Stephen Starr, King of Martinis and $400M Fries Empire
Stephen Starr, the Philadelphia maestro who turned cheesesteak city into a $400 million culinary kingdom, is returning to his humble teenage hustle on the Atlantic City boardwalk. This guy worked 14-hour days hawking T-shirts like a sea-shanty pirate before becoming the 'alchemist of ambiance' behind 43 restaurants in 6 cities. Remember Buddakan's 10-foot golden Buddha and Morimoto's pricey sushi? Now he’s doing brunch basics at Sunny’s ($17 avo toast, $23 eggs Benedict) and a bistro random like salt-baked celery root for $36 but with unlimited fries, because nothing says fine dining like carb-loaded buffet dreams.
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When a man’s empire makes $400M a year selling ambiance and fries, you know America’s dining future is in suspiciously theatrical hands. Stephen Starr isn’t just serving food, he’s cashing in on edible spectacle with a side of ordinary brunch for $17 a slice.
Stephen Starr called it ’the everyman’s restaurant with culinary attention’—aka the $20 egg special that pretends it’s not about the fries you’re really paying for.
Congrats to Atlantic City: They went from casinos to celebrity chefs to Stephen Starr, who knows fandom is overrated when you can build a $400 million business selling theatrical dining and potato piles.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 10/15/2025 | Author: Erin McDowell
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