Why luxury brands are expanding into the restaurant world

Hanging upside-down above the lounge and bar area of fashion brand Coach’s first restaurant in Indonesia is a Big Apple taxicab. Designed by the New York-based label’s creative director Stuart Vevers in partnership with William Sofield of Studio Sofield, the Coach Restaurant and Coffee Shop aims to bring a Manhattan vibe to Jakarta’s Grand Indonesia Mall. The hovering vehicle is just one way the design duo transports diners to the U.S. metropolis more than 16,000 kilometres away. A Pantone shade of taxicab yellow is used throughout the space and the menu offers quintessential American steakhouse selections such as a shrimp cocktail, a wedge salad and a classic burger.
The restaurant is the latest venture by a major fashion brand to tap into the ever more important experiential side of retail. These spots have increasingly appeared in high-traffic travel destinations such as Dubai and many Asian capitals, nodding to not only the sought-after purchasing power of locals but also people who head there on vacation. Their combination of place-evoking design and eye-pleasing dishes speaks to a core tenet of what Coach’s chief marketing officer and North American president Sandeep Seth describes as its ethos of “expressive luxury.”
At the restaurant in Jakarta (which is also Seth’s hometown), this philosophy plays out by mixing a feeling of being transported to another locale with an opportunity for gathering for a meal with friends or family. When combined, these two elements create an experience that’s become attractive to postlockdown consumers who want to squeeze the most out of a shopping trip. “The idea of ‘expressive luxury’ is rooted in what consumers expect out of luxury businesses today,” Seth says. “Part of that is going from the traditional notion of brand exploration to self-exploration, and part of that is going from the notion of exclusivity to inclusivity. And it’s moving from luxury seen as an investment and status to finding an emotional connection and aligning with values.”
Though the concept of luxury retailers introducing food and beverage destinations isn’t new – Ralph Lauren’s perpetually booked Polo Bar in midtown Manhattan, for example, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year – its growth captures where shopper habits are today. The 2022 EY Future Consumer Index Survey stated that “37 per cent of Canadians are prioritizing experiences over physical goods.”
Osmud Rahman, an associate professor at the Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Fashion who studies consumer behaviour, fashion design and culture, notes that “experience” is an expansive notion. It presents many opportunities for a brand seeking to steal the hearts of diners, cocktail lovers and coffee drinkers alike – whether they’re prospective fashion clients or not.
Rahman says that spaces such as Louis Vuitton’s recently opened LV The Place Bangkok offer “a one-of-a-kind” experience that travellers in particular are happy to splash out on. This will likely be the case for the Monsieur Dior restaurant scheduled to open next year in Osaka. The lofty project is part of a newly minted partnership with Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic and continues the brand’s commitment to harnessing the marketing power of opulent eateries, which also includes the Café Dior space at its elegant 30 Montaigne address in Paris. Pic has already concocted a range of fanciful fare to serve at the Café Dior location beside its boutique in Osaka’s Kansai International Airport – a chic taste of what’s to come for the more lavish restaurant in town.
“It’s affordable luxury,” Rahman says of the intention behind these fine-dining and posh cafés – though this comes with the caveat that “affordable” is a relative term and a coffee at one of these tony spaces costs much more than it does at your local Tims. Yet just as a cup of joe and quick jabber at your local café sates our urge to socialize in a familiar environment, more luxe destinations afford visitors an opportunity to come together in a space that feels recognizable because of existing brand awareness.
Conversely, they’re also a platform for introducing a designer or retailer to a new customer without the consideration of a four-figure purchase. As Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew rolled out its revamped cafés across its properties on Toronto’s Bloor Street, Vancouver’s Dunsmuir Street and in Montreal’s Ogilvy outpost in recent years, special attention was paid to how the spaces would interact with the rest of the store’s atmosphere, as well as the surroundings of the store itself.
Pointing to the fact that its Bloor Street boite in Toronto is adjacent to Holt’s hallowed footwear hall (a natural appetite stimulant of another kind for the Carrie Bradshaw-minded among us), Allan Tse, vice-president of experience design, notes that these hospitality spaces allow a retailer to align with the aesthetic of a city.
The Holts Café in Toronto, designed by Alex Cochrane Architects, exudes a bright, contemporary feeling through bold cobalt blue and ruby accent hues. Meanwhile, Montreal’s room is “sexier and moodier” thanks to the use of decadent Bordeaux and sensual pink tones. “The cafés themselves have such a unique ambience to them,” Tse says. “I especially love seeing photos on social media and almost without question, just by looking at a beautiful pink marbled table from the Montreal location, that I know exactly what café they’re in.”
The Holt Renfrew approach achieves the opposite effect of what Coach strives for with its New York-by-way-of-Jakarta restaurant journey. But it’s no less potent an experience for consumers who enjoy seeing their taste in fashion reflected on their lunch plate.
Whet your appetite while indulging in retail therapy at these four new spots
Eat Offbeat at Atelier Jolie, New York
Past the graffitied facade of Angelina Jolie’s Bowery-area boutique is an intimate space entrusted to the team at Eat Offbeat. The café, which also operates a location at New York’s bustling Chelsea Piers, is helmed by siblings Manal and Wissam Kahi. Though the interior of Atelier Jolie is a study in cool, understated chic, Eat Offbeat’s eclectic menu – touting dishes dreamed up by refugee chefs – incorporates the warmth of global flavours and richness of ceremony. On any given day find treats such as traditionally served Turkish coffee, Venezuelan hot chocolate and Syrian pies; options as tempting as the artistically minded and upcycled garments offered by the store itself. atelierjolie.com
Ralph’s Coffee, Singapore
Evoking the feeling of a sunny afternoon spent seaside in a tony locale such as Cape Cod, Ralph’s Coffee – launched by the haute Americana brand Ralph Lauren – serves a selection of custom house roasts made with organically grown beans and homey dishes such as sandwiches, donuts and soft-serve ice cream. This Shaw Centre location is Ralph’s Coffee’s second in Singapore, found on the ground floor of the flagship Polo Ralph Lauren store. ralphlauren.com
Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, Bangkok
Opulent is the only way to describe the recently unveiled LV The Place Bangkok. Inside the two-level luxury destination, which includes both a café and the restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred chef Gaggan Anand, Louis Vuitton spares no opportunity to flaunt the coveted codes of its fashion enterprise. The monogrammed tableware at Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, which is perched on the second floor, sets a sumptuous stage for seasonal menu items the brand says encompass the five S’s of dining: sweet, sour, salty, spicy and surprise. Downstairs at Le Café Louis Vuitton, confections include a Monogram Cake (pistachio with orange blossom) and a Mango Sticky Rice Fizz beverage, which reflects the region’s local fare. louisvuitton.com
Bar Henry, Edmonton
As part of the flagship-crafting project to commemorate the brand’s 85th anniversary, Alberta men’s-wear retailer Henry Singer introduced Bar Henry earlier this year. Paying homage to the natty nature of Italian café culture, the cozy 30-ish-seat space was created in partnership with Bar Bricco, a popular local wine spot founded by chef Daniel Costa. Bites range from lighter options such as olives and chips to luscious mushroom-topped pastas, and drinks run the gamut from small-scale produced Champagne to a take on a cocktail called Heads & Tails. “We are creating a warm and sophisticated space, with an intimate energy found in the typical European or Italian bar, which isn’t the bar or pub you think of in Canada,” Henry Singer president Jordan Singer said in a statement at the time the flagship launch was announced. barhenry.ca
One in a regular series of stories. To read more, visit our Inspired Dining section.