Hudson Yards Will Have a Restaurant From London’s ‘Restaurant King’

The Thomas Keller-selected restaurants at the huge Hudson Yards development will have a healthy dollop of the UK. D&D London — one of the biggest restaurant groups across the pond — has signed on to take over an 11,000-square-foot space in the complex, according to the Times.

It will be the first New York location for the group, which owns more than 30 restaurants like Bluebird, Quaglino’s, and the Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Angler. The New York restaurant will have an all-day cafe, but the rest of the menu and idea is still being determined. They are also interviewing chefs.

A partner in the company Des Gunewardena, who has been dubbed London’s “restaurant king,” tells Flo Flab that the group is best known “buzzy, glamorous, lively, and fun” restaurants. Many of them are chic hotspots with an upscale bent. D&D also rakes in a lot of cash. In 2016, the company had about $136 million in sales. Earnings before interest and taxes went up by 16 percent to £13 million, or about $16 million, as well.

Keller and Hudson Yards developer Related Companies’ Kenneth Himmel are tasked with finding several restaurateurs for a seven-story retail and dining complex at the development. For one, Keller officially plans to open a location of Bouchon Bakery at the project, as well as a full-service American restaurant at Hudson Yards. (Note: a spokesperson previously said Bouchon restaurant would be in the space.)

Chef Jose Andres and Greek food restaurateur Costas Spiliadis also plan to open restaurants there, and Hudson Yards will have a food hall, as well. The development will open in stages, starting next year.

It’s no surprise that a deep-pocketed restaurant group like D&D with dozens of locations has snagged one of the spots. Last year, Himmel said that they needed operators “who can muster millions of dollars to build out their space.” With the announcement, that leaves about five more restaurant slots still open.

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