Schulson Collective: Looking to conquer the East Coast and beyond
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Schulson Collective
The right location at the right time has often sparked the idea for Michael Schulson to launch a new restaurant concept. Now he operates 16 restaurants, stretching from his home base of Philadelphia to South Florida and New York City.
As a trained chef, Michael Schulson headed up some of America’s top kitchens, but the business side of restaurants always excited him. Now he’s channeling both his passions as CEO of the Philadelphia-based Schulson Collective, a 16-restaurant group that stretches beyond its Philadelphia home to South Florida, and most recently, New York City.
Schulson started out studying architectural engineering in college, realized it wasn’t for him, and got a job making pizza. “I loved it, went to cooking school (Culinary Institute of America, Class of 1995), and started on the path of becoming a chef,” he said.
He worked at restaurants in Japan, developed an expertise in Asian cuisine, and eventually became the opening chef at Buddakan in New York City — Stephen Starr’s groundbreaking Asian restaurant. Schulson also helmed the stoves at Peacock Alley in the Waldorf-Astoria and David Burke’s Park Avenue Cafe.
He took a short detour to Atlantic City before becoming a Philadelphia restaurateur. In 2008, Schulson was invited to open Izakaya in the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City. The modern Japanese pub showcased his Asian culinary talents. A year later, he launched Sampan, his first independent concept, in Philadelphia’s Midtown Village neighborhood. The contemporary pan-Asian restaurant won countless accolades and became the cornerstone of the Schulson Collective.
To make the leap from chef to restaurateur, Schulson tapped into his time as an architectural engineering student. “It was always the business part of those studies that excited me,” he said. His restaurants give him the runway to maximize both his culinary and business skills.
Philadelphia has been a hospitable place to build a hospitality company. After Sampan, Schulson opened Independence Beer Garden in 2014, a 25,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor venue steps from the Liberty Bell. Double Knot followed in 2016, a bi-level restaurant with an upstairs coffee bar and downstairs izakaya serving sushi and other Japanese specialties. That same year, Harp & Crown debuted, with a globally inspired menu and elevated style.
In quick succession, red sauce mecca Giuseppe & Sons, steakhouse Alpen Rose, DK Sushi, and pasta-focused Via Locusta made their debut, all in Philly. The portfolio expanded with neighborhood restaurant Prunella in 2022, followed by seafood destination Pearl & Mary, and Mediterranean concept Dear Daphni. Just this past February, Double Knot opened in a soaring space in New York City. The Schulson Collective is a privately held company, but annual revenue is estimated at between $46–$70 million, according to market trackers.
“Philadelphia has been really successful for me,” said Schulson. “It’s a nice, manageable city and people get to know about you. Then when a landlord has a great location, they’re going to reach out to the restaurateurs they know, and the space will be grabbed up and never get on the market.”
He also credits the “eds and meds” — universities and hospitals — as well as businesses like Aramark and Comcast and Philly’s sports teams for providing appealing demographics. Schulson believes that winning sports teams like the Sixers, Flyers, and Eagles contribute a lot to the positive dining vibe.
But Schulson is a born New Yorker, and he’s really excited about Double Knot’s arrival in the Big Apple this past winter. “Philly is part of my DNA, but there’s always something special about going home. It’s great to be back in New York, and Double Knot is going great here,” he said. Nevertheless, he admits that New York is a different operating environment than Philadelphia. For one thing, the lack of a tip credit significantly increases operating costs, and this Double Knot location is one of Schulson Collective’s largest ones at 16,000 square feet. Double Knot also has a location in Miami.
Ever since he opened Sampan, Schulson has operated his restaurants with the same philosophy: It starts with the customer. “Let’s give them an amazing experience, and let’s build restaurants to make them feel like they’re transported. It all starts there,” he said. He credits his 1,500 employees for making that happen, creating a winning culture by hiring the right people.
“Sometimes I say I’m done, and then somebody presents me with an amazing space and opportunity, and I have great investors and business partners who are always excited to do new stuff,” said Schulson. “Employees want to grow, and the best way for them to grow is for us to open new restaurants.”
