10/27/2026
Last year, Simon promised New York something worth waiting for. This year, he delivered. ✨
Congratulations to our Founder and CEO Simon Kim on being named to Observer’s 2026 Nightlife & Dining Power List, recognizing the people shaping the future of dining, nightlife and hospitality. It’s a privilege to stand alongside so many inspiring chefs, restaurateurs, and creators who pour their hearts into keeping New York the greatest city in the world to eat, drink, and gather.
This past year marked a milestone for Gracious Hospitality Management. In April, 550 Madison opened its doors: 15,000 square feet across multiple levels of Philip Johnson’s iconic former Sony building, home to COTE 550 and Bar Chimera. Simon’s favorite corner is the martini bar, a full year in the making. “We spent a year researching and developing the perfect martini, tasting hundreds of waters and working with chemists and a local ice maker to get the mineral content and pH exactly right.”
And we’re not done. Sushi Yosh*take arrives on the 550 Madison mezzanine soon. The first North American restaurant from three-Michelin-starred Tokyo chef Masahiro Yosh*take. “His dream was to come to New York, and my dream was to bring the greatest sushi chef to New York.”
From opening 550 Madison, celebrating COTE Vegas’s one year anniversary, returning to the U.S Open and launching dolldollkimbap, to bringing COQODAQ to London and more, it’s been a year of saying yes. Or as Simon puts it, believing in “the power of ‘and.’”
To Simon: your vision inspires us every day. Thank you for building something so special, bringing delight, and for letting us be part of what comes next.♥️
