Fontanka conducted an audit of stellar catering establishments and found out which of them really belong to popular performers, and which ones only use the association with their name.
The gastronomic map of the Northern capital continues to be replenished with restaurant projects of famous musicians. Last weekend, the Rhythms dance bar by DJ Ivan Grinko was opened in Sevcable Port, and the launch of the Gastronomika restaurant by singer Tatyana Bulanova was announced on June 16th.
Officially own
1. Timati: Stars Coffee and Red Box
Entrepreneur Timur Yunusov, who uses the stage name Timati, can rightfully consider himself a professional in the restaurant business. He owns 21.25% of Arena LLC, which manages the Stars Coffee chain of coffee houses that opened on the site of Starbucks. On the Stars Coffee website, Timati is listed in the “team” section along with his partner Anton Pinsky. “Stars Coffee brought together the stars of the gastronomic industry to bring the most daring ideas to life,” it says. However, while the assortment of coffee houses is very reminiscent of the departed Starbucks.
Timati is also a co-owner of the Pan-Asian restaurant Red Box on Bolshaya Konyushennaya Street. The musician owns 25% in the managing institution LLC SB. The concept is based on gastronomic cubism (in the interior, dishes and serving) and the number 3 (multiple prices, rolls of 3 and 6 pieces, 9 author’s sauces), according to the description on the site. The range also includes sweet bears, reminiscent of Bearbrick toys that Timati collects. The project also has two restaurants in Moscow.
But Timati no longer owns Black Star Burger. The musician sold his stake in 2022 for 70 million rubles. The buyer was German businessman Johann Sovada.
2. Alexander Rosenbaum: “Fat Fraer”
The network of beer restaurants “Tolstoy Fraer” was launched by the musician back in 2003. Now the project has six points. In each of the three LLCs that manage the establishments, Alexander Rosenbaum owns 40% each. His business partner is daughter Anna Chaki, as well as Nadezhda Lyubina. A photo of Alexander Rosenbaum, along with a welcome quote, is posted on the Tolstoy Fraer website. The description says that the opening of the pub was an old dream of the musician. And the name itself refers to the song of the bard. The atmosphere of Soviet pubs is played up in the interior.
3. Billy Novick: The Hat, “The Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters”
Billy’s Band frontman Vadim “Billy” Novik is a co-owner of two catering companies in St. Petersburg. These are The Hat bar on Belinsky Street (33.33% in Bruce LLC) and the Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters on Rubinshteina Street (100% in RUB27 LLC). However, the musician and his partners in the restaurant business position themselves as a single The Hat Group. According to the site, the chain includes The Red Corner and Fiddlers Green in St. Petersburg, as well as establishments in Moscow and Berlin.
The Hat works on the principle of a classic 50s jazz bar. No tables, no reservations. The venue hosts daily jazz jams. The concept of the “Anonymous Society of Diligent Tasters”, in addition to the bar, includes a deli meat shop and a drink shop.
4. Kirill Ivanov: “Society of Clean Plates”
The co-owner of the Society of Clean Plates network (now there are two establishments) is the leader of the Biggest Prime Number group, Kirill Ivanov. He owns 50% in LLC Unicorns, the manager of the cafe on Gorokhovaya Street, and 80% in LLC Kotiki, the manager of the cafe on Vladimirsky Prospekt. But on the website of the Society of Clean Plates, the connection with the musician is not highlighted in any way. Judging by the VKontakte page, the musical group is now touring outside of Russia.
Also on the Society’s website, Mishka bar on Konnogvardeisky Boulevard is listed among the establishments. In the media, Kirill Ivanov is mentioned as his co-owner, but, according to SPARK, 100% of Benois Cats LLC belongs to the musician’s partner Alexander Berkovsky. Another joint project, Dance Pavilion on Konyushennaya Square, ceased operations in 2022.
5. Ivan Grinko: “Rhythms”
Ivan Grinko positions himself as a bartender-dj. In the first incarnation, he was responsible for creating a bar list for such popular establishments in the Northern capital as Social Club, Bekitzer, Tawny bar. The musical alter ego of the entrepreneur Vanya Dvukhkassetny recorded compositions referring to the style of the 90s, as well as tracks with Little Big member Sofia Tayurskaya and The Hatters.
Ivan Grinko also acted as a co-founder of the Takty bar on 8th Sovetskaya (25% in Models and We LLC), but the institution ceased operations in 2021.
The other day, a new project was launched in Sevcable Port – the Rhythms dance bar (Nachalo Nachal LLC), where Ivan Grinko owns 5%. At the opening, the musician performed with a DJ set. Guests are promised fusion cuisine, cocktails and disco.
6. Igor Butman: “Jazz Club of Igor Butman”
“Igor Butman Jazz Club” on the embankment of the Griboyedov Canal is, first of all, a club. But a full menu and a bar card are available. In Igor Butman Jazz Orchestra LLC, the musician owns 50%, and his partner Marat Garipov owns the same amount.
Chef Alexey Ermakov (El Copitas, Paloma Cantina) is responsible for the cuisine, which combines Latin American, Mediterranean and Russian traditions. Igor Butman oversees the concert program.
Present as a brand
1. Sergei Shnurov: “Blue Pushkin”
“Sergey Shnurov’s bar, where they throw wild rock parties, fun and strong drinks flow like water, and at the bar you can meet someone from St. Petersburg bohemia,” according to the description on the Blue Pushkin website. On the page of the institution “VKontakte” it is said that “Blue Pushkin” was opened by Sergey Shnurov in 2010, his songs are heard in the restobar, his videos are spinning, covers are playing.
However, LLC “SP”, where the musician was a co-owner, has ceased to exist for several years. Now the establishment on Zhukovsky Street, judging by the register of alcohol licenses, is managed by Klavesin LLC, which belongs to Pavel Adadurov and Dmitry Zhukov. The Blue Pushkin logo is registered for the same LLC.
But the former drummer of Leningrad, Denis Mozhin, owns 40% in Zvezda LLC, which manages the Druzhba gastrobar on Zvezdnaya Street. On the site of the institution, the connection with the musician is not emphasized in any way, but on the VKontakte page he is listed in the contacts section.
2. Sergey Zhukov: “Hands Up”
The Ruki Vverkh bar on its VKontakte page positions itself as the “legendary bar of Sergei Zhukov”, and the musician himself is listed as the “dad of the bar.” The image of the performer is used in the design of the project website.
But the owners of RVB Griboyedov LLC, which managed the establishment on Lomonosov Street, according to SPARK, are Pavel Fedyukov and Dmitry Vdovin. The institution was sealed during the March raids of the UK and never resumed work. “We, like many of our law-abiding neighbors, are ready to work together with the city authorities to change the appearance of Dumskaya and Lomonosov for the better,” Sergei Zhukov commented on the authorities’ idea of creating a gastronomic cluster on Dumskaya. https://www.sobaka.ru/bars/news/165843
Now in St. Petersburg there is another bar “Hands Up” on Moskovsky Prospekt. Entrepreneur Pavel Chesnokov positions himself as a co-owner of the network and a partner of Zhukov. He is a co-owner of two legal entities registered at the same address as the establishment on Moskovsky Prospekt. But 100% of O2 VOX LLC, for which an alcohol license is issued, belongs to Yuri Chesnokov.
3. Anna Asti: “Gossip bar”
Gossip bar by Anna Asti opened in 2023 on Konyushennaya Square. It was reported that the same Pavel Chesnokov became the singer’s partner. At the same time, Anna Dzyuba herself (creative pseudonym Anna Asti) is the “ideological inspirer” of the institution. In the future, the project team plans to turn the project into a network and open new franchise establishments.
However, according to SPARK, Gossip Bar LLC is 100% owned by Yana Lokosh. In an interview, the entrepreneur called herself a co-author of the institution. According to her, Anna Asti participated in the development of the restaurant’s interior and cocktail list. Now the bar menu has drinks with the name of her songs.
4. Tatyana Bulanova: “Gastronomics”
The opening of the Gastronomika restaurant on Marata Street is scheduled for June 16. In the announcement, Tatyana Bulanova is named its owner, in honor of the launch of the institution, the singer will give a concert in it. In a press release, the singer positions the restaurant as “a place for fans and friends.” Guests are promised Italian cuisine, and the names and quotes of Tatyana Bulanova’s songs translated from Italian will be used in the titles (schiarisci la mia luce – “my clear light”, solo tu – “only you”, etc.). They promise to congratulate visitors on their birthday with a chorus from the song “My Beloved”.
Earlier, on the air of the program “You won’t believe,” the singer said that the restaurant had become a wedding gift. True, while in SPARK it was not possible to find catering establishments co-owned by Tatyana Bulanova, there is no point on Marata Street in the register of alcohol licenses. The press service of the performer did not answer the question of which company will manage Gastronomics.
