Clinton Street Baking, a popular New York restaurant hailed as the "King of Brunch" and frequented by fans from all over the world, opened in Aoyama, Tokyo on the 23rd (YHT Minami-Aoyama Building, 5-17-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo).
On the restaurant's opening day, people lined up before it even opened, and it has remained fully booked ever since. Some customers have waited an hour and a half. Due to the unexpectedly successful restaurant, opening hours have been shortened to 4pm for the time being due to ingredient issues.
The restaurant is the world's second casual dining restaurant, having opened in New York in April 2001. It mainly serves traditional American brunch dishes such as fluffy pancakes, simple omelets, sandwiches, and muffins.
Founders Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman visited Japan for the opening reception, where they spoke of their joy at the opening.
"A lot of Japanese people come to our New York restaurant, so we're really happy about this new opening. It's exactly like our original restaurant, just as we hoped. We offer a menu based on traditional American recipes, using the finest ingredients and traditional French techniques," said Didi. Neil also expressed his joy at the opening, saying, "This is my first time in Japan, and I love the Aoyama location. The comfortable mix of houses, shops, trees, and people coming and going is perfect for our restaurant." When asked about the secret to his business success, he said, "A restaurant needs a good atmosphere. In New York, we had regular customers who had been coming for over 10 years, and we all spent time together like family. And we continued to focus humbly on the flavor, without trying to look cool or showy. My wife and I have always strived to create a good flavor." The opportunity to enter the Japanese market came when a Japanese woman living in New York approached the couple via email. "She said she had always wanted to open a store in Asia, and that if she was going to open one, it would have to be Tokyo. It took three and a half years from then until we opened. We went through a lot, including the earthquake, but we persevered and finally managed to open. Our concept of serving the same taste as in New York has remained the same from the beginning. Clinton Street Baking is so popular that there is probably no American who hasn't heard of it, so I think Americans living in Japan are most pleased that a store has opened where they can enjoy the same taste," she said.
