Conde Nast Restaurants open for business

So what do you do when you're a big magazine publisher that's strapped for cash? Close a couple of magazines? Build new mobile apps? How about open a restaurant?...

By Laura Shunk

August 5, 2010

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So what do you do when you're a big magazine publisher that's strapped for cash? Close a couple of magazines? Build new mobile apps?

How about open a restaurant?

Conde Nast has unveiled an official division of its company called Conde Nast Restaurants, tasked with opening eateries like the Vogue Café and GQ Bar, already up and running in Moscow.

The company plans to expand at a rate of five restaurants per year, focusing on Vogue and GQ, which have a large international distribution. The publisher also notes it's only looking internationally right now, at cities like Hong Kong and Dubai.

Given the hit the restaurant industry has taken during the recession, this seems like an interesting way to recover losses. But, hey, it worked for Playboy, so why not?

Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

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