AvroKO Restaurant Group

PUBLIC is owned and operated by the AvroKO Restaurant Group, comprised of design and concept firm, AvroKO, and partner Dan Rafalin. The Group also owns PUBLIC’s neighboring wine bar, The Monday Room, as well as Double Crown and Madam Geneva at Bowery andBleecker Street.

AvroKO

AvroKO is an award-winning, multidisciplinary design and concept firm based in New York City. The four partners – William Harris, Greg Bradshaw, Kristina O’Neal and Adam Farmerie – each bring a unique vision to their multi-faceted design mission, and have created everything from restaurants and hotels to furniture, food, books, and even fashion. The firm has worked with some of the most prominent names in the restaurant and hospitality industries and in addition has launched its own “self-propelled projects,” the first of which was PUBLIC. The team released Best Ugly, its first book, published by HarperCollins. Most recently, Double Crown, the second AvroKO-owned restaurant, was launched. AvroKO is currently at work on design projects worldwide.

DAN RAFALIN

Dan has been immersed in the culinary world from the beginning of his career when he received a Grande Diplome in Culinary Arts from The French Culinary Institute. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Food Management from New York University and worked as the financial and business analyst for the Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food, restaurant and hospitality consulting firm before joining forces with AvroKO to form AvroKO Hospitality Group.

Dan oversees operations of the group’s four New York City restaurants.

Alongside Dan’s passion for the restaurant business is a commitment to guiding the next generation of professionals. Dan is an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Masters Program, where he teaches Managerial Accounting and is on the faculty of The French Culinary Institute where he teaches management and leadership in the schools Restaurant Management Program. He is a frequent guest speaker on the topics of restaurant development and operations for the American Institute of Wine and Food, The French Culinary Institute, New York University, Tufts University, and Columbia University.