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Mina Group names former José Andrés group executive Eric Martino president

The restaurant industry veteran also worked for Carrabba’s and MStreet Entertainment Group

Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor

July 17, 2023

2 Min Read
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Eric Martino a veteran of José Andrés’s restaurant group, has been named president of Mina Group, the San Francisco-based company of chef and restaurateur Michael Mina.

He officially started on Monday, July 17, and is working closely with Mina and CEO Jason Himber, the company, which mostly partners with hotels to operate a variety of different restaurant concepts, said in a release.

Most recently Martino spent six years as the José Andrés Group’s chief operating officer overseeing more than 30 restaurants in nine countries, and a team of more than 2,000 employees with more than $275 million in revenue. During that time he oversaw hotel partnership agreements with the Conrad Hotel in Los Angeles and The Ritz-Carlton Nomad in New York City, as well as the opening of Mercado Little Spain, a multi-concept food hall at Hudson Yard’s in New York City.

Martino started his career working through the ranks of Carrabba’s Italian Grill, where he was trained as a chef before moving on to be a general manager. He later became vice president of operations of MStreet Entertainment Group, based in Nashville.

Mina said in a statement that Martino’s appointment “marks an exciting chapter for Mina Group. His extensive experience in restaurant operations makes him the ideal candidate for this position, but what really sets him apart is his dedication to people. Eric is an exceptional leader with a passion for building and supporting teams, and we look forward to working together to grow our Mina Group family so that we can continue to create exceptional dining experiences for our guests."

Related:Chef Michael Mina’s restaurant group names Jason Himber its new CEO

Martino said in a statement that he was looking forward to his new job, including working with Mina and Himber.

“Mina Group has an impressive reputation, known for its culinary excellence and commitment to hospitality and I'm honored to have the opportunity to help shape its future."

The group manages more than 30 restaurants.

Contact Bret Thorn at bret.thorn@informa.com 

About the Author

Bret Thorn

Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Senior Food & Beverage Editor

Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality.

Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. 

He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations.

From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs’ career moves in New York City.

He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality’s staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. 

A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thorn’s monthly column in Nation’s Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column.

He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005.

Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015.

He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Bret Thorn’s areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. 

Bret Thorn’s Experience: 

Nation’s Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present
New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 
Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997
Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997
ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989

Education:
Tufts University, BA in history, 1990
Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989
Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 
Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986

Email: bret.thorn@informa.com

Social Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-thorn-468b663/
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Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
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