How Many Restaurants Does Bobby Flay Really Own?
Most people know Bobby Flay for his cooking shows. He's been a familiar face on the Food Network since 1994 when he made his television debut on the cooking competition show "Iron Chef America." However, the whole reason Flay actually ended up on TV was due to the acclaim he received upon opening his first restaurant. After spending several years working as a chef at various New York City eateries, Flay decided to open his own called Mesa Grill in 1991. Just two years later, he went on to open a second restaurant called Bolo.
If you're a fan of the celebrity chef and are interested in experiencing his culinary genius for yourself, you can currently dine at any of the three restaurants he owns. However, none of them are actually the original restaurants that put Flay in the spotlight. Bolo closed back in 2008 and Mesa Grill in 2013. The Las Vegas location of Mesa Grill eventually followed in 2020. So, what are the restaurants that Flay currently owns?
All about Bobby Flay's three restaurants
Bobby Flay's longest-standing restaurant is Bobby's Burger Palace, which opened in 2008. The original Long Island location has since closed; however, there are now two others in Connecticut and Georgia. The success of Bobby's Burger Palace eventually led to the opening of a fast-casual spinoff chain called Bobby's Burgers in 2021.
Flay's two other restaurants, Amalfi and Brasserie B, are both in Las Vegas in the same hotel where Mesa Grill once stood. But unlike Mesa Grill, which served southwestern American food such as grilled shrimp tamales, Brasserie B serves French-style fare, while Amalfi serves coastal Italian cuisine.
For a long time, Flay also owned a steakhouse called Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City. It was open from 2006 until 2021. A few years before the closure of Bobby Flay Steak, Flay also shut down two of his other restaurants — Bar Americain, a restaurant that served American classics, and Gato, his Mediterranean restaurant.
Does Bobby Flay actually cook at any of his restaurants?
There was a point in time when Bobby Flay cooked in his restaurants. If you dined at Bar Americain circa 2008, you could even wait around to ask him for an autograph. These days, that doesn't seem to be the case. He spends most of his time in either New York City or Los Angeles, yet only one of his restaurants is located in those two cities, and it's Bobby's Burgers in Yankee Stadium. Plus, he frequently films TV shows, so it would be difficult for him to be physically present in the kitchens of three different eateries.
This is a fairly common practice for celebrity chefs, not just Flay. A lot of times, someone else is the executive chef or chef de cuisine, while the celebrity is mainly the face of the restaurant. The Instagram page for Amalfi, for example, has photos of Flay cooking; however, the executive chef is technically Anthony Fusco.
But while Flay may not be cooking every meal that comes out of the kitchen, it doesn't mean he isn't involved with his restaurants at all. According to the information from his website, he is still the main person behind the recipes and everything on the menus. So, while you probably won't get a dish cooked by Flay himself when you dine at his restaurants, you'll definitely get a taste of his cooking style.