About Me
Company StoryLifelong friends Lonnie Moore and Mike Malin fulfilled a long-held dream of owning a bar in 2001 when they opened a small tapas lounge called Belly on a strip of Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. The business, built on equal parts sweat and credit card debt, became the entertainment industry's hangout of choice thanks to Malin's concurrent appearance on CBS reality show Big Brother. Malin used his time on national network television as an opportunity for guerilla marketing, relentlessly promoting his business on every episode. As a result, Belly was packed to the rafters night after night.The young duo then leveraged the success of Belly and its ties to young Hollywood, assembling a slate of famous investors in order to create Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante on Melrose Avenue in 2003. Practically overnight, the restaurant became a national sensation as paparazzi thronged outside its doors to catch a glimpse of the comings-and-goings of its celebrity backers, including That 70's Show stars Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama, Danny Masterson and Laura Prepon, as well as Chris Masterson from Malcolm in the Middle, Dule Hill from The West Wing, Jamie Kennedy and others. Dolce is not, however, a stereotypical "celebrity restaurant" with mediocre food and service. Instead, Dolce serves up a world-class dining experience, offering California-accented Italian cuisine, a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list, sexy yet comfortable ambiance, and flawless but friendly and unpretentious service. Dolce's conception of service Ð fun dining instead of fine dining Ð has served as a model for every venture that has followed.For their next restaurant, Moore and Malin partnered in 2004 with Hollywood nightclub diva Shereen Arazm to create Geisha House, a two-story Japanese and sushi restaurant set in Tokyo 2050. The wildly successful restaurant, anchored by an imaginative Californian take on traditional Japanese cuisine and an incomparable selection of rare sakes, continues to draw record crowds as well as international media attention. In addition, Geisha House spearheaded a redevelopment boom as the first tenant on a formerly dilapidated strip of Hollywood Boulevard that has since become LA's hottest new dining and nightlife district.In 2005, the company (now called The Dolce Group) continued its investment in Hollywood by opening Bella Cucina Italiana only a block away from Geisha House. Bella is a cozy Italian trattoria that combines top-notch food, service and ambience with the warmth, charm and comfort of a treasured neighborhood café, all at a reasonable price.This perennially busy little sister to Dolce already has the makings of a neighborhood institution. In addition to opening Bella, the company launched a consulting division in order to help less-experienced restaurateurs to build successful and profitable companies.2006 will be The Dolce Group's busiest year yet. In June, the company will unveil a chic indoor-outdoor lounge called Les Deux, to be located directly across the street from Bella. Then, in the fall, The Dolce Group will move out of LA for the first time to open three venues in Midtown Atlanta's new Atlantic Station development: Dolce, Geisha House, and a brand-new bowling lounge concept called Ten Pin Alley. Back at home, the Group will open Ketchup, a contemporary American restaurant, on Sunset Boulevard near trendy Sunset Plaza. All of these new ventures will only enhance the company's reputation for providing amazing food and friendly, approachable service in a collection of imaginative, fun and unique environments.These savvy hospitality entrepreneurs refuse to rest on their laurels, however. The Dolce Group is moving forward with plans to open new venues in Las Vegas, Reno, Dallas, Phoenix, and Santa Ana, California in 2007, bringing the company's conception of fun dining to an ever expanding and ever more satisfied audience.
You should create your own MySpace Layouts like me by using nUCLEArcENTURy .COM's MySpace Profile Editor !
