From London and Miami to Barbuda, luxury branded residences are turning world-class restaurants into a key selling point. Ruth Bloomfield explores how celebrity chefs, private dining clubs and exclusive culinary experiences are reshaping the luxury property market...
Everybody knows the old saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The world’s most aspirational branded residences are increasingly banking on the theory to help their homes stand out in a hyper-competitive market.
Fine dining, provided by a celebrated international chef spangled with Michelin stars, has become an increasingly essential component of such properties around the world, from Miami to the Maldives.
“Developers are looking for ways to make projects feel distinctive,” says Jacques Sharam, associate director of Savills Global Residential Development Consultancy.
“High-profile restaurants and well-known chefs help create an identity for the development, and purchasers are not only buying an apartment or villa, they are buying into a curated lifestyle. A well-known restaurant brand tells potential buyers that the developer is assembling a best-in-class ecosystem around the residences.”
Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco, founder of the three-Michelin-star Mirazur in Menton, France, is at the helm of three restaurants at London’s The OWO (The Old War Office).
This development includes a dozen bars, cafés and restaurants, plus 85 residences, currently priced from £4 million, and a Raffles Hotel. “It is another string to the bow, another amenity,” says Alex Rusling, The OWO’s head of sales and marketing.
Rusling believes busy restaurants and bars bring a vibe and sense of destination to the site and that The OWO’s often time-poor residents appreciate both the convenience of on-site dining and the sense of belonging.
“You can call the maître d’ and ask for your table, and they will know what you like to eat,” he says. But while anyone can book a table and sample Colagreco’s menu, other developers are taking exclusivity to the next level, with restaurants reserved for residents only.
Rusling believes busy restaurants and bars bring a vibe and sense of destination to the site and that The OWO’s often time-poor residents appreciate both the convenience of on-site dining and the sense of belonging.
“You can call the maître d’ and ask for your table, and they will know what you like to eat,” he says. But while anyone can book a table and sample Colagreco’s menu, other developers are taking exclusivity to the next level, with restaurants reserved for residents only.
The homes are being sold by Douglas Elliman, and executive vice president Adriana Echevarria says that Starr, as one of the US’s most prominent restaurateurs, adds credibility and prestige to the development. “Beyond name recognition, he is known for delivering consistently strong concepts and execution, which gives buyers confidence in the quality of the experience,” she says.
And making the restaurant private has proved a “key differentiator” for buyers. “It aligns closely with Fisher Island’s members-only nature,” she explains. “It provides a level of privacy, exclusivity and ease that is difficult to replicate in a public-facing venue. It’s an extension of the home, offering a seamless, elevated dining experience within their own community.”
Across the branded residences sector, Echevarria says more and more operators are taking their restaurants off the table for members of the general public. “There is a clear shift in the market toward more private, club-like environments,” she says. This strategy has been adopted at The Perigon, under construction in Miami Beach.
The first residents will move into its 72 residences next spring, and Michael Patrizio, managing director of developer Mast Capital, is confident the building will sell out to a mix of North American and European buyers before the finishing touches are made.
Prices start at $12.545 million for a four-bedroom, 354-square-metre property, to $37 million for a 528-square-metre penthouse.
Chef Shaun Hergatt – whose namesake restaurant SHO Shaun Hergatt in New York held two Michelin stars – will create two residents-only restaurants at The Perigon; one a Mediterranean-inspired oceanfront dining room, the other a speakeasy-style lounge.
Patrizio says that the restaurants would complement Miami’s fine-dining scene by offering residents “something uniquely personal and authentic”. He adds, “There’s real value in having a chef-driven experience steps from your door, whether that’s a quiet breakfast before a busy day or a last-minute dinner without the hassle of a reservation.”
In the Caribbean, Katy Horne, managing director of Paradise Found Barbuda, is overseeing the build of The Beach Club, and she has decided to create a “resort within a resort” for owners. The 160-hectare site will include a Nobu hotel and restaurants, opening next year.
This will be followed by 27 Nobu residences priced from $12.5 million and due to be completed by 2028, and a residents-only beach house and grounds with its own dining options. To date, 11 of the residences have been sold, and Horne believes the link to a global dining brand like Nobu has been a strong incentive.
“So much of the experience of travel is dining, and Nobu is synonymous with consistency and quality across the globe,” she says. “That really resonates with people because they know they rely on the quality.”
First published in the July 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.