Star-Studded Dining
By fourformom | Leave A Comment

Owning a piece of a restaurant is a must-have accessory for any celebrity that’s graced more than a few gossip magazine covers; right up there with having your own fragrance or clothing line. The restaurant industry is just as fickle as the entertainment business, so for a celebrity to actually be successful at the restaurant game takes a little more than a refined palate and gobs of money.

My initial search produced a list of over 100 – but I whittle it down to 5 and chose to focus on actors or recording stars (we will cover athlete-owned restaurants another time).

Robert De Niro

Robert Deniro

This Academy-Award winning actor has always been a champion of New York City, so it’s no surprise that he would choose NYC for his other business ventures (such as the Tribeca Film Festival). Since I could write an entire article on De Niro’s restaurant ventures, I will just highlight one – Tribeca Grill. De Niro teamed up with successful restaurateur Drew Nieporent to create this neighborhood hotspot. The menu has an extensive wine list to pair with classic American cuisine and the walls are covered with artwork by De Niro’s late father.

Ryan Gosling

This dreamboat (did I say that out loud? I guess I do have a thing for him), has had much success on the big screen and his newest flick, Ides of March with George Clooney is projected to be another blockbuster. He is part-owner of Tagine in Beverly Hills, a Moroccan restaurant with Chef Ben Benameur at the helm. Patrons are flocking for more than just the chance to catch a glimpse of super-stud Gosling – it’s also getting good buzz and great reviews on Zagat. It’s candlelight and intimate tables, jazz music and delectable food all rolled into one package.

Justin Timberlake

There isn’t much career-wise that Timberlake hasn’t tried (recording star, actor, clothing line, restaurant investor, pop star’s boyfriend…) and he succeeded again with his two popular NYC eateries Southern Hospitality and Destino. He recently surprised fans at Southern Hospitality with a mini-concert. The restaurant offers classic Memphis barbecue as well as exceptional people-watching. Destino is a bit more upscale and serves up Italian cuisine as opposed to barbecue. Destino’s head chef is Mario Curko, formerly of the famous Rao’s in Harlem.

Rose McGowan

Actress McGowan partnered with fellow actress Laura Dern and her musician husband Ben Harper to revive an old classic in West Hollywood. Dominick’s (originally opened in 1948) was the frequent restaurant of choice by the Rat Pack. As their website boasts “speakeasy tunes and lounge standards” fill the air along with the aroma of an authentic home-cooked Italian meal.

Toby Keith

The Country Music Star opened his Oklahoma City restaurant, I Love This Bar & Grill in 2005 and since then 8 other locations have opened with 4 more slated to open soon. The original location is an enormous 12,000 sq. ft. space offering Tex-mex and barbecue.

Just for fun, here’s a few celebrity-owned restaurants that did NOT survive… Hulk Hogan’s Pastamania (Minneapolis, MN), Flavor Flav’s Fried Chicken (Iowa) closed only 4 months after opening and Britney Spears’ Nyla (New York City)… and I am sure the list goes on.