Founder, Quality Branded Partner
Alan Stillman began his career as a restaurateur by founding and opening T.G.I. Friday’s at 63rd Street and First Avenue with a $5,000 loan from his mother. He grew and expanded the Friday’s concept to the first twelve units in various cities before selling the rights to Friday’s outside of New York City in the mid-seventies, maintaining ownership of the Upper East Side flagship, which he sold by the end of the decade. He has never regretted selling the concept and is often credited with opening the first “singles” bar. As Friday’s grew, Stillman conceived sister concepts around the city: Tuesday’s, Wednesday, and Thursday’s, each with a unique concept and a singular sense of fun.
Soon after, he opened Smith & Wollensky at 49th Street and Third Avenue in 1977, which grew to nine locations around the country. At the same time, he developed a series of unique restaurant concepts in Manhattan that he refers to as “one-of-a’s,” such as Manhattan Ocean Club, Maloney & Porcelli, and The Post House. During 2001, he took the chain public with partner Tom Lee, the venture capitalist. Alan and his son Michael partnered with some of the brightest young chefs in the business and award-winning design firm AvroKO to transform Manhattan Ocean Club into the acclaimed restaurant Quality Meats and the team’s transformation of Park Avenue Café into Park Avenue Autumn that was awarded two stars from New York Times food critic Frank Bruni. In 2007, the company was sold and along with his son Michael, Alan founded Fourth Wall Restaurants, now called Quality Branded.
Quality Branded comprises the flagship Smith & Wollensky, Maloney & Porcelli, Park Avenue, Quality Meats (NYC and Miami Beach), Quality Italian (NYC and Denver), Quality Eats, Don Angie, and Quality Bistro. They have partnered with talented, young chefs, as well as award-winning design firm AvroKO to create sister concepts to Quality Meats, Quality Italian, as well as build the striking space of Park Avenue Summer/Autumn/Winter/Spring. Currently, the Stillman’s are looking for new locations in New York City, Chicago, Miami Beach, and London.
Alan is a master of marketing in the restaurant industry. He comes up with extremely creative ideas that promote the restaurants in a way that is fun and meaningful to his customers. He once ordered the delivery of $1 million shipment of wine in a Brinks truck. He thought up National Wine Week, in which winemakers from all over the world pour their wines at lunch in his restaurants. During the early years of the program which is now celebrated twice a year, both Robert Mondavi and Count Antinori personally poured their wines at Smith & Wollensky.
Alan was a founder of Citymeals-on-Wheels and sat on their advisory board, in addition to his responsibilities on the board of Friends of the Highline and on the board of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.