PIERRE LOTI
Ozan Yüzen, Burak Argun, Orhan Çakıcı (left to right)
Manhattan Is Meetıng Wıth The Pıerre Lotı Franchıse
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As of now, 17 different wine houses owned by Turkish entrepreneurs are in business within New York.
nown for its adaptation to different concepts and its city spirit which is constantly searching for new things, New York City is now becoming a home for one of the fastest-growing trends of the past 10 years: wine houses. It is estimated that the numbers of such places, which are on the increase with different concepts, are nearly 150. The first entry of the Turkish entrepreneurs in this sector was with the opening of the second wine house in the city, known as the Turks & Frogs. As of now, 17 different wine houses owned by Turkish entrepreneurs are in business within New York. Creating the concept of Pierre Loti in 2007, after his experience in running, in partnership with his older brother Osman, the Turks & Frogs, Orhan Çakır also opened four wine houses. Working with six partners in four different venues, Orhan Çakır is running business with Burak Argun, Ozan Yüzen, and İsmail Burak Topal. Orhan Çakır is the main partner in all of these venues. Topal has partnerships in three of them, and Argun in two. While the ones in Manhattan, within the Chelsea, Union Square, and Midtown districts, are run under the name Pierre Loti, the first venue outside of Manhattan, Park Slope, is in Brooklyn. Four of the partners had previously worked in New York restaurants for a period of time. All four of them are from İstanbul. Living in the USA since 2000, Argun is a graduate of İstanbul University’s Business Administration department and holds a MBA degree from Pace University. Having started his professional life at Deutsche Bank, Argun, lastly, left his position at the Wealth Management section of the Morgan Stanley bank, the department managing the money of the wealthy, and now he is a full time business owner. He emphasizes that even many high level executives at the bank dream of opening a small business of their own. He adds that he felt relieved when he came here from the bank.
50 • TurkofAmerica
Having gained experience in America since 1997, Ozan Yüzen is actually a construction engineer. The partners also carry out the distribution of the Pamukkale wines in the USA. They state that very soon they will also be able to introduce any Turkish brand with a foreign corporation status to twenty different venues. Currently, the most consumed wines in their venues are French, Argentinean, and Californian wines. Nearly 60 people work in the venues that are being opened under the name of Pierre Loti. Among the four different venues, which have a sales value of 600 bottles of wines per week. The partners are planning to establish a similar concept in İstanbul as well. Having opened and sold 11 restaurants previously, Orhan Çakır is now preparing to open a Mediterranean restaurant with 120-seat capacity, again in Manhattan. Another goal of the partners is to own their own wholesale company. The famous French novelist and naval officer Pierre Loti, who lived between the years 1850 and 1923, was known for his love for İstanbul. The four partners who have spread the Pierre Loti Wine House brand share the background information about Pierre Loti to those who ask about him at the venues. Çakır says, “Maybe, even his great-grandchildren don’t actually commemorate him as much as we do!” WINE HOUSES Pierre Loti - Union Square - 53 Irving Pl, New York, NY 10003 - (212) 777 5684 Pierre Loti - Midtown - 300 E 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022 - (212) 755 5684 Pierre Loti - Chelsea - 258 W 15th Street, New York, NY 10011 - (212) 645-5684 Park Slope - 78 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 (347) 889 6524