How Many Famous Chefs Have Failed in Shanghai? Let's Count.
Shanghai is open for business again, and the chef world knows it. At least three high-profile international restaurants are planning to open this year in our city, from chefs Bjorn Frantzen, Yoshihiro Narisawa, and Esben Holmboe Bang.
How will they do? Judging by the last 20 big-name international chefs who have tried to cash in on their name / fame / stars in China (listed below), they have about a 50% chance of success.
I've listed as many international chefs as I can remember, in alphabetical order, and my assessment of their business skills. Let's walk through the graveyard!
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Alan Wong
Wong gambled that what was missing in Shanghai was upscale Hawaiian food. True, we did not have that before Wong opened at Shanghai Centre in 2015, spending two million US dollars on the fit-out. If nothing else, it was a unique and bold bet. But it was wrong.
Success? For the construction contractors, perhaps.
Alvin Leung
Hong Kong's "Demon Chef" demonized the Bund for a short while with neo-Chinese cooking. His bad boy shtick fell flat in Shanghai and he ended up in a rent dispute with his landlord. Despite being a short flight away from Shanghai, he hasn't tried again since.
Success? Demonically no.
The Cerea Family
The Italians who brought Shanghai Da Vittorio, robbery disguised as a restaurant. Impeccable service, elegant dining room, model chef and a 988rmb Egg "a la Egg". Insanity, alive and well.
Success? Insanely.
Christian Le Squer
For a time this Michelin guy was the face of a cake delivery company in China. He never opened a restaurant here — and probably earned much more in the process.
Success? Good for his bank account, good for his reputation. A licensing victory.
Daniel Boulud
Boulud opened in Beijing's Legation Quarter just ahead of the 2008 Olympics but was too light and fluffy for the down-to-earth residents of the capital. Six years later, it was gone.
Success? Should have come to Shanghai.
Eric Pras
Pras took over the three-star Maison Lameloise in France from the Lameloise family in the late 2000s and then opened a spinoff in an office building: the 68th floor of Shanghai Tower.
Success? A one-star in the clouds of Lujiazui, still in business today.
Gray Kunz
The Middle House installed Kunz's Cafe Gray Deluxe as its "western" restaurant when it opened in 2018. Kunz himself passed away in 2020 but the restaurant bearing his name continues on.
Success? Judging by the high scores on Dianping, yes.
Jason Atherton
Atherton was supposed to be the next generation of star chefs to run things in Shanghai. He started off strong at Table No. 1 (closed) and The Commune Social (open) but then ran into a mess at The Shanghai Edition hotel, where he may or may not be involved anymore (it's complicated).
Success? Yes and then no.
Jean Georges Vongeritchen
JG was a pioneer, bringing his molten lava cake to Shanghai about 20 years ago, and then expanding into Italian food with Mercato (still open) in 2012 (and failing with a Korean grill) — all in Three on the Bund. Incredibly, he is still going strong in a city where most restaurants live as long as a fruit fly.
Success? Indisputable.
Joel Robuchon
Robuchon is the KFC of the fine dining world, a chain restaurant cashing in on Asia. Robuchon himself passed away in 2018 but his business interests live on in every intricately dotted plate, four-figure bill and palmier from the bakery.
Success? Profitable, even in the afterlife.
Marc Meneau
Like Mattagne, Meneau's name was affixed to a restaurant on the Bund no one ever heard of (in the Wanda Reign hotel) that customers never flocked to. He slipped in and out of Shanghai like a rumor.
Success? That's between him and his accountant.
Martin Berasategui
Mr. B took over the heritage house in Xujiahui park in 2009. He showed up for the opening party and never came back. His lack of commitment was obvious; he sold his name for cash. There was no closing party.
Success? More like a one-night stand.
Mauro Colagreco
Colagreco scooped up Michelin stars for his European garden restaurant, where he grew most of what he cooked. How was that ever supposed to transplant to Unico at Three on the Bund? Oh. It didn't.
Success? Unico worked as a club for a time. The restaurant never grew roots in Shanghai but that didn't stop him from expanding to Nanjing (Le Siecle, also closed) and Beijing (Azur, still open).
Nicolas Le Bec
Lyon's loss became Shanghai's gain when Nicolas Le Bec took over a garden villa on Xinhua Lu in 2014. He still cooks there night after night.
Success? Michelin snubs him but Shanghai loves him. Success.
Niko Romito
Modern cooking from this Italian star, famous for his bread as much as a 450rmb neo-lasagna. He's linked up with the Bvlgari hotel group to become a small chain of his own (Dubai, Beijing, Paris, etc).
Success? Shanghai loves a painful check and Romito is a financial sadist — the perfect match.
Paco Roncero
Roncero was involved in Xintiandi's Estado Puro early on. Is he still? I don't eat in Xintiandi enough to know.
Success? I haven't heard the Spanish chef mentioned in years, but the restaurant is open and busy, so if he's still getting royalties — yes.
Pierre Gagnaire
Gagnaire, like Meneau, went into a luxury hotel but with much better results. His restaurant at The Capella is still going, with the son of the great French chef Alain Chapel in the kitchen.
Success? If you count Michelin stars, yes. It has one.
The Pourcel Brothers
French twins who opened Sens & Bund in Bund 18 in 2004. Their Michelin stars were a draw for a few years, and they cashed in at the 2010 World Expo's French pavilion. But they were too early, and too absent, and now they are gone.
Success? For a short while.
Wolfgang Puck
A 1980s phenom in California, Puck showed up in Shanghai with the opening of Disney. He tried to leverage Disneytown's success into a followup location in Puxi. But without Disneytown's captive audience, or anything special from the kitchen, he drowned in Xintiandi's constant churn.
Success? Limited to Pudong (still running).
Yannick Alleno
After opening in Beijing, Alleno tried fine dining, and then a bistro, in a Changning mall. Shanghai shrugged.
Success? Closed in 2019.
Yves Mattagne
Another Michelin star who took the China cash in exchange for slapping his name on a failed seafood restaurant (2008), at a private club on the Bund.
Success? His restaurant was gone within a year.
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Illustrations: Cheesecake
