not just focusing on chefs, but the power and money behind them. These powerful players are reinventing the traditional dining experience and forcing change on how the industry operates."

The Most Powerful People on Observer's 2018 Nightlife & Dining Power list:

Grant Achatz	Co-Owner, The Alinea Group
Richie Akiva	Founder, The Butter Group
Jose Andres	Executive Chef and Founder, Think Food Group
Dan Barber	Executive Chef, Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Ashtin Berry	Bartender and Advocate
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz	Co-Founders, Boka Restaurant Group
Anthony Bourdain	Writer and Television Personality
Patrick O. Brown	CEO, Impossible Foods
Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick	Founders, Major Food Group
David Chang	Founder, Momofuku and Majordomo Media
Roy Choi	Co-owner, Founder and Chef, Kogi BBQ, Chego, A-Frame, Commissary, POT and LocoL
Ashley Christensen	Chef and Proprietor, Ashley Christensen Restaurants
Ravi DeRossi	Founder, DeRossi Global
Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook	Co-Founders, AnimaL
Tom Douglas	Chef and Founder, Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen
Aaron Franklin	Founder, Franklin BBQ
Ken Fulk	Founder, Ken Fulk Inc.
Benjamin and Max Goldberg	Co-Founders, Strategic Hospitality
David Grutman	Founder, Groot Hospitality
Calvin Harris	DJ
Josh Harris	Founding Partner, The Bon Vivants
Jen Hidinger-Kendrick	Co-Founder and Spokesperson, The Giving Kitchen
Martha Hoover	Founder and CEO, Patachou, Inc.
Daniel Humm and Will Guidara	Founders, Make It Nice Hospitality
Meherwan Irani	CEO, Co-founder and Executive Chef, Chai Pani Restaurant Group
LeBron James	Investor, Blaze Pizza
Thomas Keller	Founder, Thomas Keller Restaurants
Amanda Kludt	Editor-in-Chief, Eater
Jessica Koslow	Chef-Owner, Sqirl
Ben Leventhal	Co-Founder and CEO, Resy
Donald Link	Executive Chef and CEO, Link Restaurant Group
Barbara Lynch	Chef-Owner, The Barbara Lynch Collective
Danny Meyer	Founder and CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group
Amy Morris and Anna Polonsky	Co-Founders, The MP Shift
Gabriel Orta and Elad Zvi	Co-Founders, Bar Lab
Tejal Rao and Pete Wells	The New York Times Restaurant Critics
Clare Reichenbach	CEO, James Beard Foundation
Brooks Reitz	Leon's Oyster Shop, Little Jack's Tavern and Melfi's
Charlie Reyes	Founder, Audio Culture LLC
Caroline Rosen	Executive Director, Tales of the Cocktail
Sebastien Silvestri	COO, The Disruptive Group
Mike Solomonov	Cook 'N Solo Restaurant Partners
Stephen Starr	Founder and CEO, Starr Restaurants
Michael Symon	Chef and co-owner, Lola Bistro, Angeline, B Spot Burgers, Mabel's BBQ, Roast, Bar Symon
Noah Tepperberg	Co-Founder, Strategic Hospitality Group and TAO Group
Mike Thelin	Founder, Bolted Services

The most powerful people franchise is a series from Observer that explores how power affects the way we live. The lists include Fine Art, Residential Real Estate, Nightlife & Dining and PR and showcase the people and companies who have impacted their industry in a measurable way.

About Observer Media
Observer Media is a diversified media, information and services company with interests in digital media such as Observer and Commercial Observer, and information platforms including Realgraph.

About Observer
Observer is a digital media company, chronicling the world's power players in business, policy, entertainment, technology, art, travel, real estate and dining. Through credible, authoritative and thought-leadership content, Observer inspires and challenges an urban audience of global thinkers, business leaders and luxury consumers.

CONTACT: Brittany Hillyer, 404-408-1985, [email protected]

SOURCE Observer Media