L.A.-based restaurants are quietly expanding to Saudi Arabia, an unexpected emerging new tourist destination attracting world-class chefs and foreigners with deep pockets. The list of restaurants opening locations and doing pop-ups in the Middle East includes fine dining establishments such as Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and Chi Spacca, an Italian-inspired collaboration between restaurateurs Joe Bastianich and Nancy Silverton, Michelin-starred Petit Trois and their sister restaurant, Jon & Vinny’s. In addition to Los Angeles institutions such as Randy’s Donuts.
While some restaurants like Fat Sal’s, Urth Caffé, and Randy’s have been open about their expansion to the Middle East, others have not. Jon & Vinny's, Petit Trois, Chi Spacca, Joans on Third, Avra, and The Palm have all done popups in Saudi Arabia’s capital recently or are planning to. But you will find little to no mention of that on their social media accounts or official websites.
The lack of acknowledgment is striking, considering restaurants generally make a notable effort to announce new collaborations, locations, and popups. When Jon & Vinny’s expanded to South L.A., they let their 100,000+ Instagram followers know. Similarly, Chef Ludo of Petit Trois has been hyping up their new restaurant in Denver on social media. But neither mentioned their highly-lucrative popups in Saudi Arabia. And with the exception of Jon & Vinny’s and The Palm, none of the restaurants who have been quiet about their business in the Middle East responded to our questions.
By contrast, other restaurants that have done popups in Saudi Arabia have gone to great lengths to announce their popups. Folia, a fancy vegan restaurant in Beverly Hills launched by Matthew Kenney in partnership with a Saudi investment firm, released a dramatic drone video shot in the middle of the desert. The video shows Josie Clemens, Kenney’s “right-hand chef” and recent Hell’s Kitchen finalist, sitting at the top of a desolate peak holding two plates. “Here we are in Saudi Arabia, bringing you the art of plant-based food,” she says. Fat Sal’s similarly released an animated video. “We’re making sandwiches over there,” someone says in the video.