A Louis Vuitton Cafe and Restaurant Is Opening In Japan

Breakfast at Tiffany’s — and dinner at Louis Vuitton?

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton keeps diving deeper into the hospitality business and will open its first Vuitton café and restaurant next month at its new flagship boutique in Osaka, Japan, WWD has learned.

Michael Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of Vuitton, confirmed the development, and hinted that eateries and even hotels could be a future expansion avenue for the mega-brand, which on Tuesday night unveiled the Sewelô, a 1,48-carat stone billed as the second-largest rough diamond ever discovered.

Separately, architect Peter Marino, who designs stores for Vuitton, Dior and other luxury brands, told WWD he would design the first Paris branch of Langosteria, a high-end seafood restaurant in Milan popular with the fashion crowd. It will be located on the seventh floor of La Samaritaine, the landmark department store slated to reopen in April as a showcase for LVMH businesses, including the group’s Cheval Blanc hotel, also designed by Marino.

A rendering of Le Café V in the soon-to-open Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji in Japan.  Courtesy Photo

The twin developments come as consumers continue to splash out on fine dining, holidays and other luxury experiences — and LVMH is making sure it carves itself a healthy slice.

Le Café V will be located on the top floor of Vuitton’s new four-level Osaka maison, with a menu by celebrated Japanese chef Yosuke Suga, an adjoining bar and a generously sized terrace. Next to the bar will be Sugalabo V, serving only dinner to a lucky few via an open kitchen mirroring the Tokyo branch of Sugalabo.

The boutique, in a new building by architect Jun Aoki, is to open on Feb. 1, while the restaurants are to start serving on Feb. 15.

A rendering of the exterior of the soon-to-open Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji in Japan.  Courtesy Photo