How Robert De Niro Created a Restaurant Empire: The Nobu Case Study...
Did you know acting legend Robert De Niro is the mastermind behind the high end restaurant Nobu? Okay cool, not just me then! Let's get into how Nobu was formed...
Happy New Week,
Did you know acting legend Robert De Niro is the mastermind behind the high-end restaurant Nobu? Okay cool, not just me then! In 1994, Robert De Niro and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa opened up Nobu New York, the first of the Nobu restaurant chain, and here’s how it all started.
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa is a world-famous culinary chef and is widely known by his first name. Born and raised in Japan, Nobu studied to become a chef and got a job in a Tokyo restaurant when he was 18. Soon, the Japanese-Peruvian workers there persuaded him to move to Peru to open his own restaurant. After three years in Peru, Nobu's relationship with his partner deteriorated and the restaurant went bust. He moved to Argentina, and business there was slow so he decided to move back to Japan. Not long after, Chef Nobu was told about an opportunity to be part of a new Japanese restaurant in Alaska looking for a business partner.
He borrowed $15,000 from a friend, adding to all the debt he racked up from two previous failed restaurants. After nine months of preparation, Nobu had his grand opening and the restaurant was taking off, a few weeks later, Chef Nobu got a call saying his restaurant was on fire. Nobu was devastated and even felt suicidal. Not too long afterward, he accepted an invitation from a friend to work at a small sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. He worked there for 6 years, perfected his craft, and then in 1987, a close friend invested $70,000 so Nobu could open his own place, Matsuhisa, in Beverly Hills.
Chef Nobu struck culinary gold, with Matsuhisa. His restaurant became a celebrity hotspot attracting celebrities such as Robert De Niro. After his meal, he invited Chef Nobu to join them for a drink and that was their first-ever conversation. In 1989 De Niro suggested that they should start a restaurant together in New York. Matsuhisa had only opened two years earlier, and chef Nobu was really busy. De Niro insisted that he should at least come to New York and see, De Niro’s enthusiasm convinced him to go.
Although De Niro’s proposal was very attractive, Chef Nobu felt that he should build a solid foundation for Matsuhisa first. De Niro continued to drop into Matsuhisa, and chef Nobu continued to treat him like a regular guest, serving him his favourite, Black Cod with Miso, and suggesting newly invented dishes that he thought he might enjoy. When he came, he never mentioned his proposal for a joint venture in New York. In fact, he teamed up with restaurateur Drew Nieporent and turned the property he had shown Nobu into the Tribeca Grill, a restaurant serving American food, which opened in 1990.
Four years after Chef Nobu had turned down his offer, De Niro called him at his home and said “So, Nobu, how about it? Why don’t you come to New York again?”. In the end Chef Nobu came on board, restaurateur Drew Nieporent, investor Meir Teper, and Robert De Niro all came together to create the restaurant we all know today, Nobu. The restaurant chain has grown to 50 gourmet restaurants, and 13 luxury hotels across London, Ibiza, Dubai, Barcelona, Miami, Las Vegas, and more.
My favourite thing about this story is how Robert De Niro was able to pull together the right people to make his restaurant dream come true. He partnered with his favourite chef, got an investor, and a restaurateur with great knowledge about the restaurant business and a ton of experience. Everyone brought in value, they all had a specific set of skills and experience. Drew handled restaurant management and the PR so chef Nobu could leave all that in his hands and just focus on the sushi bar, the kitchen, and the dining room.
The reason it’s worked so well between us for over 20 years is that we both have our own talent to offer, we complement each other’, Chef Nobu
With a popular chef like Nobu and a well-known movie star coming together, Nobu New York quickly became an exclusive New York City restaurant, filled with popular celebrities and business people. The wait to get a table was so long that they had to open a restaurant next door called, Nobu Next Door.
Nobu is a great success for many reasons. Although the founders have very strong brands, which of course is a bonus, Nobu invests a lot in their dining experience. For example, they have the Chef’s table where the customer gets to create their own menu with the chef. They also promote sharing dishes, when Nobu started they wanted to introduce the idea that the best experience is to share. In Asia, it is very common to share dishes but in Europe, most people aren't used to that. They created something which was very unique when they started and showed people that when you share, you get to eat more variety and you eat less so you don’t feel too full after your meal.
Before hearing about Robert De Niro’s involvement in Nobu and doing a deep dive, Nobu was just another boujie restaurant to me (still is), but there are so many great lessons to learn from Chef Nobu’s story and also the success of Nobu. Lessons such as perseverance, resilience, and partnering with the right people. It is easy to fail in the restaurant business, but Nobu has been going strong for 20 years and is expanding globally yearly. Chef Nobu says his success today is learning from failure after failure, he’s faced all challenges head-on and never gave up on his dream.
Have a great week.