Iconic New York restaurant Peter Luger has confirmed it will be expanding outside the US for the first time.
There are only two Peter Luger restaurants, one in Brooklyn that opened in 1887 and another in Long Island which opened in 1960.
Fourth-generation co-owners David Berson and Daniel Turtel tell Eater the team aren’t in a rush, and say diners can expect the Tokyo venue to open “around 2020”.
The restaurant has partnered with Wondertable, a company that has brought a number of US dining concepts to Japan including Union Square Cafe and Lawry’s.
“We’ve been working with them to tighten the parameters, so we feel comfortable with the quality of what they’d be sending out,” says Berson.
According to Eater, the Luger team will be responsible for training and meat selection and believe the Japanese market will respond well to the steakhouse.
“Japanese demand for American beef has really skyrocketed,” says Turtel. “A lot of the meat packers we work with here are already exporting to Tokyo. We won’t have to sacrifice quality.”
The Tokyo restaurant will not stock Wagyu or Kobe beef and focus on USDA prime beef.
The team hasn’t found a location yet, and admit finding a 150-seat restaurant with a dry ageing room and a large kitchen in central Tokyo has been a challenge.
“This is something that’s really important to us; it’s our great grandfather’s restaurant,” says Berson. “This seems to hit everything we’re looking for, and we’re really confident that we can execute our vision.”
Image credit: Eater