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Building a Culinary Empire

Bloomberg published a story yesterday which reported that Chef Thomas Keller is planning on expanding his empire in several directions by opening the Inn at French Laundry, Bouchon Boucherie, Burgers and Bottles, and a line of frozen foods.

The article has caused a handful of the food world's biggies to weigh in offering up some mixed reactions on Keller's plans. Here's what the people are saying:

Ruth Reichl: "You have to expect that with your attention that diverted, you're not going to be able to keep the quality..."I just don't think that's possible.'' [Bloomberg]

Ed Levine: "So I for one am confident that Keller will be able to pull this juggling act off. As I said, there may be some bumps in the road along the way, but remember. We are talking Thomas Keller and not Tyler Florence here." [SE]

Jean-Luc Naret, Michelin Guides: "They have to be focused on their flagship...Otherwise they will lose all the other parts.'' [Bloomberg]

Michael Bauer: "Once you get into frozen food and pizzas, your fine dining brand gets a little fuzzed out." [Bloomberg]

What do you think? Can a company have that diverse of offerings and still keep quality consistent across the board? Will this esteemed chef lose his focus?

Posted Sep 25, 2007 by sarahisafoodie | 2 Comments | Share It