Gracious Hospitality Management, which operates Cote Korean Steakhouse restaurants in New York City and Miami and cocktail lounge Undercote in New York, named new heads of operations, finance, and marketing on Friday.
Alex Munoz-Suarez is the new chief operating officer. Previously he was president of David Chang’s Momofuku group for two years, followed by running that group’s fried chicken sandwich chain, Fuku, as its CEO. Prior to that he was COO of The One Group, which operates the STK steakhouse concept, and before that he spent more than a decade as president of the Pacific division of Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, leading its growth from three restaurants to 32 domestically and internationally.
Kent Krekorian is Gracious’s new chief financial officer. Most recently he was CFO of marketing technology company SimpleReach. He started his career as an investment analyst for Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company.
Jacqueline Hessel, the new vice president of marketing and communications, previously was director of marketing for New York City-based hunger relief organization City Harvest. She also worked in marketing for chefs Bill Telepan and Kurt Gutenbrunner and their restaurants.
“Over the last five years, Gracious Hospitality Management has developed a reputation for delivering unwavering hospitality and convivial cuisine,” Gracious Hospitality proprietor and CEO Simon Kim said in a press release announcing the appointments. “We’re pairing that success with a strong group of new leadership, bringing innovative ideas, passion, and a wealth of experience to propel the company into this next phase of growth and expansion.”
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
