Alinea Co-Founder Nick Kokonas Sells his Possession Stake

Nick Kokonas, one of many restaurant world’s extra colourful personalities, has offered his possession stake within the Alinea Group. He’ll stay a “passive investor,” in line with his publish made Monday, September 30, on X, however the sale means he’ll give option to a bunch led by fellow tech entrepreneur Jason Weingarten.

Phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed. Within the thread, Kokonas mirrored on his 20 years with the restaurant group, which included 4 Chicago eating places, two books, and the co-founding of Tock, the reservation platform launched in 2014 for Alinea. Tock would later deliver different eating places into the fold, and in the course of the pandemic, it added dive bars and even a sure sizzling canine stand. Squarespace bought Tock in 2021, and Kokonas left the corporate the next 12 months. American Specific bought Tock over the summer time.

He tells Eater, through e mail, that he’s not making a press release on the vitality of the restaurant trade or Chicago politics. Currently, he’s more and more shared his frustrations with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s insurance policies, however this selection has zero to do with that, he states.

“I spent a number of years searching for somebody to purchase Steve Bernacki and me out of TAG,” Kokonas writes. “It’s a singular premium providing (4 Michelin stars in complete) and somebody wanted to need to function it.”

Jason Weingarten

Alinea was Chicago’s solely three-Michelin-starred restaurant for 13 years till November 2023 when Smyth earned the respect. Alinea’s stature usually made Kokonas a spokesperson nationally for Chicago effective eating and infrequently a lightning rod for controversy. His strategy, which applies pursuits in tech and finance, would typically rub Chicago’s restaurant trade — which could be insular — the unsuitable method.

As he exits, Kokonas provides the Alinea Group is in a wholesome place.

“I merely need to work on different tasks, unrelated to eating places, and don’t need to be the rationale that TAG doesn’t develop additional and create new alternatives for our crew, Kokonas emails.

Weingarten comes from the tech world the place he cofounded startups like recruitment platform Yello. He entered the restaurant world by the use of Entree, a meal supply service that began in 2022. In 2024, Entree expanded its operations with the opening of a supper club-inspired restaurant known as Oliver’s within the former South Loop Acadia area. He’s proven an curiosity in effective eating, as Acadia was a Michelin-starred restaurant. The chef overseeing Entree and Oliver’s, culinary director Alex Carnovale, cooked at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Napa Valley.

Weingarten and chef Grant Achatz, who based Alinea in 2005 with Kokonas, had no instant remark. Achatz is touring and says he’ll wait till he’s again in Chicago to make a press release.

Throughout Achatz and Kokonas’s partnership, Alinea earned a full three-star score from Michelin in 2010 and has held that rating ever since, making it one of many world’s premier eating places.

The Alinea Group went on to open Subsequent Restaurant in 2011 in Fulton Market, a rotating idea that promised to not solely change menus seasonally however to swap out decor to create a wholly new restaurant. Michelin inspectors struggled to guage Subsequent’s quarterly transformations, however finally bestowed Subsequent with a star in 2019; the restaurant has sustained the score ever since. Subsequent’s present iteration is a tribute to legendary Chicago chef Charlie Trotter. A companion cocktail bar, the Aviary, additionally opened adjoining to Subsequent. A New York location lasted from 2017 to 2020. A extra informal restaurant, Roister, opened in 2016 in Fulton Market.

Kokonas, who has spent extra time making wine together with his spouse in California’s Napa Valley lately, says Chicago remains to be residence.