Big Plans And Expansions For Emm Group: Mark Birnbaum & Eugene Remm

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EMM Group co-owners Mark Birnbaum, Eugene Remm and Michael Hirtenstein, whose current hospitality portfolio resides largely in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, are expanding their restaurant and nightlife brands into new markets and introducing innovative offerings for 2012. Among their new projects will be a second outpost of CATCH Restaurant in Miami, and an early fall takeover of the long-vacant, 19,000-square-foot venue at 199 Bowery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Today EMM Group, who also own Abe & Arthur’s Restaurant announced plans to bring CATCH, the globally-inspired seafood restaurant helmed by Top Chef Winner Hung Huynh, to the lobby level of The James Hotel when it opens in November 2012. The decision to expand the CATCH brand comes after EMM Group owners noticed a lack of seafood-specific restaurant options in Miami, and a desire expressed by its residents for more social, shareable, city-style dining.

ABOUT EMM GROUP

Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum along with business ...
... entrepreneur Michael Hirtenstein founded EMM Group in 2006 and have since built it into one of New York’s most successful and multi-faceted hospitality management companies, earning the title of the “new kings of New York nightlife” by Forbes Magazine. The company is currently ranked #62 in the food and beverage category on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies. Within the company framework exist several divisions devoted to restaurant and nightlife operations, marketing and event production, promotions and lifestyle management. Within its first four years, EMM Group opened the doors to four venues: Tenjune, The Chandelier Room at the W Hoboken, SL and Abe & Arthur’s. In the summer and fall of 2011 they added SL East, the Hamptons outpost of its Meatpacking flagship nightclub and two new restaurant venues: Lexington Brass and CATCH. Lexington Brass is a New-American bistro in the lobby level of a luxury Hyatt in midtown Manhattan. CATCH is a seafood concept helmed by Top Chef Season 3 Winner, Hung Huynh, in the Meatpacking District. In the Fall of 2012, EMM Group is readying to open a second outpost of CATCH in the James Hotel in South Beach Miami, followed by a bakery, restaurant and lounge at 199 Bowery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In addition to their venues, they also purchased the EMM Group Estate, a privately owned property in Sag Harbour for private events, and launched Four Hundred, a members-only lifestyle management service.

Even before the opening of CATCH Miami, EMM Group will undergo a more localized New York expansion. Following their recent approval by the neighborhood’s Community Board this month, EMM Group is poised to open what will be their sixth venue in New York at 199 Bowery on the Lower East Side. The venue is expected to open in September 2012. The unnamed, 19,000 square foot property will exist in several parts: first, a front-of-house bakery, helmed by CATCH’s pastry chef and in-house cake-maker, Thiago Silva, that will be open for extended hours serving coffee and various confections. The main dining room will be situated at the rear of the building, offering a menu of Asian Fusion cuisine created in collaboration by EMM Group’s executive chefs Franklin Becker and Hung Huynh. Downstairs will house a basement level Jazz lounge, where guests can enjoy sharable bites, specialty drinks and performances nightly.

“199 Bowery marks an exciting evolution for EMM Group as a brand,” comments co-founder Mark Birnbaum. “Part café and bakery, part restaurant and part lounge, this venue will have something for everyone and will surely appeal to the diverse tastes of the neighborhood’s residents.” Regarding their aggressive expansion plans for the year, Birnbaum adds: “These are brand new territories for us. We’re excited to add new dimensions to our business portfolio and introduce original, distinct offerings to new audiences.”