Aurify Brands LLC has bought Maison Kayser’s New York City locations out of bankruptcy and plans to convert at least 10 of them to Le Pain Quotidien restaurants, the New York-based multi-concept operator said Monday.
Cosmoledo LLC, which owned the New York City units of the global Maison Kayser concept, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in September. At the time, it said Aurify was its stalking-horse, or initial, bidder.
The purchase of those locations closed on Monday.
In June, Aurify bought the United States locations of another global concept, Le Pain Quotidien, out of bankruptcy.
“We are big believers in New York City and are thrilled to add these strong locations in this key market to our LPQ portfolio,” Aurify Brands co-CEO John Rigos said in a statement. “This latest expansion of our platform reflects our long-term commitment to our home market, the hospitality industry, and the communities we serve, especially during these unprecedented times. It is gratifying to us that our loyal guests across the country are returning to LPQ, and we expect that the addition of these complementary locations across Manhattan will further engage our customer base as we continue to build this quality brand nationally.”
With the addition of the former Maison Kayser locations, Aurify said that 60 Le Pain Quotidien locations are open or slated for reopening in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as New York. It said that, once restrictions related to COVID-19 are lifted, those restaurants would create at least 1,200 jobs.
Besides Le Pain Quotidien, which is a casual-dining concept that originated in Belgium, Aurify also operates casual-dining, vegetable-forward concept Little Beet Table as well as three fast-casual concepts: Little Beet, a vegetable-forward bowl concept; The Melt Shop, which sells sandwiches, burgers and related items; and Fields Good Chicken, which focuses on roasted and grilled chicken.
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