Everyone knows that fame can be fleeting. While some celebrities manage to hang on to fame for as long as they want (the Meryl Streeps, and Elton Johns of the world, for example), other celebrities may not have as long of a career or as many years to earn the big bucks that the ultra-famous can make. Enter the side hustle. Lots of stars have bonus income streams, ranging from investing in real estate to doing sponsored content on Instagram to opening up restaurants.
Celebrity-owned eateries have been a thing for decades now, with some obviously mixed results. It turns out that nobody really wanted to eat at the supermodel-owned Fashion Café or at Flavor Flav's multiple failed attempts at the fried chicken game. But there are some celebrities who've owned or co-owned some surprisingly successful and higher-end foodie joints, including steakhouses, seafood and oyster bars, and even a South African–Israeli fusion restaurant that is going on its 10th year in business. Yes, we are revealing in this article who owns the South African–Israeli fusion joint, and no, there is absolutely no way anyone is going to guess who it is!
Bad Bunny
Martha Stewart
It makes a whole bunch of sense that Martha Stewart has a restaurant, right? She's been in the cookbook and entertaining game for decades now. It is a little surprising that The Bedford — which is said to be "a replica of Martha's 1925 [Bedford, New York,] farmhouse with culinary inspiration drawn from her legendary gardens" — is in Las Vegas, because Martha's vibes aren't really Vegas, but the restaurant has a prime spot in the Paris Las Vegas hotel.
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro has owned a restaurant in New York City called the Tribeca Grill since 1990. The dining hot spot also counts Billy Murray, Sean Penn, and Christopher Walken as investors and has been well regarded by critics. We're kind of into the idea of trying the crab cake blessed by one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Channing Tatum
Channing Tatum dances and acts — and apparently sometimes helps at the bar of his New Orleans restaurant, Saints and Sinners. One thing that is cool about this celeb restaurant is that a portion of all sales is donated to charities that help feed children. Love that!
Michael Jordan
NBA great Michael Jordan's side hustle of playing baseball didn't work, but his success in the food biz is pretty impressive. He debuted his first Michael Jordan's Steak House in 1998 and has since opened three more locations.
Pharrell Williams
Bad Bunny isn't the only musical celebrity who is rocking the culinary scene in Miami these days. Pharrell Williams is a co-owner of a European-style restaurant in the Design District named Swan, which features locally sourced ingredients and a pink decor scheme that evokes some old Miami glamour.
Chip & Joanna Gaines
While there may be multiple celebrity restaurant options in places like Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles, there is likely only one choice for patrons of star-powered cuisine who happen to find themselves in Waco, Texas. Fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines are flocking to their breakfast and lunch joint, Magnolia Table, for comfort food including pancakes and pumpkin pie donut holes. Yum! We'd hit that.
