Over the past six years, star chef Laurent Tourondel has created a sturdy group of upscale and casual bistros with his partner Jimmy Haber. Yesterday, Diner's Journal reported that the two are amicably parting ways, and splitting up their 18 restaurants scattered across the country.
According to the article, Tourondel wants to open up a few places of his own without Haber, and of course, he will continue to retain ownership of the BLT name on any future projects. The lion's share of the restaurants will go to Haber, who gets to keep BLT Fish, BLT Prime and BLT Burger in New York as well as BLT Steak in New York, LA, and DC. Tourondel will continue as owner and executive chef of the restaurants that currently operate out of hotels, although the fate of the BLT Grill set to open at the W in New York has yet to be determined.
For more on how this move will affect your favorite local BLT restaurants, please refer to the regional coverage on Eater NY, Eater LA, and Eater Miami.
·BLT Partners Split [Diner's Journal]
·All BLT Coverage on Eater [-EN-]