Designer dines

The Coach Restaurant's food and design pay homage to the Big Apple. — Photos: Coach

FOR a slice of New York City (NYC) without the jet lag, make your reservations at Coach’s first ever restaurant, found right here in South-East Asia. The Coach Restaurant and Coach Coffee Shop recently opened its doors at Grand Indonesia Mall in the bustling capital of Jakarta, promising diners a culinary treat that quintessentially reflects Coach and its NYC roots.

While the new restaurant marks the fashion house’s debut into the hospitality industry, the unveiling should not come as a total surprise. From a retro travel-themed boutique inside a Boeing 747 airplane in Melaka to a globe-trotting, ice cream-serving Tabby bag pop-up tour, the label has for the last few years been on a mission to extend its brand beyond retail into interactive experiences for customers around the world.

This new chapter brings Coach further towards its vision of ‘expressive luxury’, which centres around self-expression, emotional storytelling, and experiential spaces that immerse customers in the brand’s universe. Campbell O’Shea, general manager, Coach Southeast Asia and Oceania, shares with Star Biz7: “We are excited to bring our largest offering of expressive luxury to date, introducing a full hospitality experience incorporating all five senses to Jakarta and to many upcoming locations around the world.”

The Coach Restaurant and Coach Coffee Shop is revealed to be the first in a line-up of upcoming dining experiences from the brand that we will see in 2024 and beyond.

Cuisine à la Coach

“At The Coach Restaurant, our design and culinary choices are a homage to the rich history and vibrant spirit of New York City, our home since 1941,” says O’Shea.

“Inspired by the city’s taxis, bistro-style leather booths and a true-to-size NYC taxicab installation in the ceiling set the stage. Circular hubcap walls and ‘Taxicab Yellow’ accents add a dynamic touch.”

To develop the restaurant’s unique décor, Coach creative director Stuart Vevers worked with William Sofield, the distinguished designer and president of the New York-based Studio Sofield, aiming to capture the eclectic and iconic essence of the city that never sleeps.

“We were inspired by the spirit of our hometown of New York with its swagger and eclectic energy, as well as a playfulness that’s inherent to Coach,” commented Vevers in a statement. “My vision was to create an atmosphere that feels imaginative and offbeat but also warm and inviting.”

The restaurant’s refined setting boasts architectural elements like bronze mirror walls, stainless blackened steel staircases, and white-and-grey poured terrazzo floors, as well as tropical wall panel wood louvres — a nod to its South-East Asian location.

O’Shea points out that references to Coach’s legacy are seen throughout the space. “We’ve integrated Coach’s craft into the restaurant, showcasing glovetanned leather in menus, napkin cuffs, placemats, and waitstaff aprons. The plateware reflects floral detailing inspired by Coach collections.”

Diners can also look forward to choosing from a menu offering New York steakhouse fare such as strip steak, a signature Coach cheeseburger, shrimp cocktail, wedge salad, and a classic martini. Next door, Coach Coffee Shop takes after a typical New York corner store with delightful diner-style options like pizza and soft serve to go with a steaming cup of coffee.

Following this first foray into the restaurant scene, Coach is expected to unveil more lifestyle experiences and activations across the region, including on Malaysian shores.

“Looking ahead, we are thrilled to expand Coach Play, a global series of interactive and highly localised pop-ups — with an upcoming launch in Malaysia,” O’Shea expands. “This initiative extends to include expressions of the Coach Coffee Shop, reinforcing our commitment to creating spaces that reflect the house’s vision of expressive luxury rooted in authentic self-expression.”

This article first appeared in Star Biz7 weekly edition.