Philly Chef Mike Solomonov Sells Barbecue Restaurant to Focus on Expansion Plans

Philadelphia superstar Mike Solomonov is narrowing his focus: The chef's restaurant group has sold its seven-year-old Philadelphia barbecue restaurant to focus on expanding its other headline-grabbing brands.

Percy Street Barbecue was offloaded "because it no longer fit in CookNSolo's portfolio," partner Steve Cook told Philly.com. (It's business as usual until the liquor license can be transferred, though, which takes three to four months.)

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the restaurant group says, "All of us at CookNSolo are incredibly proud of Percy Street, the restaurant that we have built, tinkered with and always tried to improve upon over the last 7 years. None of this would have been possible without the limitless dedication, talent, and grace of chef/partner Erin O’Shea. As the center of gravity of our company changes, we believe that a new ownership group with fresh energy is the best way for Percy Street to continue its mission of being the tried and true barbecue joint that Philadelphians love."

CookNSolo's portfolio includes its modern Israeli flagship restaurant, Zahav — which inspired Eater critic Bill Addison to declare Solomonov "the genius of modern Jewish cooking" — plus Jewish deli-inspired Abe Fisher. On the fast-casual side of the business there's hummus spot Dizengoff, and the wildly popular, trend-setting Federal Donuts, where fried chicken seasoned with global flavors like za'atar or curry is served alongside hot, fresh cake doughnuts.

The latter two are both poised for expansion beyond Philly: Dizengoff expanded with an outpost at NYC's Chelsea Market earlier this year, and it sounds like more locations are in the works. Last year on an episode of the Eater Upsell, Solomonov expressed desire to expand Federal Donuts, which currently has five locations in the Philadelphia area, to New York — though, much to the chagrin of many New Yorkers, no plans have been announced just yet. Federal Donuts locations have already been announced for Nashville and Miami, however.

• Percy Street Barbecue to Be Sold [Philly.com]

• Popular South Street BBQ Spot, Percy Street Barbecue, Sold [Eater Philly]

• Fifty-Six Minutes of Realtalk With Philly Superstar Mike Solomonov [E]

• All Mike Solomonov Coverage [E]